.png)
6 hours ago
4
Key events Show key events only Please turn on JavaScript to use this feature
… but Scottie catches a break! A decent lie and a route under the branches to the green. He fires out low and sends his ball scampering towards the apron. That’s a decent result all told, and he’ll have a chance to get up and down from the front for his par. Rory meanwhile has found sand down the left of the fairway and Xander the fairway; both find the green in regulation, albeit not particularly close to the flag. Outside chances for birdie.
Scottie Scheffler always entertains with a little soft-shoe shuffle as he lets rip with the driver. But this time his feet are way too busy on the downswing, and he nearly loses his balance completely, yanking his ball down a bank to the left of 11 and towards some trees. That’s his second wild shot already. A slow start for Scottie.
Opening birdie for Rory McIlroy! He swishes out of the thick rough elegantly, from 30 yards to ten feet. He steers in the gentle left-to-right slider, and the pre-tournament favourite is immediately into red figures. Scottie Scheffler power-splashes out from the fairway bunker to a similar distance, but putts through the break and has to make do with par. Xander Schauffele gets up and down from the swale at the front without fuss and he moves to -1 alongside Rory.
The 2015 champion Jason Day is re-emerging as a force in the majors, coming off the back of a top-ten finish at Augusta. The 37-year-old Aussie chips in at 11 to join the group at -1. Jon Rahm, in the group behind, rolls in a 30-footer on 11 and the two-time major champion is -1 as well.
Schauffele has an awkward stance, balancing on the edge of a fairway bunker. But he’s obviously been at the old core-strength exercises, because he stays steady and creams his second just off the front of the long par-five 10th. A good chance to get up and down for an opening birdie there. Not so much Scottie or Rory, the former sending a skittish second into a bunker 40 yards short of the green, the latter dunking his into the lush greenside rough. It’s sunny today, but it’s been raining all week in Charlotte, North Carolina, and that vegetation is juicy. A slight look of concern on both of their faces.
The morning marquee group is out. The new Masters champion Rory McIlroy, the defending champion and reigning Open champion Xander Schauffele, and the world number one Scottie Scheffler. Rory batters his drive furthest, but he’s in the rough down the right of the fairway. Scheffler a few yards behind him but in prime position. Schauffele in decent nick as well.
Ryan Fox often hovers around on the fringes of the action in the majors. Never quite putting four rounds together. No top-ten finishes as a result. Yet. The 38-year-old New Zealander opened with birdies at 10 and 13, and has just driven the green at the short par-four 14th. He’s left with an 84-foot putt from the fringe at the back, but cosies it up to four feet and makes his birdie putt. Meanwhile Alex Noren follows up birdie at 1 with another at 4, and the veteran Swede is on Foxy’s tail.
-3: Fox (5*)
-2: Noren (4)
-1: Donald (5), Poston (2), Fitzpatrick (1*)
The European Ryder Cup captain Luke Donald hit the first shot of this PGA Championship this morning. He started out with three pars, then at the 185-yard par-four 4th, sent a gentle draw to four feet, and tidied up for birdie. Donald never won a major during his pomp, despite reaching number one in the world, and the 47-year-old most likely won’t be breaking that duck this week. But just for a moment, he had his nose out in front early doors.
Preamble
Welcome to our coverage of the 107th edition of the PGA Championship from Quail Hollow Rory McIlroy Country Club (© Jordan Spieth, all rights reserved). No need for us to bang on, because look who’s out in 20 minutes or so. All tee-times USA unless stated, all times BST. It’s on!
