CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The opening round of the PGA Championship at Quail Hollow Club saw many top golf stars facing challenges, while less familiar names rose to the top of the leaderboard on Thursday.
Adding to the unusual day, Jhonattan Vegas, whose last major cut was at the 2021 U.S. Open (T57), finished strongly with birdies on five of his last six holes, posting a 7-under 64 to take a two-stroke lead. Playing alongside Australia`s Elvis Smylie, Vegas became the first Venezuelan to lead or co-lead after the first round of a major championship.
“It feels amazing,” Vegas commented. “It`s what we dream of.”
Ryan Gerard and Cam Davis shared second place at 5 under, while European Ryder Cup captain Luke Donald was among five players tied at 4 under.
Will the surprises continue on Friday at Quail Hollow? Here`s what to look for in the second round.
Thoughts on Rory, Scottie, and Xander heading into Round 2?
If not for a couple of mud balls on the par-4 16th on Thursday, Scottie Scheffler and Xander Schauffele might have been right in the mix after 18 holes. Neither played their best in the first round, but Scheffler managed a 2-under 69. Schauffele finished at 1 over after 18 holes.
Scheffler was clearly unhappy with the conditions, especially after a mud ball contributed to his double-bogey 6 on the 16th. Schauffele faced a nearly identical shot, and Rory McIlroy also struggled on the lengthy par 4.
“Overall, I did a good job battling and keeping a level head out there during a day [in] which there [were] definitely some challenging aspects to the course,” Scheffler stated. “I did a good job posting a number on a day where I didn`t have my best stuff.”
McIlroy was a favored pick this week, particularly given his four Wells Fargo Championship victories at Quail Hollow. However, his game was inconsistent on Thursday, notably off the tee, where he hit only four of 14 fairways and lost around 2½ strokes on the greens.
While his performance wasn`t ideal, it`s premature to dismiss McIlroy. Recall his start at the Masters, where he had two double bogeys in his final four holes for an even-par 72, seven strokes behind the first-round leader. He followed that with back-to-back 66s to take a two-stroke lead into Sunday, ultimately winning in a playoff.
What unlikely name near the top could stick around?
Mark Schlabach: I`ll pick the player who was among the last to qualify for the PGA Championship: Ryan Fox from New Zealand. He earned his spot by winning the Oneflight Myrtle Beach Classic last week in South Carolina in a playoff. This was Fox`s first victory on the PGA Tour, adding to his four wins on the DP World Tour.
On Thursday, Fox carded a 4-under 67 despite minimal preparation time this week. He hit some balls and played one hole before storms arrived Tuesday, then played 18 holes the following day.
“Just pick my targets, hit my shots and trust that I`m playing well,” Fox commented. “It`s amazing what finding a bit of confidence can do. Like all of a sudden, the bad shots that were irking me a couple weeks ago didn`t seem to matter quite so much today.”
Fox also brings notable mental resilience, perhaps inherited from his father, Grant, who was on the All Blacks team that won the Rugby World Cup in 1987.
Paolo Uggetti: It depends on your definition of unlikely, but my choice is Stephan Jaeger.
Jaeger is a PGA Tour winner who has significantly increased his driving distance recently and has worked hard to reach the top 50 in the world rankings. However, on Thursday, the German didn`t drive the ball particularly well, losing strokes off the tee. Despite this, he was still in the top 10 for strokes gained: tee to green. His approach game was outstanding, gaining 1.4 shots on the field in this area – a promising sign for his ability to stay in contention.
“This golf course is hard, it`s long and plays even longer this week because it`s wet,” Jaeger said. “You have to be able to hit it in the fairways and decently long in the fairways so you can hold the greens with mid-irons rather than long irons.”
Jaeger hit 12 of 18 greens Thursday, and when he missed, his short game compensated effectively, gaining him over two strokes on the field. Among the diverse group at the top of the leaderboard, Jaeger seems like a strong candidate to remain in the mix through the weekend.
Who is the favorite to win after Round 1?
Mark Schlabach: There`s a reason Scottie Scheffler is the world No. 1. He dominated his last tour start, winning by eight strokes at the CJ Cup Byron Nelson on May 4. With respect to Gerard, Fox, Alex Smalley, Jaeger, Alex Noren, and others, they don`t possess two Masters trophies.
On Thursday, Scheffler drove the ball well, his chipping was excellent as usual, and his iron play was merely decent. He lost about half a stroke putting, so he will be exceptionally tough to beat if his putter improves over the weekend.
After a tough break on No. 16 on Thursday, Scheffler has ground to recover. But his position could have been much worse, and he`s definitely a lurking threat on the leaderboard.
Paolo Uggetti: While it`s hard to argue against Scheffler, who shot 2-under despite not being at his best, I`d still lean towards Bryson DeChambeau outside of him. The two-time major winner continued his less-than-stellar approach play from the Masters (ranking 116th in strokes gained: approach) yet still managed an under-par round. DeChambeau won`t win without improving his approach game, but his driving distance is such a significant advantage that a slight improvement in other areas could put him in contention.
