The 2026 PGA Championship at Aronimink Golf Club near Philadelphia was expected to be a shootout with the best golfers going low at the classic northeastern venue. But through two rounds it has not turned out that way with the course providing a much firmer test than anticipated. But Rory McIlroy isn’t impressed.
After two rounds, Maverick McNealy and Alex Smalley held the lead at just 4-under par. However, the leaderboard was tightly bunched with 15 golfers within just two shots of the lead. The cut was made at 82 golfers all within eight shots of the lead, and theoretically each one still had a chance at lifting the Wanamaker Trophy on Sunday.
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The reigning back-to-back Masters champion entered the weekend as one of the many golfers in the middle of the pack. McIlroy shot 74-67 to stand at +1 for the tournament. While he was just five shots off the lead, he had 30 golfers to pass if he wanted to win his second consecutive major.
And while fans have been pleasantly surprised by the challenges Aronimink has brought to the world’s best golfers, Rory criticized the setup for not being able to separate the field with the bunched-up leaderboard.
“The only thing I would say is I think a bunched leaderboard like this, I think it’s a sign of not a great setup,” McIlroy said. “I think when it’s as bunched as it is, because it hasn’t really enabled anyone to separate themselves, it’s easy to make a ton of pars, hard to make birdies, and not that it’s hard to make bogeys, but it feels like bogey is the worst score you’re going to shoot on any one hole.”
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“I’ve always felt like really good setups, it starts to spread the field a bit and not great setups sort of bring everyone together. And I feel like that’s what’s happened the last two days,” he added.
Rory McIlroy has not been shy to share his honest opinions in recent years, especially in dealing with the media. There are probably a lot of golfers that share his opinion about Aronimink. Scottie Scheffler called the Round 2 pins some of the toughest he has ever seen on the tour. And judging by some of the third round locations, that’s a trend that will continue as ESPN’s Ken Brown showcased.
But the truth is the PGA Championship has always struggled to find an identity in the major rotation against the Masters, U.S. Open, and British Open. Usually it’s a birdie fest that looks very similar to every other week on tour. So if Aronimink can provide something different for golfers and fans alike, it’s a good thing. And if it has an unprecedented final round with tons of golfers in contention, it’s at least going to make for some exciting viewing on Sunday afternoon.
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