Rory McIlroy made the cut at the 2026 PGA Championship, but the four-time major winner is far from satisfied with the course at Aronimink Golf Club. After carding a bogey-free 67 on Friday to secure his weekend spot, McIlroy let loose on the setup, calling it a recipe for a bunched leaderboard and a lack of drama.
"I think a bunched leaderboard like this is a sign of a not-great setup," McIlroy said. "It hasn't really enabled anyone to separate themselves. It's easy to make a ton of pars... it feels like bogey's the worst score you're going to shoot on any one hole."
The criticism didn't sit well with some fans, who accused McIlroy of being a sore loser. One fan wrote, "Translation: I wasn't able to play this course everyday for a month like Augusta and I need to blame something." Another added, "I mean... isn't that proving the opposite? No one can separate. Course is hard. You better take your par and move on..." A third fan on X simply called him a "world record holder for crying all the time."
McIlroy isn't the only star frustrated this weekend. World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, who has struggled with the pin placements, echoed similar sentiments. "This is the hardest set of pin locations that I've seen since I've been on Tour," Scheffler said, per Daily Express. "And that includes U.S. Opens, that includes Oakmont. I did ask Fooch, who caddies for Justin Rose—he's been around a long time—and I asked Teddy 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 pins felt "manufactured" and not natural to the slopes, making some shots nearly impossible. "There's also just some things that are out of your control," he said. "You just got to continue to try to hit good shots, and most of the pins today were, I mean, kind of absurd."
The combined frustration from two of the game's biggest names—McIlroy and Scheffler—raises questions about whether the PGA Tour will reconsider Aronimink for future majors. The course has also seen other incidents, including a bizarre staircase ruling that left Bryson DeChambeau scratching his head and a club-smash incident involving Jon Rahm that hit a volunteer.
McIlroy's comments come after a week of drama at the championship, where even the 11th hole has been described as a monster that devours scores. But for McIlroy, the issue isn't difficulty—it's the lack of separation. "It's not that it's too easy or too hard," he clarified. "It's that the setup doesn't reward great shots enough. You can hit a mediocre shot and still make par."
As moving day approaches, both McIlroy and Scheffler will look to overcome their frustrations and make a charge up the leaderboard. But if the course setup remains the same, it might take something special to break through the pack.
Whether the PGA Tour listens to its stars remains to be seen, but one thing is clear: the 2026 PGA Championship at Aronimink will be remembered as much for the controversy as for the golf.
