{"id":10880,"date":"2026-05-30T19:03:26","date_gmt":"2026-05-30T19:03:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/golf\/10880\/"},"modified":"2026-05-30T19:03:26","modified_gmt":"2026-05-30T19:03:26","slug":"braden-shattuck-looks-to-recover-after-tough-pga-championship-start","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/golf\/10880\/","title":{"rendered":"Braden Shattuck looks to recover after tough PGA Championship start"},"content":{"rendered":"

Love Philly? So do we. Let\u2019s be friends. Sign up for the Billy Penn newsletter today<\/a>.<\/p>\n

At 6:45 a.m. on Thursday, Delco-native Braden Shattuck<\/a> got to hit the opening drive of the 108th PGA Championship at Aronimink Golf Club<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

He pulled the shot into the left fence and ended up double-bogeying the hole.\u00a0<\/p>\n

After that, he managed to keep things contained on the front nine, only bogeying the eighth hole.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The back nine is where things got worse. Finishing at eleven-over-par worse.<\/p>\n

\"\"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)<\/p>\n

\u201cIt doesn\u2019t put me in a very good mood. Makes it hard to get into a rhythm, but it definitely takes the edge off quick,\u201d Shattuck said about how his opening drive affected the rest of his round. \u201cIt\u2019s not ideal? Not very fun, but that\u2019s golf.\u201d<\/p>\n

Shattuck, the director of instruction at nearby Rolling Green Golf Club<\/a> in Springfield Township, qualified for his third PGA Championship as a part of the Corebridge Financial Team<\/a>, the 20 PGA of America club professionals who finished the best at the PGA Professional Championship<\/a> in Bandon, Ore., at the end of April. Shattuck won that tournament in 2023.<\/p>\n

Shattuck faces an uphill battle to make Friday\u2019s cut, but he held out some optimism that it could happen.<\/p>\n

\u201cI mean, golf\u2019s a weird game. You can go out and shoot 80 and in the next round you shoot 65. That could happen,\u201d he said. \u201cSo I keep that in the back of my mind, knowing that I can turn it around.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"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)<\/p>\n

Despite early projections that Aronimink would be an easy course<\/a> for the world\u2019s best golfers, the thick rough, challenging greens<\/a> and windy conditions contained Thursday\u2019s seven leaders \u2014 including defending champion Scottie Scheffler \u2014 to just three-under-par.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople thought it would be lower? Have you been out there? Have you seen this course?\u201d two-time major champion Jon Rahm said when asked about the course<\/a>. \u201cSo I can see how in appearance it might be easier, but it\u2019s not. You need to play really good golf to shoot lower than three-under.\u201d<\/p>\n

Aronimink\u2019s head golf professional Jeff Kiddie said<\/a> that the previous champions at the course, like Justin Rose and Keegan Bradley, have tended to be \u201cwell-rounded golfers,\u201d able to be precise with their iron golf clubs and creative around the course\u2019s large greens.
Given that Shattuck finished with the lowest score for a club pro at the 2024 PGA Championship at Valhalla Golf Club<\/a>, and is also the Philadelphia PGA Player of the Year for the past four years<\/a>, you shouldn\u2019t count him out of making the cut.<\/p>\n

The home crowd following him certainly won\u2019t.<\/p>\n

Almost a hundred people followed Shattuck\u2019s group, which also included Alex Fitzpatrick from England and Ben Griffin from Chapel Hill, N.C., over the course of the morning. It wasn\u2019t 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.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"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)<\/p>\n

Throughout the round, shouts of \u201cnice shot, Braden\u201d and \u201cdo it for Delco\u201d rang out after his swings.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWe got the two days,\u201d one spectator told Shattuck as he walked down the 16th hole.<\/p>\n

\u201cJust coming out here in front of all these people and doing what he\u2019s done is incredible, in my mind,\u201d said Shattuck\u2019s father, Scott.<\/p>\n

\"\"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)<\/p>\n

In March 2019, Shattuck was involved in a car accident that left him with two herniated discs in his lower spine<\/a>, 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 \u2014 panic attacks, chest pain, and anxiety \u2014 that dogged his recovery process.<\/p>\n

\u201cHonestly, it\u2019s more of a celebration, for him just to be here,\u201d Jeff Juric, Shattuck\u2019s\u00a0 longtime friend and golf buddy, said of the day. \u201cI 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"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)<\/p>\n

Both Scott and Shattuck\u2019s 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.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cPhilly loves people from Philly. If you work hard and you put the effort in, and we see that you\u2019re trying, we appreciate it, and we always want to root for a hometown hero,\u201d Juric said. \u201cAnd no matter how you do, we\u2019re gonna root for you as long as you\u2019re giving effort.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"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)<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s stressful, but it\u2019s an enjoyment too. You want to see him make the cut. You want to see him do well.\u201d<\/p>\n

Shattuck\u2019s group tees off tomorrow at 12:10 p.m. Verified resale tickets for the tournament days are available on the tournament\u2019s website<\/a>. It\u2019s also airing on ESPN\u2019s TV and streaming platforms<\/a> on Friday, along with CBS and Paramount<\/a> on Saturday and Sunday.<\/p>\n

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