Philadelphia has a rich history in golf and this week’s PGA Championship will add another chapter. Aronimink Golf Club, located in Newtown Square, Pennsylvania, sits a bit west of the City of Brotherly Love and is hosting the PGA for a second time.
What sort of golf history is there in the greater Philadelphia area? Here are some interesting facts about the game and its connection to the area.
A Rolex clock by the practice putting green at Aronimink Golf Club in Newtown Square, Pennsylvania, site of the 2026 PGA Championship.
Wanamaker Trophy
The PGA’s Wanamaker Trophy was the brainchild of Rodman Wanamaker, whose family started the Wanamaker department stores in Philadelphia in 1876. Lewis Rodman Wanamaker helped establish the first all-professional golf association in the U.S., the PGA of America, and soon thereafter donated a trophy for the inaugural PGA Championship in 1916.
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Oldest country club in America
Philadelphia Cricket Club in Chestnut Hill was founded in 1854. It hosted the PGA Tour’s 2025 Truist Championship. The St. Martins course hosted the 1907 and 1910 U.S. Open. The Cricket Club is the only golf club in the U.S. with three 18-hole golf courses built during three different centuries.
First American to win the U.S. Open
John McDermott of Philadelphia was the first American to win his country’s national championship, doing so in 1911 at 19 years old. He was once a caddie at Aronimink.
First Black golfer to compete on PGA Tour
Charlie Sifford moved to Philadelphia from Charlotte when he was 17. He worked on his game at Cobbs Creek Golf Club and he joined the Tour in 1961.
Charlie Sifford at the Rancho Park Golf Course in Los Angeles in 1994.
Most USGA championships
Merion Golf Club which dates to 1912, has hosted 19 USGA championships at its East Course. On deck: the 2030 and 2040 U.S. Open.
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First golf club to host all of PGA of America’s championships
Aronimink was the first club to host the PGA of America’s big three: the PGA Championship, the KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship and the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship.
Highly successful PGA Tour golfer is from the area
Jim Furyk played college golf at the University of Arizona but he hails from West Chester, Pennsylvania. Recently named the 2027 Ryder Cup captain for the U.S., Furyk has 17 PGA Tour titles and a major, the 2003 U.S. Open. He’s the only golfer in PGA Tour history with a 59 and 58.
The top-ranked golf course is nearby
Located about 20 miles southeast of Philadelphia is Pine Valley Country Club in Pine Hill, New Jersey. It’s ranked No. 2 in the Golfweek’s Best Classic Courses list (by just a hair behind Cypres Point) after being in the No. 1 spot for many years. It’s also the No. 1 private course in New Jersey.
This article originally appeared on Golfweek: Philadelphia golf history includes Wanamker Trophy, oldest club in US
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