Aronimink's 174 Bunkers Are About to Make the PGA Championship Brutally Hard

It's major championship week, and the PGA Tour is heading to Aronimink Golf Club just outside Philly for what should be a proper test. Unlike some recent majors where the field absolutely eviscerated the course, this week is different. Tight fairways, thick rough, and a brutal setup means a single digit under par score might be all it takes to win.

Last Year's Blueprint: Scottie Scheffler's Stumble and Recovery

At Quail Hollow last year, Scottie Scheffler was the only guy who went double digits under par at any point in the tournament. He came into Sunday with a 3 stroke lead, but here's the thing: it wasn't a blowout. Scottie actually bogeyed the first hole and played the front nine in 2 over. Jon Rahm caught him briefly at 9 under after birdieing 10 and 11, and for a moment it looked like Sunday could get interesting down the stretch.

But Scottie birdied 10 to take the outright lead and never looked back. Rahm completely fell apart, going bogey-double-double at the Green Mile to tumble all the way back to T-10. Meanwhile, Scottie birdied 14 and 15 to re-open his 5 shot lead. He cruised to his first PGA Championship win, likely the first of several.

The Course: 174 Bunkers That Change Everything

Aronimink is a classic Donald Ross northeast track playing as a par 70 at 7,394 yards. The club was founded in 1896 and the course was built in 1928. After a major restoration in 2016-17 by Gil Hanse ahead of the 2018 BMW Championship, the setup is unforgiving.

Bunkers. That's the story here. 174 of them are everywhere, lining and even crossing fairways to force decisions off the tee. The rough is up, the greens are tiered, and hitting fairways is mandatory if you want to control your approaches and position yourself correctly on the greens. The Par 3 17th at 229 yards is the best hole on the card, a long stretch hole that brings water into play down the entire left side and could make or break the championship.

The Format and the Field

This is stroke play, 72 holes, with 156 golfers entered. The PGA Championship sticks with a Top 70 and ties cut, different from the PGA Tour's recent shift to 65 golfers. If we go to a playoff, it's a 3-hole aggregate on holes 10, 17, and 18, with 18 repeating if necessary. The field includes the world's best by merit, past PGA Championship winners, and 20 PGA professionals who qualified through their own process. Realistically, the true field size is closer to 125 golfers once you factor out the club pros.

Coverage is on ESPN and CBS this week. Get ready for a grinding test of golf.

This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.