Key events
Ryan Gerard wedges over the flag, his ball screeching to a halt, 14 feet past the flag. He’ll have a gentle left-to-right slider coming back. This will have a big bearing on the taste of his lunch.
Ryan Gerard is in danger of shipping another shot or two here, a fantastic round in danger of becoming simply very good. There are worse problems, admittedly. But on 18, he finds a fairway bunker down the right, then thins his iron straight into the face of the trap. He’s fortunate that it still escapes, pinging up and out and rolling 100 yards up the fairway. But he’ll now need to get up and down from 89 yards if he’s to save his par.
Ryan Gerard gives a shot back with a three-putt bogey on 17. Just 23 putts so far for his round, so that’s a bit of an outlier. See also: Keegan Bradley, who had gone round blemish-free until dropping his first stroke of the day at his last hole, the 9th. But the US Ryder Cup captain will be pleased with his opening round of 68, just the one shot more than his European counterpart Luke Donald. You’d have got a good price on those lads posting those numbers today.
-6: Gerard (17)
-4: Donald (F), Fox (F), Smalley (F), Jaeger (F)
-3: Noren (F), Poston (F), Hisatsune (F), Echavarria (F), Fitzpatrick (F), MacIntyre (F), R Højgaard (F), Bradley (F), Lower (16*)
-2: Scheffler (F), Hall (17), Bhatia (17*), McCarthy (17*), Mitchell (6*), Spaun (4*), Young (2*)
It was a difficult morning for several former champions. We’ve already reported the travails of Rory McIlroy; the three-time winner Brooks Koepka shot 75, 2010 champion Martin Kaymer carded 78, and fiftysomething barrier-breaker Phil Mickelson slumped to 79. By comparison, the 2008 winner Padraig Harrington and 2015 champ Jason Day will be relatively OK with their two-over rounds of 73.
Cameron Young – who tied for third at Southern Hills in 2022 – has made the most outrageous of starts. First up, he rakes in a 63-foot monster on 10. Then he follows that up with another birdie putt from 27 feet on 11. That’s two greens, two putts, and he’s already his putt totaliser reads 90 feet and four inches.
Robert MacIntyre nearly makes a putt from the fringe at the back of 18. That would have been a bonus. But he’s happy enough to tap in for par, and sign for a fine opening round of 68. Just the one bogey, and that early on at 2. Also back in the house: Matt Fitzpatrick, also highly content with his opening salvo of 68.
Bryson DeChambeau has the big-hitting game to win here all right … and he announces his intention by crashing a monster drive down 1. But some bad news for another of the pre-tournament favourites as Justin Thomas double-bogeys 2, having always been out of position after flaying his tee shot into the woods down the left of the fairway. He’s +2 in short order.
Another wayward drive by Rory McIlroy; another bogey, this time on 9. He signs for an extremely underwhelming 74. Already out of it? Very possibly. Ah well, he’ll always have Augusta. His playing partner Scottie Scheffler certainly isn’t done, though: he launches his approach from 215 yards to two-and-a-half feet, and knocks in his second birdie putt in three holes. Despite being woefully off his game for long periods, the world number one has demonstrated exactly why he’s got that status, fighting his way back to post 69. He’s -2. Par for the third member of the marquee group, Xander Schauffele, and the defending champ signs for a one-over 72.
Stephan Jaeger does extremely well to limit the damage on 18 to bogey. He splashes long from the greenside bunker, 30 yards to five feet, and mops up what’s left. He signs for an excellent round of 67. And he wouldn’t have had a share of the lead anyway, because back on 15, Ryan Gerard lobs gently from the fringe to the back-right of the green, and rolls out for eagle! That’s four birdies and an eagle since the turn! For the record, the PGA Championship nine-hole scoring record is currently held by Brad Faxon, who took 28 across the front nine at Riviera in 1995. He still needs three birdies to beat that.
-7: Gerard (15)
-4: Donald (F), Fox (F), Smalley (F), Jaeger (F), Bradley (16*)
A reminder of that recently-updated super-elite list of players to have completed the career grand slam.
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Gene Sarazen (1935)
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Ben Hogan (1953)
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Gary Player (1965)
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Jack Nicklaus (1966)
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Tiger Woods (2000)
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Rory McIlroy (2025)
So after waiting a quarter of a century for a new member, could Jordan Spieth join the gang one month after McIlroy made it? He’s already got the Masters, US Open and Open in his back pocket, so the stage is set. And he’s opened his week today by splitting the 1st fairway.
