May 10, 2025
Sunday around 6 p.m., for just the eighth time in the last quarter century, a PGA Tour golfer will hoist a championship trophy in the Philly area.
The European duo of Shane Lowry (from Northern Ireland) and Sepp Straka (from Austria) are hoping it's one of them. They are tied for the lead at 14-under par at Philadelphia Cricket Club, with just 18 holes remaining in the tournament.
Bogeys were plentiful down the stretch Saturday, as the slightly shorter course was expected to be torn apart by the pros. But wind and undulating greens kept the best in the world on their toes as the course averaged over par for the second straight day.
A bit further behind are Americans Justin Thomas and Keith Mitchell, each at 11-under but very much still in the mix, along with Hideki Matsuyama, who trailed by four at 10-under.
It's hard to believe that such a historic and golf rich area has seen so few PGA Tour events (including major championships), but due to reasons spanning from tight and difficult infrastructure to issues with the schedule — not just Philly, but the entire Northeast (with the Traveler's Championship in Connecticut the lone exception) — quite infrequently hosts the best golfers in the world.
"The fans were incredible all week really," Straka said. "Since Wednesday in the practice rounds, they were out here. It's been really fun to play in front of the Philly fans."
The Wissahickon Course at Cricket Club hosted a PGA Tour stop for the first time ever, and someone near the top of Saturday's leaderboard will hoist a pretty unique trophy in securing the Truist Championship, a signature event this season that typically takes place in North Carolina.
A champion's prize.
— Truist Championship (@TruistChamp) May 5, 2025
Introducing the 2025 Truist Championship at The Philadelphia Cricket Club trophy.#TruistChampionship pic.twitter.com/GKzcg9q7lF
| Year | Tournament | Host site | Champion |
| 2025 | Truist Champonship | Philadelphia Cricket Club | ? |
| 2022 | BMW Championship | Wilmington CC | Patrick Cantlay |
| 2018 | BMW Championship | Aronimink CC | Keegan Bradley |
| 2013 | U.S. Open | Merion CC | Justin Rose |
| 2011 | AT&T National | Aronimink CC | Nick Watney |
| 2010 | AT&T National | Aronimink CC | Justin Rose |
| 2002 | SEI PA Classic | Waynesborough CC | Dan Forsman |
| 2000 | SEI PA Classic | Waynesborough CC | Chris DiMarco |
The PGA Tour will return to give Philly a 9th winner at Aronimink next May when the PGA Championship bring major golf back to the area. The 2030 U.S. Open is scheduled to return to Merion.
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