Scottie Scheffler described the 14th hole pin location on Friday as “absurd.” The World No. 1 said the pins were the hardest he had ever seen since joining the PGA Tour. Rory McIlroy went further to argue that the setup is tough but not great since it’s not allowing anyone to separate themselves from the pack. But despite the growing criticism from the pros, the PGA of America decided to double down on its plans. The pin locations for round three are even more diabolical.

Right after the PGA of America released the pin sheet, the eighth hole grabbed all the spotlight. The broadcaster called the hole “diabolical” before noted on-course commentator, Ken Brown, took it over. “You’ve seen nothing yet, I have to say,” the veteran analyst said. “Well, it’s a huge green; it’s like Wrigley Field, but they’ve missed most of it. This front-left corner is really, really tricky. This little area of flat [green], that’s all there is,” added Brown, pointing to the narrow landing area surrounding the flagstick.

“Bunker in the front–landing off the tee, you gotta skid off this downslope. I do not know how you can get close to it [the cup]. If you’re a little bit long, it trickles down the slope,” Brown showed, pointing toward the slope on the back of the pin. He added, this time demonstrating with two balls, “A fraction down this side, off they [the balls] go. It’s narrow; it’s like a postage stamp, and when it runs off, it’s a bit like the 15th hole at Augusta. It just keeps running.” And the balls did run down the slope toward the fringe. But that was just one part of it.

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The ideal landing area for the eighth hole is 12 feet by 5 feet. It’ll play even tougher because of the wind, and the green will also dry out as the day progresses. Brown, who has won four DP World Tour titles and one PGA Tour title, ended his explanation with an ominous line:

“It really is treacherous. I honestly don’t know how you can get on that little area. I wonder if anyone will.” His prediction has proven true, and we’re not halfway through the second round yet.

So far, the eighth hole has played the second toughest with 15 double bogeys or worse recorded here. The scoring average in this par-3 is 0.369 over par. It has already registered the highest number of bogeys (124). But the eighth is hardly the only problem pros will face today. The par-4 12th offers another case in point.

The pin is tucked in on the right corner. A bunker guards the backside of the pin, and the front has slopes that roll toward the fringe. It has also played over par at +0.132 as of the moment the report went to publication. The wind will make it more challenging, especially in the afternoon.

The weather forecast for Saturday shows no signs of rain. However, the wind will increase from SW 6-12 G16 at 8 AM local time to SW 10-16 G28 by the afternoon.

With just a very small flat area, the eighth and the 12th resemble the pin location at the 14th. After his challenging second round, the world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler called it one of the hardest pins he had played in a long time. Many, including Justin Rose and Matt Fitzpatrick, scored a double bogey on the 14th in their second round.

“Most of the pins today were, I mean, kind of absurd,” Scheffler said.

He described the 14th as a pin sitting on a spine with minimal flat area. And he was not alone in thinking like that. Shane Lowry specifically pointed out the 10th, while Chris Gotterup said, “You have no margin for error” at a lot of holes.

“I think a bunched leaderboard like this is a sign of not a great setup,” Rory McIlroy said, criticizing the course setup.

He even had to face backlash from fans over his harsh comments. Echoing a similar sentiment, Justin Thomas also noted how bunched the leaderboard was. At one point, he was even laughing while looking at it. While both Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy have similar thoughts on the course setup, they differ in one critical way in how they prepare.

Scottie Scheffler’s and Rory McIlroy’s contrasting approaches to Aronimink

The World No. 1 and No. 2 have a striking difference when it comes to preparing for the majors. Scottie Scheffler is someone who likes to keep his schedule clear before playing in the majors. On the contrary, the Northern Irishman said that he likes to play the week before. He did prove that in action by playing in last week’s Truist Championship.

Scheffler said his focus is on studying, preparing for the course, and ensuring he is hitting his checkpoints. But unlike him, the 2026 Masters champion said he didn’t have any strategy off the tee for the second major of the season. Instead, he felt like the biggest hitters would be at a huge advantage at Aronimink.

While they both viewed and prepared for the event differently, the course setup prompted them to adjust their plans. Neither McIlroy nor Scheffler was able to make the most of their powerful drives, nor were they able to keep their calm during Round 2. And now, the PGA of America will be testing its strategy once again on Saturday.