Trouble for the co-leader Stephan Jaeger down 18. He finds the creek to the left of the fairway, then after taking his penalty drop, pushes his next shot into a bunker guarding the front right of the green. Bogey the dream here. Meanwhile the defending champion Xander Schauffele gets one back at the short par-four 8th; he’s +1.
Justin Thomas, who won this title on this track in 2017, begins his campaign. He splits the fairway. It’s safe to say he’s in form: his last four starts have brought two second-place finishes and a win at the RBC Heritage. He splits the fairway.
The co-leader Ryan Gerard pitches from the thick rough to the right of the 14th green. A bit too much juice, and while his ball thinks about stopping on the putting surface, it eventually topples off the other side, finally coming to rest next to a snapping turtle. “That’ll have your finger off,” advises 2002 winner Rich Beem on Sky. Hey, any old excuse to remember one of the great PGA Championship duels: Croc v Snake at the 2012 tournament at Kiawah Island!
Anyway, par for Gerard, and he’s still got all of his digits.
One of the shots of the day at the 227-yard par-three 17th by Robert MacIntyre. A smooth draw that lands softly and curls right to left around the back of the flag. But he can’t make the ten-footer coming back, never giving it enough on the left. But it’s par, and he’s in good nick at -3. Meanwhile back on 9, Jon Rahm pars and signs for a one-under round of 70. Warm good-to-have-you-back applause for a popular player who hasn’t really benefitted from his move to LIV.
Rory chips up to a couple of feet, and scrambles his par, but that’s nowhere near the level he sets himself. He wanders off shaking his head, wondering what’s gone wrong today. This was supposed to be his playground. Golf, huh. No par for Xander Schauffele, either. They’re both +2. But it’s a birdie for Scottie Scheffler, who hasn’t brought his best stuff today either, but has managed to gouge something out regardless. The world number one is -1.
So much for all that Rory McIlroy Country Club chat. The newest member of the career-slam elite has been wild and wayward all day. Adrift at +2, he needs a strong finish, but it doesn’t look like he’s going to get one. He pulls his approach at 7 up a lushly upholstered bank to the left of the green, then hits a flabby chip that slaps into the false front and topples back down a swale. A job on now to get up and down just for par.
This is Ryan Gerard’s first full season on the PGA Tour. The 25-year-old is a local lad – born in Raleigh, an alumnus of UNC at Chapel Hill – and he’s already posted two top-ten finishes on tour, including second spot at the Texas Open. He’s making his debut at this championship, and doing so with some elan. Nearly an ace at the 205-yard par-three 13th, and that’s a tap-in from a couple of feet for his fourth birdie in a row. That’s some sequence, and he’s joined Stephan Jaeger at the top.
-5: Jaeger (16), Gerard (13)
-4: Donald (F), Fox (F), Smalley (F), Poston (17)
-3: Noren (F), Hisatsune (17), Echavarria (17), MacIntyre (16), Højgaard (15*), Bradley (13*)
Alex Smalley was the last player to make the field this week. He was a last-minute replacement for Sahith Theegala, who withdrew last night with a neck injury. The 28-year-old from New York state has grabbed this opportunity with both hands, signing this afternoon for a 67. The high point of his round came late on, as he sent a 70-foot tram-liner into the hole at the par-five 7th for eagle.
Stephan Jaeger finds the par-five 15th in two. A couple of putts later, and that’s back-to-back birdies for the 35-year-old German, who has no record to speak of in the majors. But he now leads this one at -5. He’s going round with Bob MacIntyre, who rams in a 12-footer for a birdie of his own. The reigning Canadian and Scottish Open champion is in the hunt at -3. Meanwhile up on 17, Ryo Hisatsune rattles in a 45-foot putt from off the green for his fourth birdie in six holes. The rising Japanese star appears to like this tournament: he tied for 18th last year on debut, and he’s -4 right now.
-5: Jaeger (15)
-4: Donald (F), Fox (F), Smalley (F), Poston (17)
-3: Noren (17), Hisatsune (17), MacIntyre (15), Højgaard (15*), Bradley (12*)
Could Luke Donald, aged 47 years and five months, really do it? Well, why not? There are precedents. Here’s the list of the oldest major champions of all time, and it’s dominated by players winning this very championship. Imagine if one of the best players never to win a major somehow pulls this one out of the bag as a veteran? Dreaming is free, kids.
