Justin Rose has responded to Rory McIlroy's comments ahead of the PGA Championship, calling it a "shame to hear" the Northern Irishman's suggestion that driving accuracy may not be crucial at Aronimink Golf Club. Rose, however, cautioned that players must be "respectful" of the challenges the course presents.
McIlroy's 'Bash Away' Remark
Rose caught wind of McIlroy describing Aronimink as a venue where players could "bash away" off the tee, and the Englishman politely disagreed ahead of the 108th PGA Championship. The course, steeped in history as it has staged all three of the PGA's rotating majors, was designed by the legendary Donald Ross. Rose acknowledged that the effect of professional golfers discovering greater distance is regrettable on such a layout.
The second major of the 2026 season gets underway on May 14 at Aronimink in Newtown Square, Pennsylvania. The course is renowned for its demanding greens, awkward slopes, and 75 bunkers that favour accuracy over length. McIlroy, who starts at 8.40am alongside Jordan Spieth and Jon Rahm, hinted accuracy may not count for as much at the venue for some of the PGA Tour's finest drivers of the ball.
Rose's Perspective
Rose will commence his opening round considerably later at 2.05pm with Scottie Scheffler and Matt Fitzpatrick, and sees the arrangement differently. The 2013 US Open champion believes the course can still penalise players who don't show the fairways proper respect.
"Yeah, that's a shame to hear that because that's not what a Donald Ross course is designed to be or historically has been," Rose said when asked about McIlroy calling it a "bish, bash course". "The rough's definitely creeping up, though to the point where you got to be respectful, I think," he continued. Rose described the rough as thick, dense, and almost Kikuyu-like, with a "rooty" feel that could make clean contact difficult.
Rose acknowledged that modernisation has dulled Aronimink's renowned difficulty and that big hitters can carry certain bunkers at around 305 or 310 yards. This opens up the fairway considerably and hands a distinct edge to players capable of carrying the ball beyond 300 yards. The PGA ranks McIlroy in the top five statistically for driving the ball beyond 300 yards on 37 out of 44 occasions this season. His 84 per cent accuracy rate places him behind only Aldrich Potgieter, Gary Woodland, Michael Brennan, and Min Woo Lee.
History Between McIlroy and Rose
The remarks carry added bite given that McIlroy and Rose remain intertwined through Masters history. McIlroy completed the career Grand Slam last season by overcoming Rose in a sudden-death play-off at Augusta National to claim a fifth major title. Rose was amongst the first to publicly congratulate McIlroy following the victory and reiterated his admiration after McIlroy successfully defended his Green Jacket with a further triumph last April.
Rose has endured the brutal fine margins of major championship golf for years, managing to clinch victory just once. He has finished runner-up or tied second at the Masters on three occasions, and runner-up twice at the Open Championship, before finally breaking through to win the 2013 US Open.
