Newtown Square (United States) (AFP) – Rory McIlroy was frustrated after a miserable opening round at the PGA Championship on Thursday, with four players seizing a share of the lead as top-ranked defending champion Scottie Scheffler teed off. South African Aldrich Potgieter, Australian Min Woo Lee, Japan’s Ryo Hisatsune, and Germany’s Stephan Jaeger each fired a three-under par 69 to share the early lead on a wild day at Aronimink. Half the field was still on the course, Scheffler among the latest starters, while second-ranked Masters champion McIlroy finished, having no problems with his right foot but plenty with his golf swing.
McIlroy, a back-nine starter, closed a round of 74 with four bogeys in a row and five in his last six holes. “I’m just not driving the ball well enough,” McIlroy said. “It has been a problem all year for the most part. I miss it right, then I want to try to correct it. And then I’ll overdo it, and I’ll miss it left. It’s a little bit of back and forth that way. So that’s pretty frustrating, especially when I pride myself on driving the ball well. I just need to try to figure it out. I honestly thought I had figured it out.”
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An unlikely quartet did solve Aronimink’s trademark undulating greens, including 23-year-old Hisatsune, who made seven birdies, four of them after each bogey in his round in only his fifth major appearance. “I’m very lucky, especially with a lot of birdies and a lot of bounceback, so it’s comfortable to play,” Hisatsune said. “I’m so happy.”
Potgieter, a 21-year-old South African making his sixth major start, made six birdies, including a 43-foot putt at 11, in his PGA Championship debut. “I hit it on the right spots, especially on the greens,” Potgieter said. “I didn’t feel like I had to putt over some of these big slopes we had. I definitely left myself in really good positions on the green, made some long putts, so it was nice the putter was warm.”
Jaeger birdied five of the first nine holes but struggled on the back nine. “On the front I hit some fairways and made some nice putts,” Jaeger said. “Kept it together on the back. It’s just playing a little harder. I’m definitely happy with the round for sure.” Lee, a back-nine starter, birdied the fifth and seventh to briefly lead alone before a bogey at the eighth. “Played great. Drove the ball really well,” Lee said. “I played pretty solid all day, didn’t get myself in too much trouble.”
Sitting one stroke back on 68 were England’s Daniel Brown, who holed out for eagle from 102 yards in the 11th fairway, plus Americans Sahith Theegala, Max Greyserman, and Xander Schauffele, a two-time major winner. “I made three birdies in the first four holes and was feeling pretty good,” Schauffele said. “Then started to play a lot worse golf for the next six holes. Then got a little bit better again. So I got the full experience.”
American Jordan Spieth, who would complete a career Grand Slam with a victory this week, fired a 69. “I feel like I played better than I scored, which is frustrating because you want to get the most out of your round,” Spieth said. “Just go out there tomorrow and try to make a few more putts.”
Others on 69 included five-time major winner Brooks Koepka, two-time major winner Jon Rahm, and South African Garrick Higgo, who was issued a two-stroke penalty for being late to the first tee. “I wouldn’t have been late if I knew I was running late,” Higgo said. Spain’s Rahm holed out from the fairway for eagle with a wedge from 101 yards at the second hole. “What can I say? It was a phenomenal shot,” Rahm said. Two-time major winner Bryson DeChambeau fired a 76 with five bogeys and a double bogey.
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