Practice rounds begin at Aronimink

Golf’s second men’s major is now on site in suburban Philadelphia. Practice rounds began Monday at Aronimink Golf Club in Newtown Square, and that turns a long buildup into the real thing — players walking the course, fans arriving, traffic plans getting tested, and the field finally locking in before Thursday’s opening round. The tournament proper runs May 14 to May 17, but the week started May 11, and that matters because Aronimink is not some routine stop. It is back on the major rota for the first time since 1962. ### Why is Aronimink such a big deal? Aronimink is a Donald Ross course in Newtown Square, just outside Philadelphia, and this is its first major championship in 64 years. Gary Player won the last PGA Championship held here in 1962. The course has hosted big tour events more recently, including the 2018 BMW Championship, but a major is a different level of pressure, attention, and setup. (pgachampionship.com) ### What actually started Monday? Monday was the first practice-round day of PGA Championship week. Gates opened for spectators, players began on-course prep, and the event shifted from planning mode to tournament-week mode. The official championship schedule lists May 11 to May 17 as the full event window, with championship rounds beginning Thursday. ### How big will this week be? Big enough that local logistics are part of the story. (olympics.com) Estimates around the event put attendance near 200,000 across the week, and organizers have been pushing rail service and remote parking plans to keep the area moving. SEPTA added extra Paoli-Thorndale service for the championship window, which tells you this is being treated less like a normal golf stop and more like a regional event. (pgachampionship.com) ### Who is in the field? The field is set at 156 players, and Monday brought one last notable addition. Brandt Snedeker was added after winning on the PGA Tour, filling out the championship roster at the start of practice week. That number matters because PGA Championship fields are deep by design — club professionals, past champions, major winners, and the current elite all mixed together. (delco.today) ### Who are the names to watch? Scottie Scheffler arrives as world No. 1 and defending PGA champion. Rory McIlroy arrives with the louder storyline — he defended his Masters title in April and is the only player with a shot at the 2026 calendar Grand Slam. Matt Fitzpatrick is another hot name after winning three of his last four PGA Tour starts, and Cameron Young has also piled up wins this season. Basically, this is not a one-man board. (golfweek.usatoday.com) ### Why is McIlroy getting extra attention? Because he did homework early. McIlroy said after the Truist Championship that he had already spent time at Aronimink before tournament week, joking that he had basically “lived” there for a week. The point was simple — he wanted to arrive with fewer unknowns, so he would not need to grind through as many extra holes once the official week began. (olympics.com) ### What kind of test is Aronimink? A precise one. The official hole guide shows a par-70 layout with demanding par 4s, heavy bunkering, and greens that punish bad angles. That usually shifts the conversation away from pure power and toward control — especially tee-to-green control. That is one reason players like Fitzpatrick and Scheffler keep coming up in previews. ### So what is the real story this week? (heavy.com) It is not just that practice rounds started. It is that a major championship has landed at a historic course that has waited decades for another one, with a full 156-man field and a stacked top tier arriving in form. By Thursday, the talk stops being about traffic plans and scouting trips. Then Aronimink starts deciding who can actually win it. (pgachampionship.com)