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At 6:45 a.m. on Thursday, Delco-native Braden Shattuck got to hit the opening drive of the 108th PGA Championship at Aronimink Golf Club.
He pulled the shot into the left fence and ended up double-bogeying the hole.
After that, he managed to keep things contained on the front nine, only bogeying the eighth hole.
The back nine is where things got worse. Finishing at eleven-over-par worse.
A put shot from Braden Shattuck, 31, a club pro at Rolling Green Golf Club in Springfield Township, Pa., narrowly misses the hole during day 1 of the PGA Championship, May 14, 2026. (Kimberly Paynter/WHYY)
“It doesn’t put me in a very good mood. Makes it hard to get into a rhythm, but it definitely takes the edge off quick,” Shattuck said about how his opening drive affected the rest of his round. “It’s not ideal? Not very fun, but that’s golf.”
Shattuck, the director of instruction at nearby Rolling Green Golf Club in Springfield Township, qualified for his third PGA Championship as a part of the Corebridge Financial Team, the 20 PGA of America club professionals who finished the best at the PGA Professional Championship in Bandon, Ore., at the end of April. Shattuck won that tournament in 2023.
Shattuck faces an uphill battle to make Friday’s cut, but he held out some optimism that it could happen.
“I mean, golf’s a weird game. You can go out and shoot 80 and in the next round you shoot 65. That could happen,” he said. “So I keep that in the back of my mind, knowing that I can turn it around.”
Braden Shattuck, 31, a club pro at Rolling Green Golf Club in Springfield Township, Pa., confers with his caddie Beau Riviere, 18, on day 1 of the PGA Championship, May 14, 2026. (Kimberly Paynter/WHYY)
Despite early projections that Aronimink would be an easy course for the world’s best golfers, the thick rough, challenging greens and windy conditions contained Thursday’s seven leaders — including defending champion Scottie Scheffler — to just three-under-par.
“People thought it would be lower? Have you been out there? Have you seen this course?” two-time major champion Jon Rahm said when asked about the course. “So I can see how in appearance it might be easier, but it’s not. You need to play really good golf to shoot lower than three-under.”
Aronimink’s head golf professional Jeff Kiddie said that the previous champions at the course, like Justin Rose and Keegan Bradley, have tended to be “well-rounded golfers,” able to be precise with their iron golf clubs and creative around the course’s large greens.
Given that Shattuck finished with the lowest score for a club pro at the 2024 PGA Championship at Valhalla Golf Club, and is also the Philadelphia PGA Player of the Year for the past four years, you shouldn’t count him out of making the cut.
The home crowd following him certainly won’t.
Almost a hundred people followed Shattuck’s group, which also included Alex Fitzpatrick from England and Ben Griffin from Chapel Hill, N.C., over the course of the morning. It wasn’t as crowded as the number of people following groups containing Bryson DeChambeau, Ricky Fowler and Jordan Spieth, but there was definitely more of a communal vibe to it.
Spectators packed Aronimink Golf Club in Newtown Square Pa., on day 1 of the PGA Championship, May 14, 2026. (Kimberly Paynter/WHYY)
Spectators packed Aronimink Golf Club in Newtown Square Pa., on day 1 of the PGA Championship, May 14, 2026. (Kimberly Paynter/WHYY)
Spectators track a ball after a drive on the 17th hole during day 1 of the PGA Championship, May 14, 2026. (Kimberly Paynter/WHYY)
Throughout the round, shouts of “nice shot, Braden” and “do it for Delco” rang out after his swings.
“We got the two days,” one spectator told Shattuck as he walked down the 16th hole.
“Just coming out here in front of all these people and doing what he’s done is incredible, in my mind,” said Shattuck’s father, Scott.
Scott Shattuck, father of professional golfer Braden Shattuck, watches his son compete during day 1 of the PGA Championship, May 14, 2026. (Kimberly Paynter/WHYY)
In March 2019, Shattuck was involved in a car accident that left him with two herniated discs in his lower spine, making it difficult to walk, let alone swing a golf club. It took a two-year sabbatical, reworking his swing and overcoming the mental health problems — panic attacks, chest pain, and anxiety — that dogged his recovery process.
“Honestly, it’s more of a celebration, for him just to be here,” Jeff Juric, Shattuck’s longtime friend and golf buddy, said of the day. “I think the pressure was totally on him for the past couple years, just to make it here, especially being a top section player, and honestly, just the top PGA professional player.”
Family and friends joined Braden Shattuck, 31, a club pro at Rolling Green Golf Club in Springfield Township, Pa., at 6:45am for the 1st hole of the PGA Championship tournament, May 14, 2026. (Kimberly Paynter/WHYY)
Both Scott and Shattuck’s mother, Sheril, followed their son along his first round. As they moved from shot to shot, they were greeted and congratulated by members of Rolling Green and other Aston residents who recognized them.
“Philly loves people from Philly. If you work hard and you put the effort in, and we see that you’re trying, we appreciate it, and we always want to root for a hometown hero,” Juric said. “And no matter how you do, we’re gonna root for you as long as you’re giving effort.”
Braden Shattuck, 31, a club pro at Rolling Green Golf Club in Springfield Township, Pa., made his 3rd appearance at the PGA Championship tournament, May 14, 2026. (Kimberly Paynter/WHYY)
“It’s stressful, but it’s an enjoyment too. You want to see him make the cut. You want to see him do well.”
Shattuck’s group tees off tomorrow at 12:10 p.m. Verified resale tickets for the tournament days are available on the tournament’s website. It’s also airing on ESPN’s TV and streaming platforms on Friday, along with CBS and Paramount on Saturday and Sunday.