Scottie Scheffler began the 2026 PGA Championship in fine style at Aronimink on Thursday.
Scheffler carded five birdies, two bogeys and 11 pars on day one of the PGA Championship.
The 29-year-old world number one drove the ball exceptionally well at Aronimink and his putting was very solid indeed.
Now Scottie Scheffler is finely poised to defend the PGA Championship title that he won last year at Quail Hollow.
Given the firm and fast conditions, Aronimink seems to be ideally suited to the Dallas native’s game.
Scheffler was happy with his performance on day one of the PGA Championship, and rightly so.
On Friday, he will be looking to take the lead on his own.
Scottie Scheffler comments on the potential PGA Championship winning score
Scheffler is a man who always seems to play his best golf when the challenge is at its most extreme.
He spoke to reporters after his opening round and responded when asked what he made of the test on day one at Aronimink.
“I mean, I felt like it was really challenging to make make a lot of birdies,“ Scheffler said.
“I mean, the pins, I feel like with the way these green complexes are, they could have the winning score be whatever they want it to be.
“I mean, there’s some places where they could hide pins and, I mean, it’s basically impossible to make a birdie.
“And so, it depends a lot on the core setup of the course, but overall today, I just felt like it was really hard to make a lot of birdies, especially with the wind.
When you get out of position, you can run the ball up onto the greens, but it depends if you can get a lie in the rough or not.
“And so it’s just, you know, it was interesting.“
Does Scottie Scheffler enjoy the Aronimink challenge?
Scheffler was asked whether he enjoys playing difficult golf courses.
“Yeah, I mean, I think anytime, you know, the golf course is playing tough,“ he replied.
“I kind of like the challenge.
“I feel like each week you’re kind of playing against a golf course and so, um, sometimes it feels like this golf course has affected a pretty good bunch today.
“It was kind of fun getting out there and fun.“
Scheffler’s conservative playing style means that he will almost certainly be contending to win the PGA Championship down the back nine on Sunday at Aronimink.
