Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler have voiced strong criticism over the course set-up at the PGA Championship 2026, held at Aronimink Golf Club in suburban Philadelphia. The world's top players expressed frustration with the pin placements, which they described as excessively difficult and, in some cases, 'absurd.'
Bunched Leaderboard and High Scores
The second men's major of the year has seen higher-than-expected scoring, with only 21 players under par after two rounds. World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler sits two strokes back, while Rory McIlroy is five adrift after a strong second-round comeback. McIlroy made three birdies and no bogeys to climb back into contention.
McIlroy attributed the bunched leaderboard to the challenging setup. 'It's a bunched leaderboard, but that means it's a sign of not a great setup,' he said. Scheffler echoed this sentiment, calling the pin locations 'absurd' despite many fans enjoying the difficulty.
Scheffler's Criticism
Scheffler elaborated on his frustrations, noting that the pins were placed in positions that left players with little control. 'Most of the pins today were kind of absurd,' he said. 'There are just some things that are out of your control. They were just so far into the areas where we thought the pins were going to be, and then they just... like the one on 14 was probably the hardest pin that I've seen in a long time.'
He compared the difficulty to the US Open at Oakmont, known for its severe greens, but noted a key difference: 'Oakmont's greens are extremely severe, but they're extremely severe in one direction. Here, it's like the green may slope all this way and then we put the pin down here and then there's also a slope this way. There's a bit more that's manufactured into the greens, and it's just very difficult.'
McIlroy's Outlook
McIlroy remains optimistic about the weekend, anticipating easier conditions if pin locations change and weather improves. 'With calmer conditions and maybe a couple more favourable hole locations, I think everyone's got to feel like they have got a chance,' he said. 'At five back, I do feel like I'm right in the tournament, and that's really what I wanted to do today was to just get myself back in it.'
The PGA Championship continues through the weekend, with the leaderboard tightly packed and the potential for dramatic shifts if the course setup softens.
