‘Sign of not-great setup’: Rory McIlroy criticizes PGA course setup at Aronimink

So far at the 2026 PGA Championship, Aronimink has beguiled the best golfers in the world, discarding early expectations of a birdie fest in the process.

The devilish setup, especially when it comes to pin positions, has already inspired the adjectives “absurd” and “dicey” from the likes of World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler and 2018 Masters champion Patrick Reed, respectively.

On Friday night, Rory McIlroy added to the wave of judgments by criticizing the PGA of America’s setup at Aronimink this week, which he claimed has negatively impacted the competition in one specific way.

Rory McIlroy talks ‘hard’ PGA setup despite 7-shot improvement

On Thursday evening, following an ugly finish to his opening round that left him at four over, McIlroy focused his criticism on his own game, describing his play as “s—.”

By Friday night, everything had changed, both for McIlroy’s game and his judgments. In the second round, the six-time major champion rallied with a three-under 67 to improve to one over.

Heading into Saturday’s third round, McIlroy is only five shots off the lead as he begins to eye his third PGA Championship victory.

But when reviewing the setup in his post-round press conference, McIlroy didn’t sound like someone who’d just improved his score by seven shots compared to the day before.

“It’s hard, it’s been hard to make birdies out there because obviously, one, the wind the last couple days, but also where they have put these hole locations,” McIlroy said Friday night.
“I feel like they have really tried to protect the course the first couple of days. So it seems like they have used up a lot of the really hard ones,” he added hopefully.

As to his dramatic improvement from Round 1 to Round 2, McIlroy admitted he was “too aggressive” on Thursday, adding that he didn’t expect Aronimink to play as hard as it has this week.

“I probably went out there yesterday being a little too aggressive thinking that guys were going to go lower than they were,” McIlroy said. “Because I certainly didn’t, in the practice rounds, I certainly didn’t see it playing as difficult as it has played.”

Rory McIlroy on Aronimink PGA: ‘Not great setups sort of bring everyone together’

Later in his press conference, McIlroy was asked specifically about the setup, and that’s when he unloaded his most direct criticism.

The fact that the leaderboard is so crowded at the halfway point, McIlroy argued, is proof of a poor course setup.

“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 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.”

He continued by calling this week’s PGA setup at Aronimink “fine,” but then implied it was among the “not great setups” in the next sentence.

“There’s not a lot of hazards. There’s not, you know — yeah, I think the setup is fine, like the golf course is good, the pins were tough, and the wind was what it was as well. But I just think, yeah, 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. I feel like that’s what’s happened the last two days.”

Whatever you make of McIlroy’s criticism, there’s no arguing with one point he made: the 2026 PGA Championship leaderboard is certainly bunched. Six players are tied for second, one shot off the lead, with seven more players two shots back. Forty-three players are within five shots with 36 holes to play.

As for his argument that it’s “easy to make a ton of pars” this week, his scorecards could be seen as evidence. Through two rounds at the 2026 PGA, McIlroy has made five birdies and six bogeys. At the halfway point of the 2026 Masters, which he won, McIlroy had made 15 birdies and only three bogeys.

However, McIlroy also professed hope for calmer winds and, perhaps, easier pin positions for Saturday’s third round. If that happens, he argued, everyone’s “got a chance.”

“So depending upon a little bit calmer conditions and maybe a couple more favorable hole locations, I think guys that have, that are just here for the weekend feel — I think everyone’s got to feel like they have got a chance,” McIlroy said. “Yes, there’s — 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.”