PGA Championship 2026 Faces Criticism from Top Players
The PGA Championship 2026, held at Aronimink Golf Club in southwest Philadelphia, has drawn significant criticism from some of the world’s top golfers, including Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler. The course setup, particularly the pin positions, has been a source of frustration for players, leading to higher-than-expected scores and a tightly packed leaderboard after two rounds.
With only 21 players under par before the weekend, the tournament has seen a challenging test for even the most experienced golfers. World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler is currently two strokes behind, while McIlroy, who made a strong comeback after a tough first round, is five strokes off the pace.
McIlroy expressed his concerns about the course setup, stating that a bunched leaderboard is not a sign of a great test. “It’s a bunched leaderboard but that means it’s a sign of not a great setup,” he said. His comments reflect the sentiment among several top players who feel the course is being overly difficult.
Scheffler was even more direct in his criticism, calling the pin positions “absurd.” He noted that many of the pins were placed in areas that were not only challenging but also seemingly designed to frustrate players. “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,” he said.
One particular example was the 14th hole, which Scheffler described as one of the hardest pins he had encountered in a long time. “There’s literally just like a spine and they’re like, ‘oh, we’ll just put the pin right on top of it.’ And you’re like, ‘all right, well, I’ll see what I can do.’”
He continued, “This is the hardest set of pin locations that I’ve seen since I’ve been on tour, and that includes US Opens, that includes Oakmont. I did say to Fooch, he’s been around a long time, and to Ted, too, ‘have you seen anything like this before?’ They said maybe Shinnecock is the only place they have seen that has pins that could compare to this.”
Scheffler added that the difficulty of the course is different from other major championships. “But it’s different in a sense on this golf course, because Oakmont, their 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. And like it’s not as, how would you say, natural to the slopes that are there. There’s a bit more, I think, that’s manufactured into the greens, and it’s just very difficult.”
McIlroy, however, remains optimistic that the course will become more manageable if the pin positions change and the 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.
He emphasized that the course is still competitive and that players can make up ground quickly. “Yes, it’s bunched, but you get on a run with wedges on that front nine and you shoot four, five-under and all of a sudden you’re right in the thick of things. 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.”
Diverse Perspectives on Course Difficulty
While some players have found the course setup frustrating, others believe it is a necessary challenge for a major championship. Patrick Reed, a former Masters champion, described the eighth hole as “dumb” but acknowledged that the difficulty is preferable to low scoring.
“When you grow up the rough, you have the greens this fast and slopy, and you have it cold and the wind blowing, the golf course is going to play tough,” Reed said. “I honestly would prefer a major championship playing like this than 20-something under par winning. You want them to play hard. You want them to be a good test. That’s what they have here, a great test.”
Conclusion
The PGA Championship 2026 has provided a unique challenge for the world’s best players, with pin positions and course conditions creating a highly competitive environment. While some players have voiced concerns about the difficulty, others appreciate the test it presents. As the tournament continues, the focus will be on how players adapt to the challenges and whether the course setup changes in the coming days.
