61st Delaware Open: Round One

Shattuck delivers course-record 62 to jump out in front

WILMINGTON, Del. – Braden Shattuck continues to raise the extremely high bar he’s set for himself personally and the results of his labor continue to flourish..

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Shattuck, a three-time Delaware Open (2018, 2021, 2025) champion, Philadelphia Open Champion (2023) and two-time reigning Philadelphia PGA Section Champion, is never satisfied. Trophies aren’t the reason for his drive, it is a lifelong dream of being a touring professional.

Tuesday at DuPont Country Club’s DuPont Course (par 71, 7,035 yards), Shattuck, the Director of Instruction at Rolling Green Golf Club, fired a bogey-free 62 to take the lead after the first round of the 61st Delaware Open.

His 62 set a new course record on the DuPont Course. The previous record of 63 was shot by Austin Barbin in 2019 at an AJGA event at the club.

“My game felt really good today,” Shattuck, 32, of Hockessin, Del. said. “I didn’t make any mistakes and my golf ball didn’t get away from me. It was a textbook round of golf. When you are able to play pretty boring golf, the result usually speaks for itself.”

The result being seven birdies and one eagle as well as a five-shot advantage heading into Wednesday’s 36-hole marathon day. The field was cut to the low 36 and ties with 36 players making the cut.

“I don’t think about golf in terms of what I need to shoot to be satisfied,” Shattuck, who has competed in three PGA Championships and was the low PGA Professional in 2024 at Valhalla Golf Club, said. “I just work on making sure my tee shots never go left and I can get my iron shots in the right flights. When I improve on these things in my game, the scores speak for themselves because I am able to produce much better shots.”

When Shattuck first popped onto the scene, he was known for his large grips and unique bag setup. But Shattuck realized his setup was putting him at a disadvantage.

“This year, I went back to regular grips, regular clubs, holding the club in my palms and having upright clubs,” Shattuck said. “I struggled to control the spin rate and I saw a ton of elite professionals dropping 6-irons out of the sky from 220 yards and I was hitting a 3-iron. I was really at a disadvantage equipment-wise and no matter how much I experimented with my swing among other things I couldn’t fix it. I am figuring out how to play golf with regular equipment again. It has been going well.”

Shattuck made the turn in 3 under. His back nine included four birdies and an eagle. He made seven threes on the back nine. With five consecutive threes to close his round.

On No. 10 (par 4, 452 yards), he speared a 9-iron from 160 yards to four feet. On the next (par 4, 438 yards) he buried a 20-footer. Birdies on Nos. 15 (par 4, 384 yards) and 16 (par 4, 410 yards) came from two putts inside six feet after Shattuck stuffed a lob wedge and a gap wedge, respectively.

On the closer (par 5, 548 yards), Shattuck took the as the crow flies line and flew his drive over the dogleg. Turning a par 5 into a par 4, his 9-iron from 160 yards landed 30 feet away and he clanked it in for his 62.

“I figured there was a chance to have the course record if I could get that putt to drop on the last,” Shattuck said. “When you learn about breaking a course record it is a cool feeling.”

Shattuck is mostly his own swing coach. He said he picks the brains of all the great minds in the Philadelphia section.

“I am going to do the same thing tomorrow as I did today,” Shattuck said. “I’m going to try and make good swings from the first shot to the last. I’m going to make sure I am doing the movements I want and if I do those 36 more holes, there will be good scores at the end. I’ve never been able to defend my title here. I would like to do that.”

GAP
Celebrating Amateur Golf since 1897, GAP, also known as the Golf Association of Philadelphia, is the oldest regional or state golf association in the United States. It serves as the principal ruling body of amateur golf in its region. The organization’s 345 Member Clubs and 140,000 individual members are spread across Pennsylvania, Delaware, New Jersey and Maryland. The GAP’s mission is to promote, preserve and protect the game of golf.