Rory McIlroy gives brutal assessment of PGA Championship course days before event begins

Rory McIlroy didn’t mince his words about the course layout for this year’s PGA Championship.

The Northern Irishman will be among the star-studded field descending upon Aronimink Golf Club in Philadelphia as they duke it out to win the second major of the calendar year.

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McIlroy claimed the first major in 2026 as he retained his Masters crown thanks to a one-stroke victory over American superstar Scottie Scheffler.

However, stringing back-to-back majors will prove to be a difficult feat given the layout of Aronimink.

McIlroy has already had a taste of what’s to come having played a practice round on May 1.

It was very much a hit-and-run mission for the 37-year-old as he flew in, played five hours of the course and then jetted back out, citing it was his ‘only opportunity’ to squeeze in some pre-tournament work.

McIlroy’s verdict on Aronimink course

But it was enough for McIlroy to formulate a rather brutal assessment of how he believes the course will play out.

“I think in this day and age, I’m not sure if it’s going to test all aspects of your bag,” McIlroy said.

“Strategy off the tee is pretty non-existent. You know, it’s basically bash driver down there and then figure it out from there.

“The greens are the main focus this week and I think getting yourself in the right sections of the greens, making sure you leave yourself below the hole for the most part, that’s the key this week.

“Again, I’ve only played four competitive rounds here, I don’t know the place that well to give you a great answer on what I like about it.”

McIlroy arrives in Philadelphia with the aim of winning his first PGA Championship since 2014.

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Crucially, McIlroy enters the tournament off the back of a much-needed reset period following the Masters.

At the 2025 edition of the PGA Championship, McIlroy finished 47th, which was his worst finish at a major since 2021.

However, that was only a short time removed from his maiden Masters triumph, a victory that was as mentally taxing as it was physically.

Why McIlroy is primed for strong PGA Championship display

But having won at Augusta again, this time without the crushing weight of expectation to break his Masters drought, it’s allowed McIlroy to get in the right headspace.

“Coming into this tournament feels a lot different than what it did last year,” McIlroy said.

“I’ve got some nice clear road ahead to try to get some more of these majors.”

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McIlroy continued: “Especially after the last couple of years, I need to take the time after the Masters to reset and decompress and get myself in the right mental space again to get myself up for this tournament and keep going for the US Open and The Open Championship.

“I came into this tournament last year a little bit sort of uncertain of what my future was. I conquered this thing that I wanted to conquer for so long, and I still hadn’t really reset goals or found whatever that motivation was to keep going or go forward and set myself goals for the rest of my career.

“It probably took me a good few months to get to that point.”

The first round of the 2026 PGA Championship tees off on May 14 at 12:30pm UK time.