Rory McIlroy and Bryson DeChambeau got off to a nightmare start at Aronimink Golf Club as defending champion Scottie Scheffler grabbed a share of the early lead at the PGA Championship.
Scheffler, who has finished second in his past three World starts and is seeking his fifth major win in as many seasons, had four birdies in a six-hole stretch around the turn en route to an opening round 67.
The world No. 1 is at the top of a seven-man leaderboard, with Aldrich Potgieter, Stefan Jaeger, Lee Min-woo, Ryo Hisatsune, Alex Smalley and former champion Martin Kaymer also tied at three under.
Scheffler had five birdies and two bogeys in the opening round.
Seven more players are one stroke away, including 2024 champion Xander Schauffele, Patrick Reed, Shane Lowry and England’s Daniel Brown, while Jordan Spieth is just two points behind as he searches for the elusive major he needs to complete a career Grand Slam.
Jon Rahm is tied with Spieth at 1 under, making him one of 33 players in the lead and two places, but McIlroy finished the opening round with a 74 with four bogeys, derailing his bid for back-to-back major titles, and DeChambeau struggled with a 6-over 76.
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Rory McIlroy made four consecutive bogeys in his final four holes to open the PGA Championship with a 74.
Schaeffler makes an inauspicious start to title defense
Scheffler, 12 months after his five-stroke victory at Quail Hollow Club, was one of the players who got off to a slow start on the opening day, with the 29-year-old bogeying the fourth hole and getting off to a 3-par start.
He birdied the sixth, hit a 40-footer on his next at-bat, then parred the eighth and started the back nine with back-to-back birdies to join the big group at 3 under.
Scottie Scheffler aims to defend title at PGA Championship
Scheffler made up for a long three-putt bogey on the 14th by capitalizing on the par-5 16th. His impressive play off the tee (he only missed one fairway) and powerful putting led him to joint first place in the opening round for the first time in his major league career.
“It’s definitely been the best start to the year, other than maybe American Express,” Scheffler acknowledged. “The leaderboard is really close. It’s anyone’s tournament at this point. I’m happy to get off to a good start.”
Lowry chipped in on the opening-round 68 on the par-5 ninth for eagle, and Reed also got off to a bogey-free start to move one back on his way to his second major title, with Saheeth Segala, Max Glaserman, Corey Connors and Schauffele finishing the group one back.
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Rahm had a birdie-birdie finish and finished with a 1-under 69. Spieth and Justin Thomas, two late bogeys that put them two spots back in a tie for 15th, began a comeback with a hole-out eagle from the second fairway on the 11th hole.
What McIlroy and DeChambeau need to do
Masters champion McIlroy made a solid start to his seventh major title with a “selfish” drive over the final hole on the opening morning, but he described his opening round as a disaster.
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Rory McIlroy curses when asked about PGA Championship opener
McIlroy finished the round with four holes left and was level par with a 30-foot birdie on the fifth, but bogeys on each of the final four holes put McIlroy in danger of early retirement as he struggled with both his tee shot and putter.
“I just haven’t been able to fly the ball very well,” McIlroy admitted. “Most of the time, that’s been a problem all year. You miss to the right and then you want to correct it. Then you do too much and you miss to the left.
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Rory McIlroy warns fans about distracting spectators and making noise during swings during first round of PGA Championship
“It’s a little back and forth like that. So it’s pretty frustrating, especially when you pride yourself on driving the ball well. You just have to try to figure it out. Honestly, I thought I figured it out.”
DeChambeau has finished runner-up at the PGA Championship for two years in a row, but due to unstable performances, he is tied for 135th place, nine strokes behind, and is in danger of missing out on the major cut for the second year in a row.
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Bryson DeChambeau double-bogeys the day’s penultimate hole for a 6-over-par 76 at the PGA Championship.
Starting from the back nine, the two-time U.S. Open champion bogeyed two of the first four holes, fell further behind with consecutive drop shots starting on the 17th, and failed to get up or save par from the 7th green, halting his string of pars.
The round further deteriorated on the par-3 8th, where he made two chip errors and holed from 10 feet for a double bogey, before making his only birdie of the day on the par-5 9th.
Who will win the PGA Championship? Watch live coverage all week long on Sky Sports. Live coverage of the second round begins on Friday at 12.30pm on Sky Sports Golf. Get and stream Sky Sports without a contract.
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