May 13, 2026
Bill Streicher/Imagn Images
Russell Henley, who appeared for Team USA in the Ryder Cup last October, will be in the field for this week's PGA Championship in Newtown Square, PA.
With competition set to start Thursday at the PGA Championship at Aronimink — the area's first major golf championship in more than a decade — the players aren't the only ones spending hours and hours preparing to compete for a title.
PGA Tour caddies, who have to serve their players as both strategists and therapists (often at the same time), have a lot of responsibility this week.
And it's going to be even more difficult this weekend as in addition to major championship conditions on the golf course, they also have to figure out a layout that isn't common on Tour.
"I think the golf course does have a tendency to favor long hitters," Russell Henley's caddie Andy Sanders said Tuesday at a special Wipfli event celebrating the firm's partnership with The Caddie Network, "but like, you know that's typical for the PGA Tour, that's kind of how it is anymore. But if your guy is plugging along and hitting the proper shots, I think anybody can play well, whether you're a long or short hitter."
The course is long — they always seem to be long these days. The rough is thick — which is also now common, especially in the Northeast. But it's the short game that will be truly tested at Aronimink, Nick Taylor's caddy, Dave Markle, said.
"I feel like the prep this week we got has been really good," the caddy mentioned at the event held at Rolling Green Country Club. "The greens to me are the number one thing that you have to deal with. They have a ton of speed... if it plays firm and fast it will be tough."
Golf is a game that is more art than science, despite what analytics and statistics might suggest. And having the ability and willingness to take different approaches around green complexes could make a big difference.
"My guy's pretty creative around the greens," said Markle, whose achievements include helping Taylor become the first Canadian to win at the Canadian Open in 69 years back in 2023. "And since it's a good golf course for that, you can be creative around the greens and use your imagination."
For the foursome of caddies who spoke candidly at the Wipfli panel, which also included Alex Noren's bag man Kyle Morrison, it's a rare visit to the Philly area.
"I've not been around a lot of courses, other than [2025 Truist Championship host Philadelphia] Cricket Club," Morrison, who carried Noren's bag in the most recent summer Olympic games, said. "I feel like there're like a lot of old school courses like this and they have a lot of character and I don't know, we don't really play in the Northeast as much as we probably should, and it's nice to be here."
Justin Rose won the 2013 U.S. Open at Merion, outside Philly. And last May, Sepp Straka hung on to win on a wet weekend at the Truist in another West Philly suburb. Winning in Philadelphia is special, no matter which pro sport you do it in, and the caddies know it'll be even more special to get the job done here.
"Philly is a great sports city and I'm sure it's going to be, if you got a chance to win this week," Markle said. "I'm sure it's going to be a great crowd coming down the stretch this week."
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