Rory McIlroy has agreed with Scottie Scheffler's assessment that the conditions during the first two rounds of the PGA Championship at Aronimink Golf Club are among the most gruelling either player has encountered. Scheffler posted a one-over round on Friday amid a day plagued by pace-of-play concerns, with two separate groups placed on the clock. Many contended the sluggish progress stemmed from the cold weather and sloping greens that proved nearly impossible to navigate.
McIlroy's View
Scheffler described the conditions as the toughest he's ever encountered, and world No. 2 McIlroy concurred after posting an unblemished 67 during his second round. "Well, I think any, if you can get it going - it's hard," said McIlroy. "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, 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."
McIlroy added: "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. Yes, there's - it's bunched, but you get on a run with wedges on that front nine and you shoot 4-, 5-under and all of a sudden you're right in the thick of things. At five back I do feel like I'm right in the tournament, and that's really what I wanted to do today was to just get myself back in it, and I feel like I've done that."
Scheffler's Frustration
Scheffler echoed those sentiments following his round, revealing he was grateful he had practised on Wednesday given the extraordinary wind conditions and the near-impossible pin placements throughout the course. "So you just have to play smart and patient and understanding that I hit good shots on the 10th hole," said Scheffler. "But there's sometimes, especially around a golf course like this, where you're going to hit some good shots that aren't quite good enough and you get punished pretty severely for it. I guess a lot of it is you have to be a little careful is how I would say it."
Scheffler continued: "There's also just some things that are out of your control. You just got to continue to try to hit good shots, and most of the pins today were, I mean, kind of absurd. They were just so far into the areas where we thought the pins were going to be, and then they just - like the one on 14 was probably the hardest pin that I've seen in a long time just because, I mean, there's literally just like a spine and they're like, oh, we'll just put the pin right on top of it. And you're like, all right, well, I'll see what I can do. And just you know, just challenging."
