Phil Kenyon, putting coach to the likes of Scottie Scheffler, Matt Fitzpatrick, Tommy Fleetwood and Justin Rose among others, is expecting a tough week on the greens.

He says the large size of the greens, coupled with their contours, means players are going to face a huge number of long-range putts.

He says: "Leaving yourself inside 6–7 feet from 30+ feet this week will often be a very good effort.

"That then places huge pressure on those short-to-mid-range putts — especially for par saves after missed greens or difficult second putts."

There's a good chance this week's winner comes from this group.

Xander Schauffele won his US PGA two years ago, while Brooks Koepka - who has started to show some form after returning to the PGA Tour from LIV - has three of these.

Another one for Koepka would take him alongside Tiger Woods.

And Tyrrell Hatton is hoping to build on his T3 finish at the Masters. The Englishman also finished tied fourth at last year's US Open, so it feels like his first major isn't a million miles away.

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If anyone has been to a major championship they'll know the area around the course and property ends up looking like a village.

And that is no different at Aronimink Golf Club in Pennsylvania.

Here are just a few headline figures around the infrastructure:

• 208 temporary structures
• Three-and-a half-miles of chain linked fencing
• 45 miles of electrical cable
• Over 125 power generators
• 650 portable toilets
• 1,275 shuttle buses
• 575 golf carts
• 3,200 event volunteers.

Having won the Masters again last month Rory McIlroy is looking to become only the sixth player in 75 years to triumph in the first two major championships of the year.

The only other five players to accomplish that feat are Ben Hogan (1953), Arnold Palmer (1960), Jack Nicklaus (1972), Tiger Woods (2002) and Jordan Spieth (2015).

It should be noted mind that 42 majors have been played since Spieth claimed back-to-back major titles.

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Sheffield's Alex Fitzpatrick dropped a shot at the fifth but he's still right up there with the early leaders on one under.

It's a cold, soggy start to the day at Aronimink, looks a bit more like Yorkshire than Pennsylvania which may be why Fitzpatrick feels right at home.

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This will be Jordan Spieth’s 10th attempt at trying to close out the career Grand Slam at the US PGA Championship.

But since ending up in a tie for third in 2019, the American has not really come close to winning the Wanamaker Trophy.

His record in his last six attempts reads: T71, T30, T34, T29, T43, CUT.

"I have had weeks where I'm leading in putting, weeks where I've leading in driving, weeks where I am leading in ball-striking, and then I just haven't been able to kind of put them all together,” he said.

“I should be confident that I have at least each part of the game as a weapon."

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Luke Donald says he is "delighted" that Jon Rahm will be available for Ryder Cup selection after the Spaniard settled his dispute with the DP World Tour.

Rahm, 31, was a key figure in the European team captained to victory by Donald in Rome in 2023 and in New York last September, but had looked set to be ineligible to feature at Adare Manor in 2027.

He had initially declined an offer from the DP World Tour, that had been accepted by eight other LIV Golf players, over conditional releases to play in conflicting tournaments on the breakaway circuit during the 2026 season.

And in March, Rahm accused the European-based tour of "extorting players".

However, he struck a deal with the DP World Tour earlier this month that allowed him to retain his membership and secured his eligibility to face the United States in Limerick from 17-19 September, 2027, when the biennial contest celebrates its centenary.

"It's not my job to tell Jon what to do, but [I'm] delighted that a resolution has happened and that he's available [for] the Ryder Cup team," said Donald, prior to the opening round of this week's US PGA Championship in Pennsylvania.

"Jon has proved how valuable he can be in a Ryder Cup. He's played four and done extremely well. So to have him available for selection is pretty cool."

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Interesting group this one, with Bryson DeChambeau looking to show up again after missing the cut at The Masters - he has finished second the last two years in the US PGA Championship though.

There's plenty of talk about his future with the funding issues on LIV Golf, and who knows he may even just end up playing in the majors and doing his YouTube channel eventually. Either way he'll need to play well in the big ones.

Ludvig Aberg always seems to be among the favourites in the majors but still has a point to prove, and could Rickie Fowler be finding his best form again?

The fan favourite has registered three straight top-10 finishes for the first time in three years heading to Aronimink.

Each of the previous 10 US PGA Championship titles have been won by American players.

