PGA Championship 2026: Video series turns back the clock with past champions Player, Nicklaus, Trevino

Speed and power are the trademarks of modern-day pro golf, even when the test is coming at an old-school venue. While the PGA Championship is returning to Aronimink Golf Club outside Philadelphia for the first time in 64 years, tour pros mostly say—some actually lamenting—there’s one right way to play the venerable Donald Ross course off the tee: use your driver and don’t hold back.

“I think in this day and age I'm not sure if it's going to test all aspects of your bag. There's going to be a lot of … again, as I said, strategy off the tee is pretty nonexistent,” said Rory McIlroy on Tuesday. “It’s basically bash driver down there and then figure it out from there.”

This comes in contrast to the way Gary Player won the PGA Championship when it was previously held at Aronimink in 1962. During an interview for the PGA of America video series “Winners of the Wanamaker” that went live on its YouTube channel in the last month, Player noted how his approach to victory was to dial back a bit off the tee, using instead a 4-wood that he could put a baby draw on to consistently find himself in the fairways.

“I arrived there and It was tree-lined, and I loved it,” Player said. “I thought I was going to take a 4-wood … and I was quite physically strong then … and, man, that was perfect for me keeping the ball in play.”

Player was his usual gregarious self as he sat down with 2002 PGA champion Rich Beem and recalled the historic victory. Winning by a shot over George Bayer with a two-under 278 total, including a closing 70, gave Player his third career major title and made him the first (and still only) South African to win the Wannamaker.

Footage from Aronimink that week provide a rare glimpses of the championship of old. Player recalled his third-round pairing with George Bayer and John Barnum. The contrast in their builds was striking, Player joking about how his peers towered over him with his slender 5-foot-6 frame. But that didn’t deter Player from believing the tournament was his to be won.

“My father always told me, ‘Son, no matter where you go you’ve got to always tell yourself that course suits you,’ ” Player said. “And that was such great advice. And I did [with Aronimink].”

Beem similarly has fun turning back the clock in his other two episodes of the series, interviewing four-time PGA champion Jack Nicklaus and two-time winner Lee Trevino. For more on the series, go to the PGA of America’s YouTube channel.