Students at Moorestown Friends School were able to watch the Professional Golfers’ Association of America (PGA) up close this past week, with the PGA Championship hosted locally in Newtown Square, Pennsylvania. From a shifting leaderboard each day to loud crowd reactions, each student described the tournament’s atmosphere as immersive and much more intense than expected compared to watching on television.
The PGA Championship is one of four major tournaments during the professional golf season, alongside the Masters Tournament, the U.S. Open, and the Open Championship. The tournament uses a 72-hole stroke play format. The field consists of 156 players who compete over four days, with a cut reducing the field to the low 70 players and ties after 36 holes.
Different from other Majors, the PGA Championship shifts locations all across the United States each year, and this year it was hosted at Aronimink Golf Club, about 50 minutes from Moorestown, NJ. Students took advantage of the nearby location to attend with their family and friends and watch the tournament. After a week of golf with thousands of fans and the sport’s biggest names, students who attended felt the energy was unlike any other sporting event and couldn’t be replicated by watching the event on TV.
Student-athlete golfer Declan Copper ’27 described the experience as being noticeably different from watching it on television. He said the reason he went to the PGA Championship in Newtown was to experience the tournament in person and to “watch professional golfers compete at one of the sport’s biggest events.”
The PGA Championship was Ayden Katsikis ’27’s first experience attending a professional golf event, and he could only compare it to watching other events, such as the Masters Tournament, on TV.
“It kind of felt like a baseball game, just a little toned down,” Katsikis said. “It seems[ed] like a much more lively, vibrant experience than watching it [on TV].”
In addition, many students were excited and looking forward to seeing various elite golfers up close. MFS fans kept an eye out for some well-known names, such as Rory McIlroy, Jordan Spieth, Scottie Scheffler, and Justin Rose.
Willie Didie ’26 was up close with multiple players.
“So you’ll literally be right next to the guy hitting,” he explained. “I was right next to Justin Rose, [who was] hitting a punch shot out, and I gave him a fist bump.”
People noted that the close access also led to excitement about seeing some of golf’s biggest names in person.
“I was excited to see Rory McIlroy because when you win the Masters, anybody’s gonna come watch you. It was kind of cool to see him,” said Katsikis. “[It was] also [nice to see] Jordan Spieth. My cousin really likes him, so it was kind of a mixture of those two.”
Though many fans were looking out for the big names, some lesser-known players also helped create memorable tournament moments for MFS students.
“There was one golfer I’d never heard of before. His son was actually caddying for him, and his son was about my age, so that was really cool to see,” said Didie. “I don’t think you usually get to see that kind of stuff on TV because they don’t show the guys that aren’t as popular.”
Students also drew connections between professional golf athletes and their own athletic experiences, finding ways to compare and possibly work towards bettering themselves.
Copper said the thing he took away from watching the players was “not to let your environment or other outside factors become distractions.” He then stated that attending the event gave him “a different perspective on competition golf as a whole.”
“It definitely taught me to stay calm and level-headed no matter what,” said Didie. “You just gotta keep going.”
Students were also impressed with the organization and fan experience throughout the weekend at the event. For fans, the food that was included and the easy-to-navigate layout added to their positive experience.
“No matter where you were in the course, you were always immersed in what was going on,” Katsikis said. “I think they had the little things figured out.”
Some professionals, such as Rory McIlroy, criticized aspects of the course setup and leaderboard setup. However, MFS students attending the event were impressed by how organized and fan-friendly the championship felt.
Copper, who has attended the Ryder Cup before, said he liked this event more. He commented on the organization of the event, saying that “the whole setup seemed logical and well-planned.”
After spending the weekend on the fairways and greens of Aronimink, students highlighted the energetic, engaging atmosphere compared to anything shown on television.
Copper described the environment and said, “The environment was electric.”
