Justin Thomas and Keegan Bradley had a heated exchange with a PGA Championship official over pace of play after a slow start at Aronimink Golf Club, disputing whether they were the ones holding things up amid tough conditions and a demanding course setup.
A slow first round at Aronimink Golf Club in Philadelphia on Thursday put pace of play back in focus at the PGA Championship on Friday. By the time the second round rolled around, Justin Thomas and Keegan Bradley found themselves in an animated back-and-forth with a course official.
Thomas and Bradley were on the fourth hole when an official approached them in a cart. The conversation quickly turned into finger-pointing, with the exchange catching attention in the middle of play.
After the round. Thomas said he. Bradley. and fellow USA Ryder Cupper Cameron Young—who won the Cadillac Championship earlier this month—were put on the clock.. Thomas said the official told them to pick up the pace.. But Thomas also described how both he and Bradley appeared to point at the group in front of them.
“We just didn’t really agree with it. ” Thomas said after the round. explaining that course conditions. high winds and tough pins were part of what they were dealing with.. “We were behind.. That wasn’t our issue…. It’s just the fact that we weren’t holding up the group behind us.” Thomas said they were caught up with the pace on the very next hole.
Thomas had a lengthy conversation with the official, while Bradley’s argument appeared shorter, but clearly carried its own frustration. Bradley and Thomas both appeared unhappy with how the situation was handled.
The pacing tension is happening in a wide field at Aronimink, with 156 golfers on the course and groups even starting rounds on the back nine. Scores have also been high, with just 25 players below par at the time of publishing.
Aronimink’s layout adds more complications. The course includes a shared tee box on 1 and 10, holes 9 and 17 crossing paths, and a lengthy par-3 eighth hole that has been creating problems. Three par-3s on the course are over 200 yards, and there is also a 457-yard par 4 on the fourth.
A player’s warning captured the challenge on Friday: “You’re not going to get any four-and-a-half hour rounds out here,” Chris Gotterup said.
The pattern in the reports around Friday is that pace became a stated priority after a slow first round, an official then put Thomas, Bradley and Cameron Young on the clock, and Thomas pointed to the group in front while saying they were caught up on the following hole.
As the championship continued with demanding conditions and a large field. the dispute between the Team USA Ryder Cup veteran and last year’s United States captain showed how quickly pace of play can shift from a rule to a direct confrontation—especially when golfers believe the pressure is aimed in the wrong direction.
Justin Thomas Keegan Bradley PGA Championship pace of play Aronimink Golf Club Richard Heathcote Bill Streicher Cameron Young Ryder Cup high winds tough pins