Rory McIlroy came to Aronimink ready to crush it, and on Thursday, hole 15 found out what that means.

At 546 yards, it is the longest par 4 on the scorecard at a major, with a left-sloping fairway and one of the biggest greens on the property. McIlroy hit a 352-Yard driver, and then he hit a wedge.

Golf journalist Jamie Kennedy flagged it on X during the opening round of the 108th PGA Championship in Newtown Square, Pennsylvania. McIlroy uncorked a 352-yard drive on No. 15, teeing off alongside Jon Rahm and Jordan Spieth.

Most of the field needed a mid-iron to reach that green. But McIlroy was picking a wedge number.

The 36-year-old did not have the best start to his round. On the 10th hole, his first of the day, he missed the fairway, hit a poor second shot, and made bogey. But he recovered quickly. On the 11th hole, he hit his approach shot close to the pin and made the birdie putt to get back to even par.

He said the real challenge at Aronimink is the greens. Players need to hit the ball to the right spots and keep it below the hole for easier putts. For him, hitting the ball long off the tee helps make those shots easier.

Aronimink Is Playing Exactly How Rory McIlroy Said It Would

Rory McIlroy didn't come to Aronimink to flatter the host course. He came to win, and he said exactly how he planned to do it.

"Strategy off the tee is pretty nonexistent," McIlroy said Monday. "It's basically bash driver down there and then figure it out from there." His 352-yard drive on the 546-yard 15th hole in Round 1 was proof of concept.

Rory McIlroy was not criticizing Aronimink. He was simply understanding how the course plays. In 2016, Gil Hanse restored the course to match what Donald Ross originally designed. The course has 174 bunkers placed in groups, along with bigger greens that have slopes and small breaks. These features make accurate approach shots very important.

Ross once called Aronimink his masterpiece, and the greens are a big reason why. McIlroy understood that immediately. "Getting yourself in the right sections of the greens, making sure you leave yourself below the hole for the most part," he said. "That's the key this week."

At Aronimink Golf Club, distance off the tee is not only about power. For McIlroy, it helps him set up shorter and easier approach shots into the tough Ross-designed greens. He believed that before the tournament, and the course is now proving him right.

So, with the course playing in McIlroy's expected way, do you think he will be able to secure his third PGA Championship?

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Written by

Sneha Abraham

Edited by

Souvik Roy