There's an old saying in golf: it's not a major championship until someone starts complaining. At this year's PGA Championship at Aronimink Golf Club, the complaints are flowing freely—and they're coming from the game's biggest stars.

Shane Lowry captured the frustration best when he told The Irish Times, "I felt like every pin was on the bonnet of a car." It's a vivid image, and one that many players can relate to after a brutal second round in Pennsylvania.

Aronimink, with its classic Donald Ross crowned greens restored by Gil Hanse, is known for subtle slopes and tricky pin placements. But this week, the setup has pushed players to the edge. Throw in bitter cold morning temperatures and swirling winds, and you've got a recipe for frustration. Scottie Scheffler, the world No. 1, stumbled out of the gate with bogeys on three of his first four holes. Lowry himself had a moment he'd rather forget, cold-topping a shot that rolled into a pond. Three-putts spread through the field like a virus.

Rory McIlroy, who benefited from warmer, calmer conditions in the afternoon, managed a bogey-free 67. But even he couldn't resist taking aim at the course setup. "I think it's a sign of not a great setup," McIlroy said. "It hasn't really enabled anyone to separate themselves. 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."

The numbers back him up. Friday's scoring average was 72.609, well above par, as the course seemed designed to protect itself rather than reward great shots. Lowry, who shot 76, didn't hold back. "Some of the pin positions are just, like honestly (so difficult). If my coach threw down the plate on a few of those I would have laughed at him. I've never had so many 15-footers that I felt like I could putt off the green."

Even Scottie Scheffler, known for his calm demeanor, called the pins "kind of absurd." When the world's best players are united in their frustration, you know something's off. For golf fans, it's a reminder that even at the highest level, the line between brilliance and disaster is often just a bad pin placement away.