Aronimink Turns Mean As PGA Championship Friday Gets Brutal

The PGA Championship’s official site described the early conditions as the toughest of the week so far, with gusty crosswinds, thick rough and players having to miss in the correct spots just to avoid big numbers. Reuters also noted that challenging pin positions and gusty winds tested the entire field during the Friday morning wave.

It was not just that scores were higher. It was how hard the course made players work for pars.

Aronimink’s second-round setup played at 7,238 yards, with the back nine stretched to 3,729 yards and several demanding holes waiting early for players who began on No. 10. That mattered because several morning headliners, including Scottie Scheffler, Alex Smalley, Hideki Matsuyama and Chris Gotterup, opened on that tougher inward side.

Scheffler, the defending champion and world No. 1, bogeyed three of his first four holes. Martin Kaymer, one of Thursday’s co-leaders, went the other way quickly after five bogeys over his first seven holes. Alex Smalley briefly opened up space at the top, then gave some of it back before recovering. Chris Gotterup’s 65 stood out precisely because almost nobody else made Aronimink look that manageable.

That is what a proper major setup does. It does not need to embarrass the best players in the world. It simply needs to make them uncomfortable long enough to see who can think clearly.

Friday morning did that.

The afternoon wave may find slightly different conditions. The leaderboard may shift again. But the morning wave gave this PGA Championship its first real weekend identity.

Aronimink is not going to hand anyone the Wanamaker Trophy. It is going to make them earn every inch.

Key Takeaways

• Aronimink played much tougher Friday morning than it did in Round 1.
• The back nine created immediate pressure for many marquee players.
• Pars became valuable as wind, rough and hole locations tightened scoring windows.
• The Friday setup gave the championship a true major feel heading into the weekend.

PGA of America Golf Professional Brendon Elliott is an award-winning coach and golf writer who serves as Athlon Sports Senior Golf Writer. Read his recent “The Starter” on R.org, where he is their Lead Golf Writer. To stay updated on all of his latest work, sign up for his newsletter or visit his MuckRack Profile.