Starting at hole 1
12.00 Luke Donald (Eng), Padraig Harrington (Irl), Martin Kaymer (Ger)
12.11 Taylor Moore, David Puig (Spa), John Somers
12.22 Nic Ishee, Kurt Kitayama, Alexander Noren (Swe)
12.33 Ryo Hisatsune (Jpn), Tom Johnson, JT Poston
12.44 Bud Cauley, Nicolas Echavarria (Col), Davis Thompson
12.55 Thomas Detry (Bel), Harris English, Michael Kim
13.06 Stephan Jaeger (Ger), Chris Kirk, Robert MacIntyre (Sco)
13.17 Laurie Canter (Eng), Thorbjoern Olesen (Den), Karl Vilips (Aus)
13.28 Rico Hoey (Phi), Si-Woo Kim (Kor), Sam Stevens
13.39 Robert Gates, Ben Griffin, Lee Hodges
13.50 Nick Dunlap, Harry Hall (Eng), Thriston Lawrence (Rsa)
14.01 Ryan Gerard, Greg Koch, Marco Penge (Eng)
14.12 Dylan Newman, Victor Perez (Fra), Daniel van Tonder (Rsa)
17.30 Michael Kartrude, Jake Knapp, Sami Valimaki (Fin)
17.41 Michael Block, Mackenzie Hughes (Can), Erik van Rooyen (Rsa)
17.52 Lucas Glover, Max Homa, Joaquin Niemann (Chi)
18.03 Tyrrell Hatton (Eng), Adam Scott (Aus), Will Zalatoris
18.14 Dustin Johnson, Collin Morikawa, Justin Thomas
18.25 Ludvig Aaberg (Swe), Patrick Reed, Jordan Spieth
18.36 Wyndham Clark, Joo-Hyung Kim (Kor), Hideki Matsuyama (Jpn)
18.47 Bryson DeChambeau, Viktor Hovland (Nor), Gary Woodland
18.58 Daniel Berger, Sergio Garcia (Spa), Russell Henley
19.09 Brian Harman, Justin Rose (Eng), Cameron Smith (Aus)
19.20 Brandon Bingaman, Sung-Jae Im (Kor), Davis Riley
19.31 Christiaan Bezuidenhout (Rsa), Takumi Kanaya (Jpn), Tom McKibbin (NIrl)
19.42 Beau Hossler, Keita Nakajima (Jpn), Timothy Wiseman
Starting at hole 10
12.05 Ryan Fox (Nzl), Justin B. Hicks, John Parry (Eng)
12.16 Andre Chi, Patrick Fishburn, Seamus Power (Irl)
12.27 Max McGreevy, Sepp Straka (Aut), Sahith Theegala
12.38 Rickie Fowler, Brooks Koepka, Shane Lowry (Irl)
12.49 Jason Day (Aus), Tommy Fleetwood (Eng), Phil Mickelson
13.00 Patrick Cantlay, Matthew Fitzpatrick (Eng), Jon Rahm (Spa)
13.11 Corey Conners (Can), Rasmus Hoejgaard (Den), Min-Woo Lee (Aus)
13.22 Rory McIlroy (NIrl), Xander Schauffele, Scottie Scheffler
13.33 Tony Finau, Max Greyserman, Nicolai Hoejgaard (Den)
13.44 Keegan Bradley, Maverick McNealy, Andrew Novak
13.55 Akshay Bhatia, Sam Burns, Denny McCarthy
14.06 John Catlin, Jesse Droemer, Garrick Higgo (Rsa)
14.17 Eugenio Lopez-Chacarra (Spa), Justin Lower, Rupe Taylor
17.25 Adam Hadwin (Can), Keith Mitchell, Bob Sowards
17.36 Eric Cole, Cameron Davis (Aus), Eric Steger
17.47 Brian Bergstol, Jacob Bridgeman, Austin Eckroat
17.58 Byeong-Hun An (Kor), Niklas Noergaard (Den), JJ Spaun
18.09 Dean Burmester (Rsa), Patrick Rodgers, Nick Taylor (Can)
18.20 Joe Highsmith, Aaron Rai (Eng), Cameron Young
18.31 Tom Hoge, Matthieu Pavon (Fra), Taylor Pendrith (Can)
18.42 Patton Kizzire, Matt McCarty, Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen (Den)
18.53 Richard Bland (Eng), Tyler Collet, Jimmy Walker
19.04 Jason Dufner, Shaun Micheel, Michael Thorbjornsen
19.15 Rafael Campos (Pur), Ryan Lenahan, Matt Wallace (Eng)
19.26 Brian Campbell, Elvis Smylie (Aus), Jhonattan Vegas (Ven)
19.37 Larkin Gross, Johnny Keefer, Chun-An Yu (Tai)