1. Phil Mickelson (2021 PGA, 50 years 11 months)
2. Julius Boros (1968 PGA, 48 years 4 months)
3. Tom Morris Sr. (1867 Open, 46 years 3 months)
4. Jack Nicklaus (1986 Masters, 46 years 2 months)
5. Jerry Barber (1961 PGA, 45 years 3 months)
6. Hale Irwin (1990 US Open, 45 years)
Luke Donald shoots bogey-free 67
The European Ryder Cup captain gets up and down from greenside sand at 18 to ensure there’s no blemish on his card today. Four numbers circled, though. That’s a fine performance by the 47-year-old veteran, whose best performance at the PGA Championship came in 2006 at Medinah, when he went into the final round tied at the top with Tiger, only to shoot a disappointing 74. He tied for third that year.
Rory McIlroy’s driving has been all over the place today. Now he sends a big hook towards the punters down the left of 5. Maybe in one of the mighty bunkers over there. Xander Schauffele shoves his drive to the other side of the hole. Scottie Scheffler dunks his tee shot into a fairway bunker. The members of this marquee group have been dragging each other down all day. Bad golf, as any weekend hacker can tell you, is contagious.
Ryan Fox shoots 67
The 38-year-old from Auckland isn’t able to get up and down from the side of 9, and he finishes with a disappointing bogey. But it’s far from a disappointing round, and he scribbles his name at the bottom of a fine opening round of 67. Not a bad way to follow up his win at the Myrtle Beach Classic last week, his first on the PGA Tour. Very much in form, a first top-ten finish at a major is now in his sights. More?
-4: Fox (F), Donald (17), Smalley (17*), Poston (16), Jaeger (14)
-3: Noren (17), R Højgaard (13*), Bradley (11*), Gerard (11)
Jon Rahm rakes a long birdie putt across 5 and you can make an argument that, at -1, he’s the only truly huge star in red figures at the moment. The only other major winners in credit at the moment are Matt Fitzpatrick and Keegan Bradley, both at -3. It’s not happening for any of the big names at the moment.
McIlroy’s 30-footer (as it turned out) catches a piece of the hole so no birdie at 3 for the Masters hero. He stays at +2, seven back. Scheffler, after another weirdly poor approach, tugs an ugly par putt left and drops to +1. Not happening for the two pre-tournament favourites. They both have six to play.
And with that, I’ll hand you back to Scott Murray.
Rory’s in the rough again. It means he’s in tree trouble once more – this time at 3 – and has to manufacture another one under the branches. But imagination is one of his strengths and he fashions a low, bounding skipper that runs up onto the green. He’ll have a shot at birdie from around 25 feet maybe. Back at the top end of the leaderboard, six shots better than McIlroy, J.T. Poston birdies 14 and 15 to reach -4 and pull to within one of the leaders. Poston is a North Carolina local, his birthplace a city called Hickory.
There were two events on the PGA Tour last week. Sepp Straka won the Truist Championship, with Ryan Fox chipping in from 50 feet to beat a weaker field in the Myrtle Beach Classic. Fox is certainly riding the momentum today but Straka – along with McIlroy, the only two-time winner on the PGA Tour this season – is having a tough time. The Austrian wiped out two early bogeys with an eagle at 14 but he’s let shots go at 3, 5 and 6 to slip to +3 with three to play. Straka was tied seventh in this event in 2023 and joint runner-up in the Open Championship later that year so he has some pedigree in the majors.
Scottie Scheffler gets back under par. Despite finding the intermediate off the tee at the 454-yard par-4 2nd, the World No.1 hoists a deadly approach straight at the flag and holes the nine-footer for his birdie. Rory makes par. He has to hit a sawn-off second under some overhanging trees, finding the left of the green, and then two-putts from 30- feet to remain +2 after 11, now two behind Scheffler.
And we have someone at the crazy heights of 5-under. That would be Swede Alex Noren after back-to-back gains at 14 and 15. Can he hang on over the next three holes (Green Mile) though. Noren’s only top 10s in 39 majors have come at the Open Championship (T9 in 2012 and T6 in 2017) although he was tied 12th in this event last year, his best finish in eight attempts.
