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May 16, 2026
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Scheffler Battles 'Absurd' Conditions to Stay in US PGA Hunt

AI Summary
Despite calling pin placements 'absurd' and struggling early, Scottie Scheffler remains in contention at the US PGA Championship at Aronimink, where extreme conditions have compressed the leaderboard.

The Struggle for Par at Aronimink

It has been over 60 years since the US PGA Championship was held at Aronimink, and the modern-day players are finding the course far more punishing than anticipated. The tournament, which began with expectations of a winning score around 14 under par, has instead seen the field struggle to break par. The atmosphere is one of high schadenfreude for amateurs, watching the world's best endure the same weekend frustrations they face, while the purists appreciate the high standard of lag putting on display.

Scheffler's Resilient 71 Amidst 'Absurd' Conditions

World number one Scottie Scheffler admitted that the pin positions were the primary culprit for the day's difficulty. Describing the setup as the hardest he has seen since the US Open, Scheffler criticized the committee for placing pins on the ridges of the vast, fast, and rippled greens. Despite bogeys on three of his first four holes, Scheffler managed a round of 71 to finish at two under, keeping himself firmly in the hunt.

'Most of the pins today were kind of absurd,' Scheffler stated. 'This is the hardest set of pin locations that I’ve seen since I’ve been on tour.' He highlighted the 14th hole as particularly brutal, where pins were placed directly on the spine of the green, requiring a two-putt from 80ft.

The Compression of the Leaderboard

The extreme difficulty has resulted in a tightly packed leaderboard, where a score of two under is sufficient for contention. Alex Smalley and Maverick McNealy lead the pack at four under, while Hideki Matsuyama and Min Woo Lee are just two shots back. Even the heavy hitters like Rory McIlroy are struggling, having failed to recover from a disastrous opening day.

  • Top Contenders: Scheffler, Cameron Young, Justin Thomas, and Ludvig Åberg are tied in ninth, lurking an eagle off the lead.
  • Young Stars: Aldrich Potgieter, the longest driver on tour, showed promise before faltering on the final holes.
  • Scoring Reality: The winning score is expected to be significantly lower than the initial 14 under prediction.

The Future of Major Course Design

The current setup at Aronimink, designed by Donald Ross, raises questions about the balance between challenge and enjoyment. Scheffler questioned whether making the game harder is the right approach for a major championship. The debate centers on whether the 'pleasure' of the game is being sacrificed for a 'penance,' especially when the difficulty stems from artificial pin placements rather than pure skill.

Weekend Outlook: Sun and Scoring?

With the forecast promising sun for the weekend, there is hope that the scoring will warm up alongside the weather. However, given the current state of the greens and the wind, the competition is expected to remain fierce. The weekend will likely be defined by who can best navigate the 'absurd' pin positions and handle the pressure of a compressed leaderboard.