NEWTOWN SQUARE, Pennsylvania – Top-ranked defending champion Scottie Scheffler called PGA Championship pin placements the hardest he has seen on tour, describing those in the May 15 second round at Aronimink 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, no one 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.

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

“Most of the pins today were, I mean, kind of absurd,...