NEWTOWN SQUARE, Pa. — An Englishman won in Philadelphia, as Aaron Rai seized the 108th PGA Championship Sunday with a final-round 65 at Aronimink Golf Club.
The 100-year-old Donald Ross design gave up some low scores but overall proved very formidable for the game’s best players. When a single-digit under par score is a winner in pro golf nowadays (Rai won at 9-under 271), then the field has had a test.
But it took 64 years for the PGA Championship to return to Aronimink after Gary Player won in 1962—should another PGA be quicker in coming? That sounds like one last topic for the SI Golf team to ponder from the season’s second major, Fact or Fiction-style:
Aronimink deserves to host another PGA Championship as soon as possible.
Bob Harig, SI Golf Senior Writer: FACT. Who doesn’t like a single-digit under par winner? The course befuddled the best in the world for the better part of four days. And while—yes—the pin placements might have been severe (sort of the defense in modern golf), it wasn’t as if there wasn’t some good scoring. There was a 63 and two 65s on Sunday. More than 20 players finished under par. A slew of players had a chance to win. And the Philly fans turned out. Bring it back…