4x Major Champion Scottie Scheffler Speaks out Against “Absurd” Pin Locations at PGA Championship

Scottie Scheffler fired a score of 71 in the second round of the PGA Championship and was T8 at the end of Friday's play.

4x Major Champion Scottie Scheffler Speaks out Against “Absurd” Pin Locations at PGA Championship

Scottie Scheffler (Image via PGA Tour)

The PGA Championship at the Aronimink Golf Club in Pennsylvania is giving the golfers a hard time. Even Scottie Scheffler has found it difficult. After the second round on Friday, the World No.1 spoke out against the “absurd” pin locations in this major event.

The 4-time major champion ended the round on Thursday as one of the co-leaders. He and several others carded a low score of 3-under par to sit at the top of the rankings. This marked the first time Scheffler had led a major tournament after the opening round.

The conditions of the course became a topic of discussion as the greens turned brutal for some. The weather also played a part in this, as strong winds made it difficult for some to control their shots.

In the second round on Friday, the course once again tested the players. Scheffler, the defending champion, had some troubles while locating the pins on this course. Starting on the front nine, Scheffler began the round with bogey, par, bogey, and bogey on the first 4 holes. A birdie on the 17th hole saw him finish the front nine while being 2-over par.

Following a birdie on the 4th hole, he made another bogey, this time on the 6th hole. A late birdie on the final hole saw him finish the round 1-over par.

In the press conference after the round, the 29-year-old expressed that this was the hardest set of pin locations he had seen in his PGA Tour career. The locations of the pins had made it difficult for golfers to get close to the hole and make the putts.

Most of the pins today were kind of absurd. … This is the hardest set of pin locations that I’ve seen since I’ve been on Tour, and that includes U.S. Opens, that includes Oakmont.

Scottie Scheffler told the reporters

At one stage on Friday, Scheffler turned towards Justin Rose‘s veteran caddie, Mark “Fooch” Fulcher, and asked him whether he had seen such pin locations. He claimed that such conditions were seen at Shinnecock.

This location will host the U.S. Open next month. It will be an important event for Scheffler as he will get his first attempt to complete the career grand slam.

Last year, he first claimed the PGA Championship, finishing 5 shots ahead of the runners-up. In July, he had another dominating performance, which saw him emerge as the Open Championship winner.

A victory at Shinnecock next month will see him become just the 7th player in history to win all 4 majors. Before he gets the chance to do that, he will have to navigate the tough conditions of the Aronimink Golf Club this weekend.

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Rory McIlroy echoes Scottie Scheffler’s thoughts regarding the course setup at PGA Championship

The course setup of the Aronimink Golf Club is giving a headache to several players. After the round on Friday, Rory McIlroy echoed the thoughts of Scottie Scheffler and made his feelings known regarding the playing surface.

Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler
Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler (Image via PGA Tour)

McIlroy, the reigning Masters Champion, was one of those who struggled in the first round. A score of 74 in the first round put him in a difficult position.

The World No.2, however, bounced back in the second round. A bogey-free 3-under par score saw him jump up 75 places in the rankings and finish the day in T30.

He, though, was not pleased with the course setup. When asked about Scheffler’s thoughts regarding the hard pin locations, the Northern Irish man claimed that such a bunched leaderboard was not good.

I think a bunched leaderboard like this, I think it’s a sign of not a great setup, I think when it’s as bunched as it is, because it hasn’t really enabled anyone to separate themselves. It’s like, you know, it’s easy to make a ton of pars, hard to make birdies, and not that it’s hard to make bogey, but it feels like bogey’s the worst score you’re going to shoot on any one hole.

Rory McIlroy said regarding Scottie Scheffler’s comments

At the end of Friday’s play, Maverick McNealy and Alex Smalley were the co-leaders at 4-under par. Several golfers are within touching distance of them, meaning one small mistake could become costly for any chaser.

Last year, the Oakmont Country Club was also a challenging place. After the 4 rounds, only the winner J.J. Spaun was the one who shot an under-par score. Given the way things have gone, the winning score will likely remain low this week compared to other major events.

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