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After a slow first round at Aronimink Golf Club in Philadelphia on Thursday, pace of play was a focal point at the PGA Championship on Friday.
But when an official approached Justin Thomas and Keegan Bradley, they became animated.
Thomas, a longtime Team USA Ryder Cup member, and Bradley, last year’s United States captain, were on the fourth hole when they were approached by an official in a cart, and the conversation quickly turned to finger-pointing.
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Justin Thomas and Keegan Bradley watch from the tenth green during the second round of the PGA Championship at Aronimink Golf Club in Newtown, Pennsylvania, on May 15, 2026. (Richard Heathcote/Getty Images)
Thomas said after the round that he, Bradley and fellow American Ryder Cupper Cameron Young, who won the Cadillac Championship earlier this month, were put on the clock and the official told them to pick up the pace. However, both Bradley and Thomas seemed to point to the group in front of them.
“We just didn’t really agree with it,” Thomas said, citing course conditions, high winds and hard cones. “We were behind. It wasn’t our problem… It’s just the fact that we didn’t hold up the group behind us.”
Thomas said they were caught up in pace on the next hole.
Justin Thomas plays his shot on the 15th tee during the second round of the PGA Championship at Newtown Square, Pennsylvania, on May 15, 2026. (Bill Streicher/Imagn Images)
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Thomas had a lengthy conversation with the official, while Bradley appeared to make his point short and sweet — though he certainly wasn’t happy with the call.
It’s a large PGA Championship field with 156 golfers on the course and groups even start their rounds on the back nine. Scoring has also been quite high, with only 25 players under par at the time of publication.
Aronimink also has a split tee box on 1 and 10, holes 9 and 17 intersecting fairways and a long par-3 eighth hole that presents problems. Three par-3s are over 200 yards on the course, and there is also a 457-yard par 4 at the fourth.
Keegan Bradley prepares to putt on the 14th green during the first round of the PGA Championship at Aronimink Golf Club in Newtown Square, Pennsylvania, on May 14, 2026. (Bill Streicher/Imagn Images)
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As Chris Gotterup put it on Friday, “You’re not going to get any four-and-a-half-hour laps out here.”