And as I write this, Ryan Fox has joined Noren at -5 after a birdie at the par-5 8th hole, his 17th. The two are a shot clear of Luke Donald.
It’s a bogey for McIlroy at 10. The sand is quite packed after the rain and it’s hard to get any height on bunker shots. Rory’s swish from sand has to take the low road rather than the usual hoist up and plop down and after pulling up short he misses the par putt to drop to +2. And, next, a shout of ‘fore’ off the next tee although his lie in the rough doesn’t look too bad. Still, this isn’t the fast start so many were predicting. The contrarians are nodding sagely right now. Coming off that Masters win and being a four-time course winner at Quail Hollow seemed the perfect recipe. Too good to be true perhaps. Early days of course and let’s not forget that he opened with a modest 72 at Augusta.
Feel free to throw rotten fruit at me but I think having 20 PGA Pros in the field is ridiculous. Yes, there was the fairytale story of Michael Block and his hole-in-one alongside Rory at Oak Hill in 2023 but mostly they’re just clogging up the field. Three of them are propping up the leaderboard at a combined 24-over. Maybe just have a trio next time and put them out in a three-ball at the back of the field. Thoughts?
Here’s how Quail Hollow can punish you. American Patrick Fishburn was second on the very early leaderboard after two birdies in his first six holes. But he followed that with six straight bogeys and has just dropped another shot to slump to +5 after 15. For company, he has two multi-major winners in the form of Martin Kaymer and Brooks Koepka, the latter putting a huge hole in his hopes with a run of bogey, double bogey, bogey, bogey at 18, 1, 2 and 3.
Rory McIlroy isn’t at the races. From 173 yards, he hangs his approach at 1 (his 10th) out to the right and that’s straight into a huge bunker. Rory hates it. His head drops. Better news for Shane Lowry after he slipped to a miserable +3 after 10 holes. The 2019 Open champion has birdied 3 and 4 to return to +1 alongside McIlroy and, continuing the Irish theme, Seamus Power (14).
All the talk pre-tournament was of how long this course would play after the rain. A surprise then to see very short-hitting Luke Donald tied at the top alongside Nico Echavarria. The Colombian is ranked 158th (out of 185) for Driving Distance on the PGA Tour this season. Note that the four leaders have yet to play the ultra-tough Green Mile finishing stretch.
-4: Donald (15), Noren (14), Echavarria (12), Jaeger (10)
-3: Fox (15*), Puig (14), Fitzpatrick (10*), Højgaard (9*), Bradley (7*), Burns (7*), Lower (6*)
All the flags. The top 10 now comprises two Englishmen, a New Zealander, a German, a Spaniard, a Swede, a Colombian, a Dane and three Americans. Quite the international leaderboard.
Thanks Scott. This is a skittish start by both McIlroy and Scheffler. And an even worse one by Schauffele. With the leaders at -4, who would have that that this stellar three-ball would be a combined 3-over. At least they’re all through the Green Mile now (16, 17 and 18) having started at 10. Scheffler, who holds a testy par putt at 18, turns in even par, with Rory +1 and Schauffele +2. All have a double bogey on their card (at 16) although that wasn’t the back-nine symmetry they were seeking.
Rory McIlroy’s driver has been wayward today. Again it gets him in trouble, nearly finding the creek that winds down the left of 18. He gets a huge break, though – another huge break – as the ball snags in the thick rough along the bank. He powers a 9-iron pin high, and will have a look at birdie from 20 feet or so. He’ll have taken a par a couple of minutes ago, that’s for sure.
And with that, I’m off for the next hour. Here’s David Tindall to take you through it. See you again soon!
Ryan Fox walks in a 20-footer on 5, and we have a new sole leader of the PGA Championship … for a couple of minutes, at least, because Luke Donald soon joins him after picking up another stroke, this time at the gettable par-four 14th! Well, nobody expected this. Or this: down the other end of the leaderboard, three-time champ Brooks Koepka is unravelling at speed. Double bogey at 1, bogey at 2, and now he’s just carved his drive out of bounds at 3. If it can happen to Brooks, it can happen to anyone.
-4: Fox (14*), Donald (14)
-3: Puig (13), Noren (12), Smalley (11*), Echavarria (10), Jaeger (9), Højgaard (9*), Greyserman (7*), Bradley (6*), Burns (6*), Lower (5*)
