As frustration boiled over at Aronimink and players battled five-hour rounds, relentless winds, and chaotic backups across the course, Rory McIlroy finally addressed the exhausting reality behind one of the toughest stretches of the PGA Championship.

“It was slow. I think there were a couple of groups ahead of us -- did Sahith maybe lose a ball on 10? We were on the 8th green when they were having a look for the ball, so I think that's what definitely delayed us in the middle of that round,” said the six-time major winner on Friday, shared via the PGA Championship on YouTube.

The delay unfolded during the second round at Aronimink Golf Club when traffic began piling up around the 8th and 10th holes.

Tournament organizers had positioned the pin locations on sections of the greens that directly faced each other, even though both greens sit very close together on the property. 

Because of that setup, players on one hole often could not hit until the other green had completely cleared, creating a repeated stop-and-start cycle throughout the afternoon.

The situation became even worse after Sahith Theegala lost a golf ball in the thick rough near the 10th hole. 

The extended search caused groups behind him to back up rapidly, and within minutes, several players were left standing on tee boxes with nowhere to go.

That is when television cameras caught Rory McIlroy sitting down on the 10th tee with his eyes closed while leaning against an advertising board. 

“But it seemed like once we got through that little bottleneck -- and there is a few bottlenecks on this course anyway, with the 8th green, the 10th green beside each other, you've got like 16 green and 9 tee and 17 tee right there. So there are a few little parts of the course that you can sort of get jammed on,” added McIlroy.

Rory McIlroy Says Slow Rounds Are Part of Major Championship Golf

Having already experienced similar delays at this year's Masters win earlier this season, Rory McIlroy connected the pace of play at the 2026 PGA Championship to a pattern often seen during the opening rounds of major championships, especially during crowded Friday afternoon sessions.

“But it's fine. It seems like that's the first two days of major championship golf are always going to be like that. You get that afternoon tee time on Friday at Augusta, and it's one of the slowest rounds of the year,” said the 37-year-old.

After opening with a 4-over 74, McIlroy moved back into contention with a bogey-free second-round 67 at the 2026 PGA Championship. 

However, alongside the tight leaderboard at Aronimink Golf Club, the pace of play during the opening two rounds also became a major point of discussion.

“You don't mind being out there because it's Augusta, but at the same time, it is very, very slow. But it will, obviously, over the weekend it will speed up. Hopefully we can play in two balls, and things will flow a bit better,” added the 2026 Masters winner.

Do you think slow play affected Rory McIlroy’s momentum at Aronimink? Let us know your thoughts.

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Written by

Aditi Singh

Edited by

Shubhi Rathore