NEWTON SQUARE (AFP) — Top-ranked defending champion Scottie Scheffler and a host of world-class rivals took their first practice rounds on Monday at Aronimink ahead of the 108th PGA Championship, which tees off on Thursday.

A formidable 7,394-yard, par-70 course awaits in the year’s second major tournament with 174 bunkers scattered across the layout, which features undulating greens at lightning-fast speeds.

“Right now it’s about getting to know the golf course, where the pin locations are going to be, where these pins you attack, where are the ones you layoff of, stuff like that — what are the deceiving shots,” three-time major winner Jordan Spieth said.

Scheffler worked with swing coach Randy Smith and putting coach Phil Kenyon before his practice round following a week off after some stellar play in recent events.

The 29-year-old American, a four-time major winner who can complete a career Grand Slam at next month’s US Open, was second at the Masters, the following week’s Heritage tournament, and two weeks ago at Doral.

A wide range of tee box positions will offer unique challenges to every hole every day, but Aronimink’s greens offer the biggest test for players, said Keegan Bradley, the 2011 PGA Championship winner who also captured the 2018 BMW Championship PGA Tour playoff event at Aronimink.

“What makes this place difficult is the greens, so you really need to be able to control your distances, hit the ball in the fairway,” Bradley said.

“Off the tee it’s not extremely challenging, but the greens get really crazy, and they are really mounded and hilly... so to put the ball in the right spot is really important.”

World No. 4 Matt Fitzpatrick, an Englishman who won the 2022 US Open and has won three PGA Tour titles in the past two months, also sees the greens as the course’s best defense against the world’s top golfers.

“It will be the green complexes for sure,” he said. 

“They’re very severe in spots. It will be interesting to see where the pins get put. There are two or three holes where you can’t have more than four pins.”

“It definitely favors length off the tee because a lot of the bunkers will be taken out of play.”

It’s the first men’s major at Aronimink since South African Gary Player won the 1962 PGA Championship over the suburban Philadelphia layout.

Spieth, who would complete a career Grand Slam with a victory, says pre-tournament practice work doesn’t last so long as players take caution not to train too long and weaken efforts once the competition begins.

“It’s really more methodical now, where it used to be hours and hours,” Spieth said. 

“It’s not just an age thing. It’s more like recognizing that major weeks can feel really long, and you want to feel your best when you wake up Sunday morning.”

“Part of it is energy conservation and figuring out how to attack the course. As far as the reps go, if you’re not ready by now after the last couple of weeks, you can’t really cram for the test at a major.”

Jake Knapp withdrew from the field due to a thumb injury, allowing fellow American and first alternate Tom Hoge into the lineup.