If you’re reading this article to learn the definition of “jawn,” you’re in the wrong place. After a few internet searches, we have concluded that no one truly knows what it means. Please reach out to your closest Philadelphia friend and report back with your findings.

To the Mink

The KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, the third major of the LPGA Tour season, gets underway on Thursday at Aronimink Golf Club. Nine of the top 10 in the Rolex Rankings are set to tee it up outside of Philadelphia. Tee Times

Storylines

Underdogs – There have been two women’s major championships so far in 2020, both won by players who weren’t exactly household names. Sophia Popov was 304th in the world when she won at Royal Troon, and Mirim Lee was No. 94 when she claimed the ANA Inspiration. The 2020 golf season has been nothing if not unpredictable, so maybe it’s just the year of the underdog on the LPGA Tour.

American stars – International players have dominated recent women’s major championships. Of the last 20 majors, Americans have won two; of the last eight, they have won zero. But U.S. stars Nelly Korda, Danielle Kang, and Lexi Thompson have all played great golf this summer. Korda lost in a playoff at the ANA Inspiration last month and is looking to break through for her first major title. Will she be the one to end the American drought?

Aronimink – When the LPGA goes to world-class golf courses like Donald Ross’s Aronimink Golf Club, great things tend to happen. Last summer, we saw a compelling Women’s U.S. Open at the Country Club of Charleston, and this week promises a similar level of fun. Unlike the PGA Tour’s 2018 BMW Championship—which was played on a very soft, wet Aronimink—the Women’s PGA Championship will likely see firm conditions and light winds, accentuating the challenges of Aronimink’s sloping fairways and intricate greens. Recently restored by Gil Hanse, Ross’s Philadelphia masterpiece should make for exciting television this weekend.

European Gold Standard

There’s no $14-million driveway, but the BMW PGA Championship is still the European Tour’s flagship event! Starting on Thursday, 30 of the world’s top 100 players will compete at Wentworth Golf Club. Among them are European stalwarts Tyrell Hatton, Tommy Fleetwood, Justin Rose, Matt Fitzpatrick, and Lee Westwood. Tee Times

While this Euro contingent will get plenty of attention, the highest-ranked player in the field is none other than Patrick Reed, honorary lifetime member of the European Tour and current No. 1 in the Race to Dubai standings. Excluding this week, there are just six events left on the Euro schedule before the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai, and one of them is the Masters. So if Reed does well at Wentworth and Augusta, he has a legitimate shot at winning the whole thing. He has played the Dubai event four of the past five years, and you’d have to expect him to make the trip this year if he has a chance at the season-long prize. It’s almost unfathomable, but Patrick Reed could win the Race to Dubai having played just one event in continental Europe. Between you and us, we think that would be pretty funny.

Quick Hooks

This week’s Shriners Hospitals for Children Open is the first of two consecutive PGA Tour events in Las Vegas. Bryson DeChambeau, Collin Morikawa, Webb Simpson, and Patrick Cantlay headline the field at TPC Summerlin. Tony Finau announced that he tested positive for Covid-19 on Tuesday and had to withdraw from the event. Tee Times

The Korn Ferry Tour is off to Orlando for the Orange County National Championship at Panther Lake… rawr. Tee Times

The 2021 Latin American Amateur Championship—a joint venture of the USGA, the R&A, and the Masters Tournament—has been cancelled because of the pandemic. Winners are typically granted an exemption into the following Masters, so perhaps Augusta National will find another way to highlight a South American amateur at next spring’s event. Press Release

SEC golf teams are competing at Blessings Golf Club, host of the 2019 NCAA Championship. Men Leaderboard / Women Leaderboard

Rory McIlroy posted an Instagram video on Tuesday showing himself hitting 191 mph in clubhead speed. Unlike Bryson DeChambeau, McIlroy appears not to have packed on 40 pounds, cooked bacon shirtless, or hit drivers off protein shakes in his pursuit of ball-speed gainz.

The Latest from The Fried Egg

Donald Ross in Philly: Aronimink Golf Club – Host of this weekend’s KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, Aronimink Golf Club is one of Donald Ross’s best designs. In this new video, Gil Hanse and Andy Johnson discuss what makes Aronimink great.

Paulie’s Picks: Shriners Hospitals for Children Open – Wondering who can stay away from the craps tables and focused on the golf tournament? Paulie has you covered.

The Fried Egg Podcast, Episode 193: Jaeger Kovich – Aronimink Golf Club

Golf architect Jaeger Kovich joins the podcast to recall his time as a shaper for Hanse Golf Course Design during the firm’s 2016 restoration of Aronimink Golf Club. This week, Aronimink plays host to the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship. Listen on iTunes, Stitcher, and Spotify.

Shotgun Start: A major in a bathroom sink, the true PGA, and a Crooked Cat omission

This Wednesday episode begins with some thoughts on what new equipment we might see rolled out in the annual PGA Tour stop in Las Vegas, as well what’s become of Union Green. Then Brendan and Andy move to the event of the week, the Women’s PGA Championship played at Aronimink. They highlight the deep field as well as another venue pairing with the women’s game that should bring out the best in both. On the Euro Tour, they hit on some of the origins of the BMW PGA, how Euros claim it as the original PGA, and Patrick Reed’s late entry into the field as he fights for the Race to Dubai title. TPC Summerlin, this week’s venue on the PGA Tour, is discussed in context of where it falls in the TPC universe, if there is such a thing. The field has some real oomph, including the return of the Thicc Boi, who was bombing balls out of the driving range again. This brings us to the KFT event, which is at the 360 degree range at Orange County National, where we lobby for the Thicc Boi to attend demo day and launch balls across the circular range. Also, why are they only playing Panther Lake and not Crooked Cat on the KFT? They wrap with Masters fact of the day, which is more like a story of the day from Bamabearcat on how the land of Augusta National did not go through the sequence of ownership that is often told. Listen on iTunes, Stitcher, and Spotify.

Pro Shop

What’s a trip to Philadelphia without a cheesesteak? To celebrate the week, we created our own Fried Egg Philly Cheesesteak! Well, that’s a lie, but that link will take you to some cool Fried Egg merchandise.