In that run Brooks Koepka and Justin Thomas have lifted the Wanamaker Trophy five times between them while the likes of Phil Mickelson, Xander Schauffele and Scottie Scheffler have all tasted success in this tournament.

The last non-American to win this title was Australia's Jason Day in 2015 at Whistling Straits.

So what chance is there of an English winner this time around?

Well, players from 25 different countries will be competing at Aronimink but the largest international contingent are players from England (14).

And the likes of Matt Fitzpatrick, Tommy Fleetwood and Justin Rose are all currently sitting inside the top 10 of the world rankings.

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Rory McIlroy says he was "pleasantly surprised" at how good his troublesome right foot felt as he completed nine holes of practice on the eve of the US PGA Championship at Aronimink near Philadelphia.

The Masters champion's preparations were disrupted as he seeks successive major wins. He needed to halt his practice round on Tuesday after only three holes.

McIlroy was suffering pain from the little toe on his right foot. Explaining why he departed from the fourth tee in a golf cart, McIlroy said: "Because I didn't think I could walk the next six.

"It was sore and I did feel a little soft having to walk in because of a little toe."

The 37-year-old initially experienced discomfort at last week's Truist Championship at Quail Hollow because of a blister under the toenail. At the start of this week he removed the nail and popped the blister thinking that would alleviate the pain.

"Popping the blister relieved the pressure but it was swollen and bruised, so it's just sore," McIlroy said after playing the back nine on Wednesday. "But it's fine, all good."

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If anyone has been watching the pre-tournament player news conferences there'll have heard a lot of the game's top players citing concerns that Aronimink could be taken apart by the bigger hitters in the field.

While there are bunkers dotted around everywhere a lot of trees have been removed from the course and Rory McIlroy says "strategy off the tee is pretty non-existent".

"It's basically, bash driver down there and then figure it out from there," said the Northern Irishman.

World number one Scottie Scheffler concurs and reckons "there's a lot of stuff you can kind of get away with in terms of you can hit it pretty far offline" around the course and in some cases enjoy the benefits by possibly getting a cleaner lie.

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The greens are absolutely massive at Aronimink, with some massive slopes on them too. The putting surfaces are the main defence for the course so watch out for some tricky pins as the tournament goes on.

Image source, PGA of America

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Alex Fitzpatrick is riding the crest of a wave right now after a whirlwind spell that has seen him win a maiden DP World Tour title, then taste PGA Tour glory with older brother Matthew to earn a two-year exemption on the US-based circuit.

The 27-year-old then almost won one of the big Signature Events at the Truist Championship last week and is now appearing in his first US PGA Championship and just his second major overall.

And he's made a great start too as he tops the early leaderboard on two under after four holes.

We have siome big names teeing off soon and some already out there on the course, so we'll bring you the best preview lines alongside the early live action.

This year, 98 of the top 100 ranked players in the world are expected to feature at the US PGA Championship and the 10th hole is definitely the place to be as a starting point for fans today.

Just look at some of these groupings starting there this afternoon:

12:34 Gary Woodland (US), Jason Day (Aus), Sam Burns (US)

12:45 Wyndham Clark (US), Cameron Smith (Aus), Brian Harman (US)

12:56 Patrick Cantlay (US), Min Woo Lee (Aus), Sahith Theegala (US)

13:18 Bryson DeChambeau (US), Ludvig Aberg (Swe), Rickie Fowler (US)

13:29 Xander Schauffele (US), Brooks Koepka (US), Tyrrell Hatton (Eng)

13:40 Rory McIlroy (NI), Jordan Spieth (US), Jon Rahm (Spa)

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Welcome golf fans to the second major of the season as the PGA Championship is up and running at Aronimink just outside Philadelphia.

Scottie Scheffler is the defending champion but Rory McIlroy arrives looking for back-to-back major wins after already winning back-to-back Masters titles.

McIlroy is being hampered by a bad toe but if that's under control then surely he will go close again, but the challengers are lining up to get their hands on the huge Wanamaker Trophy.

Jon Rahm and Bryson DeChambeau lead the LIV Golf contingent amid the backdrop of funding issues on the team-based tour, while Cameron Young looks primed for a first major and Matt Fitzpatrick has made winning a habit this year.

Throw in the small matter of Jordan Spieth going for the Grand Slam and we've got all the ingredients for another tasty week of men's major golf. So stay tuned!