Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler voiced their frustrations regarding the 2026 PGA Championship setup at Aronimink, where challenging pin positions have caused significant difficulties for the elite players. The tournament, known as the second men’s major of the year, has produced unexpectedly high scores and a tightly packed leaderboard, with only 21 players managing to finish under par after two rounds.

As the world’s number one, Scheffler finds himself two strokes behind the leaders, while McIlroy trails by five after recovering from a poor first round. McIlroy remarked, "It’s a bunched leaderboard but that means it’s a sign of not a great setup."

Scheffler described the pin placements as "absurd," expressing his disbelief over certain positions. He specifically noted the extreme difficulty of the pin on the 14th hole, stating, "There’s literally just like a spine and they’re like, ‘oh, we’ll just put the pin right on top of it.’" He compared the challenge to some of the hardest pin locations he has encountered on tour, recalling only Shinnecock as a comparable experience.

McIlroy remains hopeful for the weekend, anticipating that favorable weather and adjusted pin placements could create a more manageable challenge. He stated, "With calmer conditions and maybe a couple more favorable hole locations, I think everyone’s got to feel like they have got a chance."

Meanwhile, Patrick Reed expressed his own frustrations with specific holes, yet he acknowledged that this setup was preferable to excessively low scoring. He emphasized the importance of a tough course, saying, "You want them to play hard. You want them to be a good test. That’s what they have here, a great test."