World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler slams ‘absurd’ PGA Championship pin locations

NEWTOWN SQUARE, Pennsylvania – Top-ranked defending champion Scottie Scheffler has called PGA Championship pin placements the hardest he has seen on tour, describing those in the second round at Aronimink Golf Club on May 15 as “kind of absurd”.

The difficult hole positions on a course known for its sloping greens, together with gusting winds, played havoc with the world’s top players over the first two days and no one was able to pull away from the pack.

“This is the hardest set of pin locations that I’ve seen since I’ve been on tour and that includes US Opens, that includes Oakmont,” Scheffler said, citing an event and course known for difficult set-ups.

The American at one point asked Mark Fulcher, the veteran caddie for playing partner Justin Rose of England: “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, citing the US Open host course where he will try to complete a career Grand Slam in June.

“It’s different in a sense on this golf course because Oakmont, their greens are extremely severe, but they’re extremely severe in one direction.

“Here, it’s like the green may slope all this way and then we put the pin down here and then there’s also a slope this way. It’s not as natural to the slopes that are there. There’s a bit more that’s manufactured into the greens and it’s just very difficult.

“It’s difficult to get the ball close to the hole. It’s difficult to hole putts, especially when you have big slopes and wind, and I think that’s why you see the scores so close to par.”

Scheffler, 29, fired a one-over 71 on May 15 to stand on two-under 138 for 36 holes after facing shocking hole placements.

After seven players shared the first-round lead, Maverick McNealy and Alex Smalley will enter the weekend narrowly ahead. The two Americans without a regular-season win or a Major top-15 finish on their resume finished the second round at four-under 136 and another 13 players are one or two shots behind – including Scheffler.

“Most of the pins today were, I mean, kind of absurd,” the world No. 1 said. “They were just so far into the areas where we thought the pins were going to be... Just challenging.”

Six-time Major winner Rory McIlroy, who fired a three-under 67 to stand on one-over 141, said the PGA of America has “protected” the course with tough pin placements on its sloping greens, but that should lead to easier weekend hole spots.

“It has been hard to make birdies out there because one, the wind the last couple days, but also where they have put these hole locations,” he said.

“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.”

Scheffler feels that pin locations will likely decide how low players can go this week.

“I truly believe they could have the winning score be whatever they want it to be. It could be over par if they want it to be, just based purely upon pin locations,” he added.

“I was a bit surprised how far they pushed a lot of these pin locations. You are like, ‘Wow, they’re pushing these things as far as they can’.” AFP, REUTERS