The Wissahickon Course in the Philadelphia Cricket Club has been an enigma over the last three days. Designed by A.W. Tillinghast in the early 1920s and recently reformed by Keith Foster in 2008, the lush greens and the big fairways are currently being used by the PGA Tour for the Truist Championship. The Quail Hollow, which usually hosts this event, is hosting the PGA Championship. Hence, the change in venue for the $20M signature event. Normally, the PGA Tour does not touch the northern United States till June, when the conditions are much more apt for golf there. But the early arrival of professional golf in Philadelphia did raise some concerns, especially considering that this is a crucial leg of the PGA Tour, and so far, the conditions have proved challenging even for the best in the world.
PGA Tour pros brave the tough conditions in Philadelphia
The conditions at the Philadelphia Cricket Club were part of the puzzle the PGA Tour pros had to solve across three days. The first day, the course held up well to its true nature, with very limited adverse conditions. However, when the second day came, the rains followed. This allowed more hold for the balls, with stronger clubs required to cover the distance and counteract the effect of the rain.
Shane Lowry, after his round 3, explained how the course has really proved to be a stable feature despite the adverse conditions. He explained, “It’s great to see the way the conditions come into it today. The golf course is standing up really well. Because the fairways are quite generous for us this week. I feel like the fairways are wide, and once you get the ball on the fairways, you’re going to have some chances. It was very tough today in those winds, particularly tough to hole putts. When you get inside 10 feet, to be really precise on these greens was tough.”
Players were getting used to the conditions of the second day when Moving Day threw another surprise in their direction. This time, the conditions were a bit more blustery, with heavy winds pushing the ball even further down the track. One person who quickly adjusted to the conditions was Austrian golfer Sepp Straka. He and Lowry have shown great consistency across the three days, exhibiting good control of both the course and the weather situation.
It was fun, but at the same time, the conditions posed a frustrating challenge that Straka had to navigate. “It’s fun to see three different ways in our first three days playing here. Yesterday, the ball wasn’t rolling a whole lot because of the rain, and then today the ball is rolling out a lot off the tee. Having to try to pick clubs was a lot tougher today than yesterday.” The three-time PGA Tour winner explained.
Justin Thomas also had an honest overview regarding how the course mutated over the days. The RBC Heritage winner carded 66, 67, and 66 across the three days and is the person who has shown very little difference despite the differing conditions. “Thursday was as easy as we were going to get this place. I thought the pins weren’t set up very difficultly. We didn’t have very much wind. The fairways were firm, so the ball’s going a mile, and then the greens were soft. That’s a pretty good recipe for us shooting low scores. Then obviously yesterday was what it was, so that presented a different challenge. Then today with the wind, it just was one of those days.”
Keith Mitchell, who had the lead on day 1 and day 2, saw it slip on moving day after failing to navigate the windy conditions. He also had a few words that spelled frustration. “Today, if you had downwind, you had to be really careful with the front pins. Then into the wind, they put a lot on the slope, so you had to really kind of stay away from those. The game plan is always to try to find the green below the hole, if you can do that. If not, you’ve just got to kind of take what you can get.” Mitchell explained.
The change in conditions is not a difficult one to notice. The course record was 65 at the Wissahickon Golf Course before the Truist Championship. On Day 1, 10 players beat that score, including a course record that was set by Keith Mitchell (61). But across day 2 and day 3, that score was only beaten once, by Hideki Matsuyam on Saturday (63). This is a clear indication of the fluctuation of the course according to the condition.
The previous Wissahickon Course record was 65.
10 players beat that today.
— Fried Egg Golf (@fried_egg_golf) May 8, 2025
While the tough conditions did prove to be a hefty challenge for all the top players, one PGA Tour pro had a subtle request for the organizers.
Tony Finau sends a message to Jay Monahan and Co.
Currently at T6, Tony Finau had to battle the changing conditions as well. He struggled particularly in the rain on day 2 but recovered well on day 3 despite the wind. He thought that the course went well, despite the adversity in the weather. “We were talking about it there with Harry. I played with Harry English today and Homa yesterday. We were talking about it; within a 100- to 150-mile radius of this place, I think there’s some of the best golf in the world.” Finau explained. “I’d love to see the TOUR make a lot more stops here,” Finau further added, an indirect request to Jay Monahan and Co. to bring a few changes to the schedule the coming year.
What do you think of the action at the Philadelphia Cricket Club? Do you think the PGA Tour should adopt Tony Finau’s suggestion and add more events for the area early in the season?
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