PGA Championship opens at Aronimink

Golf’s second men’s major is about to hit the Philadelphia suburbs, and the interesting part is not just who might win. It’s that Aronimink Golf Club is getting a full major-championship stress test — players, fans, TV crews, traffic, hospitality, all of it. The 2026 PGA Championship is set for May 11-17 in Newtown Square, with competition scheduled for May 14-17. But as of Saturday, May 9, the live leaderboard and starting times pages still aren’t populated, so this is the calm right before the real thing. ### What is actually opening here? (pgachampionship.com) This is the 108th PGA Championship, one of men’s golf’s four majors, and Aronimink is the host site outside Philadelphia. The week runs Monday through Sunday, but the tournament proper starts Thursday, May 14, and ends Sunday, May 17. That matters because “the championship is here” really means two things at once — a media-and-fan event has already begun, while the score-that-counts golf is still a few days away. ### Why Aronimink? Aronimink is a Donald Ross course, and the setup looks built to reward precision more than brute force. (pgachampionship.com) The rough, bunkering, and especially the greens are the point. PGA of America’s course preview leans hard on approach play, creativity, and avoiding mistakes in the wrong spots. Basically, this is not supposed to be a bomb-and-gouge pushover. ### So who’s in the field? The field page shows the usual major mix — top PGA Tour players, past champions, club professionals, and LIV golfers who qualified. (pga.com) Rory McIlroy, Collin Morikawa, Matt Fitzpatrick, Bryson DeChambeau, Brooks Koepka, Jon Rahm-adjacent LIV peers, and a long list of PGA Tour regulars are in the conversation, which is why the event still feels bigger than a normal tour stop even before a shot is struck. ### Why are people talking about the local economy? (pgatour.com) Because this thing is huge on the ground. One local report says about 200,000 spectators are expected over the week, and Delaware County businesses are already framing the tournament as a major tourism and hospitality surge. Hotels, restaurants, transportation, vendors, and temporary staffing all get pulled into the orbit of a major like this. Ten local businesses were also selected through the PGA’s VendorMatch program, which gives the economic story a concrete local angle instead of just vague boosterism. ### What can fans expect logistically? (msn.com) The official site already has the fan-information machinery up — spectator guidance, tickets, mobile entry, hospitality, and broadcast plans. Broadcast coverage starts early in the day, with radio and streaming windows already posted. The catch is that the most useful competitive details, like pairings and a functioning leaderboard, still show as “available prior to the start of the championship,” which tells you this is still pre-launch mode, not live-tournament mode. ### Who looks favored? Early betting coverage has Scottie Scheffler as the favorite, with Rory McIlroy drawing obvious attention because any major start puts the career-Grand-Slam storyline back on the table. (pgachampionship.com) But that kind of pre-tournament market is mostly a map of expectations, not a verdict. At a course framed around precision and trouble avoidance, one cold putting week or one crooked stretch can flip the board fast. ### Why does this matter beyond one week? (freep.com) Because majors are where a course gets judged, a region gets showcased, and golf’s fractured player ecosystem briefly gets stitched back together. Aronimink is not just hosting a big event — it’s auditioning as a stage people will remember. If the course setup works and the crowds show up the way local officials expect, the week lands as both a sports event and a regional flex. ### Bottom line? The real golf hasn’t started yet. (pga.com) But the shape of the week is already clear — a major championship at a demanding old course, a big local economic bet, and a field strong enough to make the first tee shot matter immediately. (pgachampionship.com)