SPRINGFIELD, NJ—The 98th PGA Championship returns to Baltusrol Golf Club for the second time in eleven years and the event celebrates the 100th anniversary of the founding of the PGA which commenced its first event at Siwanoy Country Club in nearby Westchester County (NY) in 1916.
Baltusrol is no stranger to national competitions. The PGA Championship marks the 17th major event played on the grounds—seven U.S. Opens and now two PGA Championships among the various key competitions that have been held here. Baltusrol is blessed with two renown courses—the Lower and Upper with the former once again holding center court as the host layout.
The famed architect A.W. Tillinghast designed both layouts and in the years that followed Robert Trent Jones, Sr. played a significant role in updating the course for the 1954 U.S. Open. Interestingly, his son Rees did a number of improvements to both courses in recent years so that the Lower and Upper respectively remain relevant to championship events in the 21st century.
The architectural roundtable discusses the impact Baltusrol has had in major championship golf and what steps the PGA of America may take with its flagship event in the years to come.
