Going into this week’s US PGA Championship, there was a fascination with how Aronimink would play and what challenge it would present.
There was a strong feeling the Pennsylvania course might be ripe for being tamed.
Instead of having its belly tickled and rolling over, Aronimink bit back on day one of the season’s second major. It bit back hard.
At the completion of Thursday’s first round, only 32 players – barely a fifth of the 156-man field – had finished under par.
The world’s best struggled to get to grips with the task presented by an undulating course with thick rough and firm, sloping greens.
Fittingly, it was the world’s very best – Scottie Scheffler – who coped as well as anyone.
The defending champion is part of a seven-way tie for the first-round lead after plotting a three-under round of 67 which encapsulated his ability to play with relentless diligence and barely a flicker of fluster.
The world number one has often struggled to make fast starts – a trait which has proved particularly costly this season – but is now leading a major after 18 holes for the first time in his career.
But the 29-year-old American is not surrounded by the usual suspects.
Scheffler finds himself alongside German pair Martin Kaymer and Stephan Jaeger, South Africa’s Aldrich Potgieter, Australia’s Min-Woo Lee, Japan’s Ryo Hisatsune and Alex Smalley of the United States – none of whom many would have expected to see at the top of the leaderboard.
England’s Dan Brown is one shot behind the leaders on his overseas major debut.
“Earlier in the week there was some chatter where people thought 15 to 20 under par was going to win. And I think that got to somebody in the PGA [of America], and they did something about it,” said Spain’s Jon Rahm, who finished one under par.
