The Truist Championship begins Thursday, bringing 72 of the world’s best men’s golfers to Philadelphia Cricket Club’s Wissahickon course for a $20 million prize purse, and a rare visit from golf’s top professional tournaments.
Wednesday’s pro-am was the lead-in to the four days of competitive play, with some lucky amateurs — Sixers point guard Kyle Lowry and former Eagles center Jason Kelce among them — getting the chance to join the pros for nine holes of the course. Kelce was paired with Stephan Jager and 2019 Open Championship winner Shane Lowry, which drew a crowd.
Former Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce hits on the 16th hole during a pro-am before the Truist Championship golf tournament at the Philadelphia Cricket Club, Wednesday, May 7, 2025, in Flourtown, Pa. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
Defending champion Rory McIlroy, who became the sixth-ever player to complete a major championship Grand Slam after winning the Masters last month, was among the pros playing Wednesday. The Truist will be his first individual tournament after the celebratory obligations that came with securing a Green Jacket. The Northern Irishman said he was looking forward to returning to a regular routine on the “old-school” course.
“Philadelphia is one of the best places in the U.S. for golf,” McIlroy said. “You know, there’s so many great courses around here. We’re playing the PGA [Championship] at Aronimink next year. We’re playing the U.S. Open in [2030] at Merion. There’s a lot of great golf in this area.”
Two-time PGA Championship winner Justin Thomas was full of praise for Philly’s “spectacular” golf courses, as well.
“Obviously you don’t want to be too vague and kind of group all of them together, but to me it’s just a different style and a different look of golf up here … They all look so cool,” he said. “I kind of think of it similar to Scotland or Ireland. There’s no bad golf courses, it seems like, you can play.”
Jordan Spieth hits on the first hole during the pro-am at the Truist Championship golf tournament at the Philadelphia Cricket Club, Wednesday, May 7, 2025, in Flourtown, Pa. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
Even so, the Philly area isn’t a regular stop for men’s professional golf. The last PGA Tour event was the BMW Championship at Aronimink in 2018. McIlroy said he feels the northeast golf clubs are underrepresented, but he and Thomas both acknowledged that the biggest issue the golf courses face is the logistics of their relatively modest ground sizes.
That said, the Truist is one of eight signature events on the PGA Tour calendar, with a smaller field compared to the tour’s “regular” tournaments. The tournament also features no cut over its four days, benefitting fans who want to watch their favorite players over four days and players who don’t have to worry about an early departure and can bring along families.
Philadelphia Cricket Club was chosen to host the tournament last August. The regular venue, Charlotte’s Quail Hollow Club, will host this year’s PGA Championship, over Memorial Day weekend.
All the fan amenities were out Wednesday, including local touches to pay homage to the location of this year’s venue.
One of the Philly features on the Philadelphia Cricket Club’s Wissahickon Course grounds for the 2025 PGA Tour Truist Championship. (Nick Kariuki/Billy Penn)
“It’s not just going to be a PGA Tour event, you’re going to a Philadelphia PGA Tour event,” Joie Chitwood, the tournament’s executive director, promised back in March.
The tournament has a local roster of vendors, including Gazzos Steaks in Pottstown, Chickie’s & Pete’s, Federal Donuts & Chicken, and Hangry Bear Creamery. Beyond Kelce the person, his brand was a presence on the course Wednesday, too, with items from his Underdog Apparel brand in the fan shop.
The grounds also featured a kids zone, where sponsor Nemours Children’s Health used putting greens and Wii Golf to help address whole child health, the 80% of youth health impacts that occur outside of a hospital.
“I think that really is the true value of us being here,” said Dr. Alfred Atanda, a pediatric orthopedic surgeon with Nemours. “We just can engage folks in a different way, that’s not so formal and rigid, I guess., in the typical doctor-patient relationship.”
People try out the practice greens in the Nemours Children’s Health Kid’s Zone at the 2025 Truist Championship. (Nick Kariuki/Billy Penn)
Organizers estimate the tournament will deliver up to $60 million in economic impact to the area, along with an estimated $2.5 million in charitable impact from local organizations as its legacy. To that point, the tournament donated $750,000 to the Cobbs Creek Foundation, which will help fund the historic course’s revitalization and youth programs.
First Tee Philadelphia, a youth development organization that teaches life skills to children and teenagers through accessible and affordable golf, also received a $5,000 equipment grant program as a signature partner of the tournament.
Whether this recent influx of professional golf and its reciprocal benefits to the region leads to more consistent tournaments in the future remains to be seen. When asked, defending PGA Championship winner Xander Schauffele said it comes down to having a big market, excited golf fans and the right tournament sponsors.
Xander Schauffele hits on the seventh hole during a pro-am before the Truist Championship golf tournament at the Philadelphia Cricket Club, Wednesday, May 7, 2025, in Flourtown, Pa. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
Schaufflele gave the region at least one of those three.
“Philly has got some good fans, they’re into a lot of other sports and I’ve heard there’s a pretty good number of people coming out for this week,” he said. “Hopefully, the weather stays away and it’s like today, that’d be awesome. I’m sure the weekend, if it stays like this, it will be a good viewing and a good following. So, yeah, if the fans and the community support it, then then we should be here.”
Tickets are still on sale for each day of the tournament. It’s also available to watch on TV, via the Golf Channel and NBC, and streaming on Fubo, Paramount+ and ESPN+/Disney+.
