Jon Rahm had begun to doubt himself upon hearing the pre-tournament predictions ahead of the PGA Championship, yet the demanding examination posed by Aronimink Golf Club has vindicated his initial assessment.
For his own peace of mind, Rahm is grateful that Aronimink has proved every bit as challenging as he had anticipated. Speaking after a three-under-par 67, he said: “I would like to know who came up with that, by the way.
“Honestly, when I heard people talking about 20 under par, it made me question my ability to read a golf course. I was looking at the greens and where they could put pin locations and possible wind, (and) I actually got worried. I’m like if somebody shoots 20 under, the amount of records they’re going to break this week would be unheard of.
“The fairways up here by the numbers are probably wide, but they don’t play as wide as they really are. Holes like 7, 10, 15, with how much slope you have to the fairway, you have to hit a very accurate golf shot to be in it. Like that, you can add too 2, 4 – maybe not on 6 – but 10, 12, 15, 16, right?
“With the slope of the fairway and the wind going with the slope of the fairway, it plays a lot more difficult than I think a lot of people would have foreseen at first with how much they’re rolling out.”
