After advanced look at Aronimink, Rory McIlroy says strategy is clear: 'Bash driver down there and..."

CHARLOTTE, NC - MAY 08: Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland hits a drive at the eighteenth hole during the second round of the Truist Championship 2026 at Quail Hollow Country Club on May 08, 2026 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

(Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Rory McIlroy’s first major scouting trip came ahead of the 2011 U.S. Open at Congressional, when Jack Nicklaus urged a then-22-year-old McIlroy to get an advanced look at the golf course.

That decision obviously paid off handsomely, as did McIlroy’s Masters lead-up this year, where he practically lived at Augusta National before successfully defending his green jacket last month.

“Some majors, I haven't gone to the tournament site ahead of schedule, and I've done well,” McIlroy said, “but for the most part, when I have made an advanced trip, it's worked out well for me.”

This week’s PGA Championship at Aronimink outside of Philadelphia is no different. McIlroy eschewed starts at the RBC Heritage, Zurich Classic and Cadillac Championship – two of those being signature events – so that he could better prepare for the season’s second major at a venue that McIlroy had only seen once, at the 2018 BMW Championship.

McIlroy initially expected to be at Doral, before competing in last week’s Truist Championship at Quail Hollow, but then he received an invite to the White House State Dinner on April 28, on the Tuesday of tournament week.

“To go down to Doral, and then fly up to D.C. for that, and then fly back down … if I wasn't giving my 100-percent attention to the tournament, then there's no reason to play it, right?” McIlroy said. “I wanted to do the State dinner, and if I was going to do that, it was probably better that I take that week to practice and prepare, come up here and see the golf course, and then go into Quail Hollow feeling more ready to play.”

McIlroy followed later in the week with a day trip to Aronimink, where, like some of his trips to Augusta, he was able to get home in time for dinner and his daughter’s bedtime. And after a T-19 Sunday at Quail, his advanced prep allowed him to go home Sunday night. “Then come up here,” McIlroy added, “and not feel stressed about having to play a lot of holes or get up here early. I can take more of a relaxed approach going into the week.”

So, what has McIlroy learned about Aronimink? For starters, he believes it will play decidedly different than in 2018, when heavy rain soaked the golf course. He also likens the layout and strategy to what he saw at last year’s Truist, held at Philadelphia Cricket Club, where difficult green complexes but a premium on finding correct portions and avoiding downhill putts.