Our golf coverage continues this week with our man, Mr. Rig, checking in on the vibes as the PGA Tour hits Philadelphia. Check out his deeper dive into the Truist field, and more, at his Substack, Pinseeker.
Philly Philly anyone? The PGA Tour heads to the City of Brotherly Love for the Truist Championship this week. It’s a signature event, meaning we get a limited field tournament featuring the very best on Tour. It’s also a bit of a unique one, even if Nick Foles won’t be catching a touchdown, which we’ll explain when we go into details about the course. With that said, let’s get right into our preview.
This week marks the first time that the PGA Tour visits the Wissahickon Course at the Philadelphia Cricket Club. Originally designed by A.W. Tillinghast, it features many of his classic design choices, including strategic and copious bunkering, small greens, and sloped, undulating putting surfaces: the weekend golfer’s worst nightmare. Accuracy will be at an absolute premium this week, and you’re gonna need an impressive short game to compete.
The Wissahickon Course is famous for the 7th hole and its “Great Hazard” (featured in the image above), a massive cluster of bunkers and waste area running across the entire fairway on the par-5 (the 15th this week, but that’s beside the point) 350 yards from the tee. The hole itself is reachable in two shots, but because it’s a Tillinghast course, you’ll have a lot of bunkers to contend with the whole way. It’s a classic risk-reward setup with only the tiniest landing area short and right of the green to bail out to.
Since it’s a signature event, this is an absolutely stacked field. Here are a few players worth keeping an eye on this week and why they deserve your attention.
Rory McIlroy
Rory is playing his first individual event since his historic Masters win, and he’s the favorite this week. He’s having an exceptional season and will be looking to keep the momentum going before a PGA Championship at one of his favorite hunting grounds: Quail Hollow.
Vibes: Grand Slam/10
Jordan Spieth
He’s so back. Spieth makes the list again after a top-5 in Dallas and made it into the Truist through a sponsor exemption. He’ll hope to vindicate that decision and build his momentum leading into a chase for his own personal Grand Slam at the PGA Championship.
Vibes: 10/10
Justin Thomas
He’s playing his first event since a win at Harbour Town, and his game is on the upswing. If he can keep a drive in the fairway, don’t be surprised if he makes a run at another W.
Vibes: 8.2/10
Collin Morikawa
The accuracy is still there, but he has been torturous to watch on the greens this year. His ability to hit fairways and greens will give him chances to score, but can he cash them in?
Vibes: Can’t Make a Putt/10
Daniel Berger
Our model likes Berger’s chances this week. With a well-rounded game and solid form (six top 20 finishes in his last eight events), he could be a nice value pick in Philly.
Vibes: 8/10
This event is especially exciting for me. I’m a major golf nerd, especially when it comes to course design, so seeing an old school course get its due and host a Tour event is like Christmas. I can’t wait to see how the best in the world navigate this spectacular layout, and we should be in for an absolute treat. So sit back, enjoy the golf with your beverage of choice, and let’s see who wins the Philly Special this week.
Enjoyed this? Be sure to check out my work at pinseekergolf.substack.com for more previews, analysis, and content about the game of golf.
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