Newtown Square (United States) (AFP) – Top-ranked defending champion Scottie Scheffler seized a share of the lead in Thursday’s opening round of the PGA Championship, while Rory McIlroy was frustrated after a miserable start. 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 clubhouse lead on a wild day at Aronimink.
On the course at three-under were two-time PGA winner Justin Thomas of the United States, Canada’s Corey Conners, and Scheffler, who made a 38-foot birdie putt at the seventh hole, a 28-foot birdie putt at the 10th, and curled in another from just inside nine feet at 11 to share the lead. Second-ranked Masters champion McIlroy had no problems with his blister-hit 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. 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 definitely left myself in really good positions on the green, made some long putts, so it was nice the putter was warm,” Potgieter said.
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.” Lee, a back-nine starter, birdied the fifth and seventh to briefly lead alone before a bogey at the eighth. “Drove the ball really well,” Lee said. “I played pretty solid all day, didn’t get myself in too much trouble.” One stroke back after firing 68 was 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, 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.
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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