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Aston-native Braden Shattuck will be part of the opening group of the 108th PGA Championship on Thursday, making his third appearance at one of golf’s “majors.”
This year’s tournament, being in Delco’s Aronimink Golf Club, makes it even more special for him.
“I think anybody would be excited to compete in a ‘Major’ championship, and then having it be right down the street in my local section makes it even more sweet,” he said in Newtown Square on Monday.
How did he spend his morning before competing against 155 of the world’s best golfers?
He ran his regular women’s clinic at Rolling Green Golf Club in Springfield Township, where he’s the director of instruction.
“We couldn’t believe it,” said Marianne Rafter, one of the golfers Shattuck was instructing. “We’re astounded he did this with all that’s going on.”
Shattuck said his day job has been unchanged since qualifying for the Corebridge Financial Team of 20 PGA of America club pros at the PGA Professional Championship in Bandon, Ore., at the end of April.
“As soon as I got home from Bandon, it was right back to work, teaching, coaching, programming, from 8:00 to 6:00 every day,” he said. “So, trying to find some time at the beginning or the ends of the days to get my game where it needs to be, to compete in a tournament like this, it’s been a little bit of a challenge.”
Shattuck was the sole Philadelphia PGA section golfer of the thirteen who competed against a field of over 300 pros from around the country in Oregon.
He’s no stranger to adversity, though. In March 2019, his golf career was nearly derailed when a car accident left him with two herniated discs in his lower spine, making it difficult to walk, let alone swing a golf club.
At the lowest points, he said, dealing with the mental health problems, including panic attacks, chest pain, and anxiety, was harder than going through physical therapy and pain.
“It was a grind, physically and mentally, that I wanted to give up on at times,” he recalled. “But luckily I’ve had a lot of great people in my life that pushed me past that and helped me and gotten me to where I am today, and I feel like I’m in a really good space physically and mentally.”
A two-year sabbatical and tweaking his swing, while also instructing others on theirs at Rolling Green, got him back to a level where he could win the 2023 PGA Professional Championship, and finished with the lowest score for a club pro at the 2024 PGA Championship. He’s also won the Philadelphia PGA Player of the Year award the past four years.
The PGA Championship is returning to Aronimink for the first time since 1962. Despite the Philadelphia region’s world-renowned courses and its central role in the “Golden Age” of American golf course architecture, the area has appeared only sporadically on the professional golf tour schedule.
Having a Philly-area native competing adds a special cherry to the sundae that was bringing this prestigious tournament back to the region.
“Having a local player, it just gives that vibe for the locals now for somebody to cheer with,” said Steve Byrne, executive director of Visit Delco.
Shattuck played down any notion of having any home-field advantage against the likes of Scottie Scheffler or Rory McIlroy, noting he had only played Aronimink twice before this week, despite it being only nine miles away from Rolling Green.
But he did admit that he might be more prepared than most for one factor: the Philly sports fan.
“I’m at a very Delco club, so I’m used to the people. I’m not worried about it at all,” he said. “I think it might rustle some other feathers. For me, it’s just going to be another day.”
Shattuck tees off on Thursday at 6:45 a.m., in a group with Alex Fitzpatrick from England and Ben Griffin from Chapel Hill, N.C. Verified resale tickets for the tournament days are available on the tournament’s website. It’s also airing on ESPN’s TV and streaming platforms on Thursday and Friday, along with CBS and Paramount on Saturday and Sunday.
