67 vs 74: At Aronimink, the Putter Is the Only Weapon That Matters

A four-way tie at 67. A Masters champion at 74. And one stat that explains both.

 

The first round of the 108th PGA Championship is in the books at Aronimink Golf Club. The leaderboard is crowded. The course is biting back. And if you're looking for the real hero this week, don't watch the tee box. Watch the green.

 

Four players from four continents — Japan's Ryo Hisatsune, South Africa's Aldrich Potgieter, Germany's Stephan Jaeger and Australia's Min Woo Lee — share the lead at 3-under 67.

 

A stroke behind, at 2-under 68, sits a group that includes defending champ Xander Schauffele.

 

One shot further back, at 1-under 69, are Jon Rahm, Brooks Koepka, Jordan Spieth and Jason Day.

 

And then there's Rory McIlroy. The reigning Masters champion shot a 74 — a round he summed up with a word that loosely translates to "doo-doo."

 

What separates 67 from 74 at Aronimink? It's not power. It's not length.

 

It's the flatstick.

 

The best putter wins. Period.

 

 

The Real Test at Aronimink

 

Aronimink's greens average 8,100 square feet — large by Tour standards, but size doesn't tell the full story. The slope, the undulation, the fact that almost no putt is truly flat — that's the real defense.

 

"The greens are the main focus this week," Rory McIlroy said pre-tournament. "Getting yourself in the right sections, making sure you leave yourself below the hole for the most part. That's the key."

 

Keegan Bradley, who won the 2018 BMW Championship here, put it even more directly: "What makes this place difficult are the greens. They're really mounded and hilly."

 

When Bradley won here eight years ago, he led the field in strokes gained-putting. When Nick Watney won the AT&T National at Aronimink in 2011, he also led in strokes gained-putting.

 

The pattern is clear: At Aronimink, putters win trophies.

 

 

Thursday by the Numbers

 

The first-round leaderboard is young, diverse, and major-free. Hisatsune (23), Potgieter (21), Jaeger (36) and Lee (27) have zero majors between them.

 

Jaeger's round was a masterclass in clutch putting: He birdied four of his first six holes — all four from at least 13 feet away, including a 39-footer on No. 4 and a 22-footer on No. 6.

 

Hisatsune found 13 of 14 fairways but offset four bogeys with seven birdies, relying on his short game to stay in contention.

 

Schauffele, who set the major scoring record at last year's PGA, was philosophical about his 68: "Really thick rough, wind, difficult greens and tucked pins — that's why you're seeing higher scores."

 

Jon Rahm, also at 69, put it bluntly when asked why scores weren't lower: "Have you been out there? Have you seen this course?"

 

 

The Other Side of the Coin

 

McIlroy's 74 tells the flip side of the story. He struggled out of the damp, dense rough. He struggled on the greens. He closed with four straight bogeys.

 

Bryson DeChambeau had an even rougher day: a 76, with his first birdie not coming until the par-5 ninth hole.

 

The common thread? On a course where precision putting separates contenders from the rest, even the game's biggest names can get humbled.

 

 

What to Watch Friday

 

The second round tees off early Friday morning. The cut line will take shape, and somewhere in the field, a putter is about to get hot.

 

If Aronimink's history teaches us anything, that's who you should be watching.

 

 

At Tiger Cliff, we don't make the putts for you. We just make the ball that rolls true when you do.

 

—

Matt

Tiger Cliff Golf

 

 

P.S. The leaderboard is wide open after 18 holes. The putter is the real story. Don't blink.