NEWTOWN SQUARE, Pennsylvania, May 15, 2026, 17:02 (EDT)
- Brandt Snedeker, 45, ended a six-year winless stretch by taking the Myrtle Beach Classic, marking his first PGA Tour triumph since 2018. The victory locked in his place for the PGA Championship field.
- He pulled off the win with a 2017 driver—a club that had been collecting dust in his garage for years until he grabbed it for this round.
- On Friday at Aronimink, Snedeker’s return run quickly turned into a scramble just to make the cut—he was already 4-over through six holes in his second round.
Brandt Snedeker slipped into the PGA Championship field late and spent Friday flirting with the cut at Aronimink Golf Club. At 45, he was 4-over through six on his second round, barely hanging on to the projected weekend lineup. The CBS Sports live leaderboard pegged Snedeker tied for 70th—the cutoff mark, since only the top 70 and ties advance.
Snedeker wasn’t on many radars heading into this week. Only five days earlier, he broke an almost eight-year dry spell on the PGA Tour by taking the ONEflight Myrtle Beach Classic. That victory, secured at a secondary event held parallel to a bigger PGA stop, delivered him a spot in a major.
Snedeker didn’t follow the usual script, but the gamble paid off. He closed with a 66—five under—at the Dunes Golf and Beach Club, pulling his total to 18-under 266. That finish edged out Mark Hubbard by a single stroke. Win number ten for Snedeker on the PGA Tour, along with 300 FedExCup points and $720,000 from the $4 million pool.
The club getting all the attention wasn’t some shiny new release. Golf Channel reports Snedeker reached for a 2017 driver he dug out from a pile of roughly 75 clubs at his place, first putting it in play at last month’s Zurich Classic, and then again in Myrtle Beach. “I guess I’m old school,” Snedeker said. He pointed to the shorter shaft—saying it simply keeps his shots tighter. Golf Channel
Snedeker’s history at Aronimink sets him apart—he’s teed it up here before, posting a 67th place at the 2018 BMW Championship and a T-16 at the 2010 AT&T National. “One of the good things about being old out here is you’ve probably played most of the places,” he said. “I do remember the golf course pretty well.” Golf Channel
Aronimink didn’t ease up, memories or not. Seven players opened the year’s second major tied at 3-under 67 — Scottie Scheffler, Martin Kaymer, Aldrich Potgieter, Min Woo Lee, and Alex Smalley among the group. Only three shots separated 48 players as the leaderboard bunched early.
By Friday morning, Alex Smalley stood alone atop the clubhouse leaderboard, holding a one-shot edge over Hideki Matsuyama and Chris Gotterup. Defending champion Scheffler, after bogeying three of his first four holes, slipped back with a 71. “It was pretty obvious to tell this morning the conditions were pretty tough,” Scheffler said, pointing to gusty wind and tricky pins. Reuters
Snedeker’s challenge stands out. While Smalley, Matsuyama, and Gotterup hunted the front-runners, Snedeker—still riding the boost from Myrtle Beach—was left grinding just to stick around. One bad stretch, and suddenly his return risks fading fast, not building into anything bigger this week.
Whether the result holds or not, the week still delivered. According to Golf Channel, Snedeker locked up a PGA Championship berth with his Myrtle Beach win and gets an exemption lasting through 2028. Still, after the trophy was his, Snedeker put it out there—he won’t be playing for his own U.S. Presidents Cup squad.
Friday might cut the rally short, just another mark on the schedule. Aronimink punishes mistakes—there’s no escaping the penalty for wayward shots. Snedeker leaned on his reliable club to keep it straight at Myrtle Beach, but that skill doesn’t carry him far here. Cold wind, awkward stances, pins tucked in corners—players, even those at the top, have had to grind just to see the weekend.
