NEWTOWN SQUARE, PENNSYLVANIA | As this windswept and chill-tinged PGA Championship has coughed to life at Aronimink Golf Club, it has developed a personality that fits the famously hard-edged sports fans for which the Philadelphia area is notorious.
This is not a place where the faint of heart flourish, whether they wear Eagles’ green or they’re absorbing punches from Aronimink, which looks inviting while slamming the door in players’ faces.
Asked early Friday afternoon if fans watching from the rope lines at Aronimink understood the challenge facing the best players in the world, Shane Lowry, smiling after signing for a second-round 76, shook his head and said, “They have no idea.”
It’s not for everyone but it may fit Chris Gotterup like a tailored suit.
Gotterup is built like a man who moves furniture for a living and he has a streak of native New Jersey toughness that translated into a 5-under-par 65 on Friday, the best round of the championship, and put him near the top of the clogged leaderboard as the PGA inched toward the weekend.
Since winning the Genesis Scottish Open last July and contending the following week in the Open Championship at Royal Portrush, Gotterup’s ascendance has continued. He has won twice this year (the Sony Open in Hawaii and the WM Phoenix Open), establishing himself as a formidable force with four career PGA Tour victories.
Two unexpectedly difficult rounds into this PGA Championship, Gotterup has put his name on a weekend marquee that features Scottie Scheffler, Cameron Young and Justin Thomas around him.
To this point, Aronimink has been as dangerous as broken glass. The combination of dense, thick-bladed rough that plays like a wet blanket and wrinkled greens where flat spots are hard to find has made this PGA Championship a grinding affair where par is valued, birdies are treasured and bogeys are as prevalent as logoed shirts.
“Even though I played pretty well today I don’t think it felt easy at any point out there.” – Chris Gotterup
Perfect for Gotterup, who has the strength to muscle shots out the ankle-deep fescue and is tenacious enough to keep coming back for more.
“Even though I played pretty well today I don’t think it felt easy at any point out there,” Gotterup said.
The miscalculation entering this PGA Championship was anticipating Aronimink, with its open driving corridors, might not be able to adequately defend itself against the modern game where most approach shots are played with one of a handful of wedges in each player’s bag.
Instead, the blustery conditions, cool temperatures and aggressive hole locations have conspired to subvert temptation while fostering frustration. It looks, feels and plays like a U.S. Open to this point, right down to the 5½-hour rounds.
Gotterup was asked in his post-round media session if the course setup is fair. It’s a loaded question but an understandable one. Gotterup took care to explain his perspective.
“I’m going to try to answer this properly. I don’t think it’s unfair, but I do think for pace of play and certain aspects, there have been a couple – you know, [No.] 14 today is probably aggressive, I will say. You’re hitting a 4-iron to a 10-foot circle, and if it doesn’t go there, it’s off the green, and if you hit it 40 feet left, you have a very hard two-putt,” Gotterup said.
“Bob [MacIntyre] made birdie in my group and he hit a great shot. So is it unfair, probably not. But is it going to make the round slow, yeah … So, unfair, no, but tough to make birdies.”
The weekend at Aronimink will be different, at least in terms of the conditions. The wind is forecast to subside and temperatures are expected to climb into the mid-80s, making an already firm and fast layout firmer and faster.
Handling Aronimink’s greens with their heaving contours is like juggling knives. Gotterup said he played four feet of break on his birdie putt at the 17th and two feet of break on a shorter birdie putt at the 11th. There is a skill in accepting the safe play rather than trying to play the hero shot at Aronimink.
“Obviously all good things. I feel like, if I’m playing well, I can compete anywhere.” – Chris Gotterup
Gotterup was born in Maryland but raised in New Jersey where he eventually attended Rutgers University before transferring to Oklahoma. He’s comfortable playing brawny, old-school Northeastern courses though he had never been to Aronimink before Monday.
He has become increasingly comfortable in contention and though he ultimately finished third at Royal Portrush last summer, the seasoning has made him more confident.
“Obviously all good things. I feel like, if I’m playing well, I can compete anywhere. That’s no different here. But I think it’s just hard to say what [the Open Championship] did for me other than build confidence. I felt like I played some of my best golf maybe ever as a pro that week, and I came in third,” Gotterup said.
“It’s just one of those things where you just got to keep – I feel like you got to keep putting yourself in position, and you hope that one day it breaks through and it was your time. But as long as you can keep putting yourself there, I think that’s all you can do.”
This could be the week when Gotterup turns out to be tougher than the rest.