The 2026 PGA Championship produced one of the tightest, most debated leaderboards in major history. The course did not make anyone’s life easy. The pins were tucked, the wind was brutal, and the birdies had to be earned. While players, including Rory McIlroy, called the cluttered leaderboard a sign of a subpar setup, the two-time PGA champion Justin Thomas was among the few who walked away with appreciation rather than grievance.

“What an awesome week at Aronimink @pgachampionship. Although it didn’t go exactly how I wanted, it sure was nice to post a number early yesterday to give myself a chance. Hats off to @aaron.rai1 with some insanely clutch shots down the stretch. I was so impressed with the course – how it managed to test both our discipline and precision all week. It begged us to challenge pins and play aggressively, and we found out early that we’d be punished if we didn’t execute. Which, in my opinion, are just as major championships should be,” JT wrote.

This take was very different from that of McIlroy. On Friday, the 2x Masters winner had called out the Aronimink setup, saying that the pin positions were tough.

“The only thing I would say is, I think a bunched leaderboard like this, I think it’s a sign of not a great setup,” McIlroy said. “I think when it’s as bunched as it is, because it hasn’t really enabled anyone to separate themselves. It’s like, you know, it’s easy to make a ton of pars, hard to make birdies, and not that it’s hard to make bogey, but it feels like bogey’s the worst score you’re going to shoot on any one hole.”

“I think the setup is fine, like the golf course is good, the pins were tough, and the wind was what it was as well. But I just think, yeah, I’ve always felt like really good setups, it starts to spread the field a bit, and not-great setups sort of bring everyone together. I feel like that’s what’s happened the last two days.”

Justin Thomas and Rory McIlroy are good friends. In 2023, JT called Rory a “great example” and said that he loves him. The two get along extremely well. The Northern Irishman has been a role model of JT, and was super nice to him when he was first starting up.

Even Scottie Scheffler called the pin position absurd. Kerry Haigh, the PGA of America’s chief championships officer, made deliberate adjustments for the week by narrowing some fairways, raising the rough, and pushing tee boxes back to bring more bunkers into play.

For instance, on the par-4 13th, the tee box was moved closer to the green to create a difficult strategic decision. Golfers could either drive for it and risk going out of bounds or lay back and sacrifice an eagle opportunity.

Haigh’s philosophy has always been to balance a rigorous challenge with a fair test that rewards quality shots, and the pin placements at Aronimink were built around that same idea. Justin Thomas seemed uniquely suited to handle those challenges.

In the opening round, he birdied the difficult par-3 eighth, the only fifth birdie recorded on that hole all day, to finish 1 under. Round two brought 25-mile-per-hour winds that turned already difficult pin positions into something close to unplayable at times. He shot 69 again. By Saturday, the weather still had not eased, and his 72 left him six shots off the lead. Frustrated, he stayed on the range for nearly 90 minutes afterward. On Sunday, Thomas birdied the 11th, 15th, and 16th holes to card a brilliant 65.

Meanwhile, Rory McIlroy began the final round in contention at 3 under but never found momentum. He closed with a 69 to finish the week at 4-under, one shot behind Thomas. Scottie Scheffler also shot 69 on Sunday and finished at 2-under, tied for 14th.

The patience, resilience, and understanding Thomas showed throughout the week stood out, especially considering where he had been just six months earlier.

Back from surgery, Justin Thomas nearly made it 

Thomas underwent a microdiscectomy in November 2025 to address a herniated disc that had caused persistent hip pain through the latter part of the season. His recovery was slow and carefully managed. He returned to chipping and putting seven weeks after surgery and gradually rebuilt his distance.

His season debut came at the Arnold Palmer Invitational in March, his first competitive start in four months, where he opened with a 79. Throughout the process, Thomas spoke openly about not rushing his recovery and allowing himself patience.

Before the surgery, he had won the RBC Heritage in 2025 for his 18th PGA Tour title and recorded eight top-10 finishes during the season. Yet, across the 15 majors played between his 2022 PGA Championship win and Aronimink, he managed only one finish inside the top 30.

Thomas arrived at Aronimink, still working his way back physically and continuing to manage the limitations in his spine. He left, having produced one of the best rounds of the tournament and nearly placing himself in a position to win another major championship.