Donald Ross completed Aronimink in 1928 on 300 rolling acres near Philadelphia. He came back almost twenty years later, just before he died, and said it was his best work. Now, almost a hundred years later, the 108th PGA Championship began on Thursday. With 174 bunkers and fairways that leave no room for error, the course quickly proved Ross right.

Round 1 featured three notable moments unrelated to routine pars. The first was an eagle from the 11th fairway. The second was a wedge shot from 101 yards, repeating a similar result from the previous round. The third was a chip from the bunker at the 14th, following a bogey, showing the player’s ability to recover quickly.

Daniel Brown holes out for the first eagle of the 2026 PGA Championship

Daniel Brown made his PGA Championship debut after earning his 2026 PGA Tour card through the DP World Tour Race to Dubai, following Laurie Canter’s return to LIV Golf. On the 11th hole, he holed out from the fairway for the tournament’s first eagle. Brown, 31, from Northallerton, has four professional wins. He led the 2024 Open Championship after the first round with a score of 65 and finished tied for 10th that week. His performance at Aronimink on Thursday added another highlight to his growing record.

 

The 11th hole requires accuracy to have any chance at a good score. Over 20 bunkers line the fairway, and the green is shaped so that a missed shot can roll up to 50 yards back into the fairway. Brown’s shot flew straight, stayed on target, and dropped into the cup.

Jon Rahm holes out from 101 yards on the 2nd hole at the PGA Championship

 

The 2nd hole is a 413-yard dogleg left, with bunkers on both sides of the green and a tricky putting surface with no safe spots. Rahm’s wedge shot landed, stopped, and rolled into the hole. He’s a two-time major champion, and making back-to-back hole-outs on a tough course like this is no small feat.

David Puig’s chip-in at the 14th hole keeps his PGA Championship round on track

After making a bogey on the par-3 14th, David Puig bounced back with a chip-in from the bunker, creating one of the best recoveries of Round 1. The 14th hole is 216 yards long and almost completely surrounded by sand, making it tough for any player. Puig’s chip flew over the edge of the bunker, stayed on course, and rolled straight toward the pin.

 

Puig, a Spanish LIV Golf player who turned pro from Arizona State in 2022, has proven he can handle the pressure of major championships. On Thursday at Aronimink, his quick recovery spoke for itself. By the time the ball dropped, he had already put the bogey behind him.

Aronimink was designed by Ross to expose weaknesses in a player’s game. Approach angles, spin control, and the penalty for a single misread green are all deliberate tests. Brown set the tone with the first eagle of the tournament. Rahm demonstrated that back-to-back hole-outs are only possible with a wedge game that is simply better than the rest. Puig proved that the right recovery can erase any mistake. From the start, Round 1 showed that the course was in control, just as Ross intended.

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