The US PGA Championship has turned into a battle of survival at Aronimink Golf Club. Many of the world’s top golfers struggled through difficult conditions during the second round of the major tournament. Players faced fast greens, cold weather, strong winds, and pin positions that several stars openly criticized. World number one Scottie Scheffler remained in contention despite a frustrating day on the course. Scheffler finished his round with a score of 71 and stayed at two under par overall. After the round, Scheffler described some of the hole locations as “absurd.” He said the course setup was one of the toughest he had seen in professional golf. “This is the hardest set of pin locations that I’ve seen since I’ve been on tour,” Scheffler said after his round. The difficult setup surprised many players and fans. Before the tournament started, experts believed Aronimink could produce very low scores. Some even thought players might challenge major championship scoring records. Instead, the course has become one of the toughest tests of the season. At the halfway stage, only a few players managed to stay under par. A score of two under was enough to keep golfers close to the top of the leaderboard. Scheffler had a rough start on Friday. He made bogeys on three of his first four holes. At one point, he nearly slammed his wedge to the ground after a poor shot on the sixth hole. Still, the American star recovered well and stayed near the leaders. Scheffler especially criticized the pin position on the 14th hole. He called it the hardest pin placement he had ever faced. The greens at Aronimink are large, fast, and full of slopes. According to Scheffler, many pins were placed on top of sharp ridges, making it very hard for players to stop the ball near the hole. Even simple putts became difficult. Many golfers focused only on avoiding mistakes rather than attacking the course. The difficult conditions created tension across the field. Shane Lowry struggled after hitting a poor shot into the water on the 17th hole. Justin Thomas and Keegan Bradley also showed frustration after being warned for slow play. Despite the chaos, several unexpected names moved near the top of the leaderboard. Alex Smalley shared the lead at four under par alongside Maverick McNealy. Smalley has never won a professional tournament during his seven-year career. McNealy has only one PGA Tour victory so far. South African golfer Aldrich Potgieter also impressed during the round. The 21-year-old briefly reached five under par before late bogeys dropped him back. Potgieter is known as one of the longest hitters in golf. Before becoming a golfer, he competed as a wrestler. His powerful drives have become one of the biggest talking points of the tournament. Several experienced stars also remain close behind the leaders. Hideki Matsuyama moved into contention after shooting an excellent 67. Chris Gotterup produced the best round of the day with a brilliant 65. Min Woo Lee also stayed within striking distance heading into the weekend rounds. Scheffler, Cameron Young, Thomas, and Ludvig Åberg remained just a few shots behind the leaders. Meanwhile, Rory McIlroy continued to fight back after a difficult opening round. McIlroy played much better on Friday but still had work to do after four bogeys in a row during the first day. The tournament now heads into the weekend with many players still in the race. Weather forecasts suggest warmer and calmer conditions could arrive for the final rounds. If scoring improves, fans may finally see more attacking golf after two days of survival at Aronimink.