Syndication: The Courier-Journal
Delco’s fairway Rocky: Shattuck brings Philly underdog spirit to PGA Championship
(Note: This story was written by Ed Levine. We are having a glitch with our bylines listed above. We are working to fix this.)
NEWTOWN SQUARE, PA — Everyone loves an underdog, but Philadelphia and its people are the embodiment of the underdog. It goes all the way back to George Washington and a bunch of revolutionaries at Valley Forge. The Philadelphian underdog spirit was later immortalized in film with Rocky overcoming the odds to give the city a hero (and the movie an Oscar).
This week, just 248 years later and 8 miles down the road from the birthplace of the American underdog, golfer Braden Shattuck is our newest underdog to support.
Born and raised in Delaware County and now the Head Pro and Director of Instruction at Rolling Green Golf Club in Springfield, Shattuck is one of 20 PGA Professionals to qualify for the PGA Championship at Aronimink Golf Club.
Just being one of the 20 Club Pros who qualified to play in the PGA Championship makes Shattuck an underdog alone, but Shattuck’s story goes much deeper. In 2019 Shattuck was involved in a serious car accident in Florida while pursuing his dream of playing on the tour. Shattuck suffered from multiple herniated discs, a concussion, nerve damage in his legs and chronic back pain that still affects him today.
“Besides all the physical challenges, I had some mental health problems that were significant and sidelined me pretty hard,” explained Shattuck reflecting on his lowest points after the accident. “Having panic attacks almost daily, having chest pain daily, and dealing with anxiety was by far the hardest part of that and I dealt with that for years.”
Despite that incredible adversity Shattuck continued his golf career.
“Luckily I’ve had a lot of great people in my life that have pushed me past that and gotten me to where I am today, and I feel like I’m in a really good space physically and mentally,” he said.
Another key to recovery, Shattuck explained, has been “mindfulness, acceptance and commitment.” Shattuck has been working with a psychologist and friend, David Clemmons, who has shown him how to “practice mindfulness on a daily basis, whether it’s folding clothes or washing a dish or just focusing on my breathing.”
Through this mental recovery Shattuck has learned things that help with his golf game including bringing his heart rate down when faced with a challenging golf shot. That will come in handy this week as he faces the challenge of playing in a major. But this isn’t his first major. Shattuck also qualified for the 2023 and 2024 PGA Championships, making the cut and finishing 72nd in 2024 at Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, KY.
There was certainly added pressure to make this year’s tournament because it is in the Philadelphia area, and Shattuck shot an 80 in the third round of the qualifier that almost spurned those chances.
“I did put a little extra pressure on myself that week. It meant a lot and there was a lot of buildup to it,” said Shattuck. “It’s hard to manage the emotions on and off the golf course and I find it a lot easier on the course. Managing those emotions and accepting the outcome is probably the most difficult thing I’ve had to do.”
Shattuck overcame that 80 and now has the advantage of sleeping in his own bed this week and having a full compliment of support.
“I will have a lot of family and a lot of friends coming out,” he said. “It’s really exciting to have my extended family who doesn’t watch or play golf coming to this event,” which includes Shattuck’s in-laws who have never even been to a golf course let alone a major championship.
Because Shattuck is so close he was able to maintain most of his daily routine in preparing for the Championship.
“He spends from eight in the morning to six at night teaching, and then practices for an hour, and he did that throughout the weeks and months leading up to this,” explained Braden’s father Scott Shattuck.
In fact, on Wednesday he will be teaching his women’s clinic at Rolling Green. Yes, the night before his biggest golf tournament he will be working, and also he has been working on renovating his home.
“He’s just like an all-around guy,” says his father. “I mean just to be able to do construction work, electrical work, and then to come out and play golf and then teach. That’s a lot.”
It certainly is, and hopefully being able to maintain his daily routines will be an advantage instead of sitting in a hotel and dwelling on possibilities and expectations.
Shattuck will have the honor to be the first player teeing off at the Championship, bright and early Thursday morning at 6:45 a.m. along with this month’s newest PGA sensation Alex Fitzpatrick and Ryder Cup member Ben Griffin.
Of the many ways to view a golf tournament, following a group can be the most interesting and rewarding. I encourage the Philadelphians who make it early on Thursday to avoid waiting to see the big names and support Shattuck’s underdog journey.
If you can’t make it that early on Thursday, Shattuck will be teeing off at manageable 12:10 p.m. tee time on Friday. Hopefully, with a little mindfulness, acceptance and commitment we will have an underdog to support all the way into Sunday at Aronimink.