Another major winner who might be slightly overlooked is Jon Rahm. Although the Spaniard hasn`t contended strongly in recent majors, often due to slow starts, he`s off to a much better beginning this week with a 1-under 70.
Rahm consistently achieves top-10 finishes on the LIV tour, and it feels like he`s due for a strong showing in a major. The narrative is building that he hasn`t been in contention since winning the 2023 Masters. This could be the week he changes that.
Biggest names needing to perform better Friday?
Mark Schlabach: The cut line is the top 70 scores plus ties, and several prominent players will need a better performance on Friday to avoid missing the weekend, including many past major champions.
Sepp Straka, Rickie Fowler, Shane Lowry, Jason Day, Max Homa, and Justin Thomas were 2 over.
Along with McIlroy, Patrick Cantlay, Min Woo Lee, and Gary Woodland finished at 3 over. Justin Rose and Jordan Spieth were at 5 over.
Several LIV Golf League stars are also in danger of missing the cut: Joaquín Niemann (3 over), Brooks Koepka (4 over), Sergio Garcia (4 over), Cameron Smith (7 over), Dustin Johnson (7 over), and Phil Mickelson (8 over).
Ryder Cup Captains showcase in Round 1?
Paolo Uggetti: Fittingly, the PGA of America`s major championship featured strong performances from the two Ryder Cup captains in the first round. Both Keegan Bradley (3 under) and Luke Donald (4 under) arrived at Quail Hollow with differing priorities, but both find themselves inside the top 10 of a major championship.
“Someone just told me it was the lowest first round in a major I`ve had since 2004 or something. So you know, obviously I`ve been trending with all the missed cuts coming into this week,” Donald quipped. “But no, it was a pleasant surprise. I got off to a really nice, steady start. I hit a bunch of fairways on the front nine which always makes me feel good about my game.”
The 47-year-old Donald, who isn`t playing a full schedule and is in the tournament via a PGA of America invitation as captain, had missed three cuts in his three previous appearances this year. While his recent form hasn`t been stellar, he has been working on his game despite the demands of the captaincy.
“I was pumped to see Luke up there,” Bradley said. “I know how hard he`s been working back home. Luke is an all-time great player. Doesn`t surprise me.”
Bradley, conversely, has six top-20 finishes this season, including a top-five at Bay Hill. While not quite at the peak form of last season (one win, two runners-up), he remains highly capable of competing at a major. This difference in current form highlights why only one of them is realistically in the conversation for a potential “playing captain” role in September.
“Keegan is top 20 in the world. He can have one good week out here, win, which he`s very capable of, and he`s absolutely in the conversation of being a playing captain,” Donald acknowledged. “I don`t think that`s quite in my future, but Keegan, we live very close together. I see where he practices, and he practices very hard. He`s still one of the top players in the world.”
Course conditions and setup outlook?
Paolo Uggetti: The dominant topic after the first round was the mud balls players encountered. Quail Hollow received several inches of rain recently, and the course hasn`t fully dried, leading to unpredictable lies in the fairways.
“It`s one of those deals where it`s frustrating to hit the ball in the middle of the fairway and get mud on it and have no idea where it`s going to go,” Scheffler expressed. “I understand it`s part of the game, but there`s nothing more frustrating for a player. You spend your whole life trying to learn how to control a golf ball, and due to a rules decision all of a sudden you have absolutely no control over where that golf ball goes.”
On Wednesday night, the PGA of America issued a statement confirming they would not implement preferred lies despite the rain. Consequently, players found that a perfect drive didn`t guarantee a perfect lie. Typically, mud on one side of the ball causes it to curve sharply in the opposite direction, though sometimes the mud detaches, and the shot reacts normally, adding an element of randomness.
Several players voiced surprise that, even for a major, officials chose not to allow players to lift, clean, and place their balls in the fairway given the conditions.
“I wouldn`t want to go in the locker room because I`m sure a lot of guys aren`t super happy with the sort of conditions there,” Schauffele commented. “I feel like the grass is so good, there is no real advantage to cleaning your ball in the fairway. The course is completely tipped out.”
Scheffler was particularly frustrated by the mud ball on the 16th fairway. After a perfect drive, his approach shot curved left into the water, resulting in a double bogey. Schauffele experienced a similar outcome.
Schauffele, the defending champion, was visibly frustrated and also warned about conditions potentially worsening over the next three days.
“The mud balls are going to get worse. They`re going to get worse as the place dries up. They`re going to get in that perfect cake zone to where it`s kind of muddy underneath and then picking up mud on the way through,” Schauffele explained. “I mean, you just keep — I don`t know, maybe you hit it a little bit lower off the tee, but then unfortunately the problem with hitting it low off the tee is the ball doesn`t carry or roll anywhere, so then you sacrifice distance. It`s a bit of a crapshoot.”
While some players view this unpredictability as unfair, for viewers, the mud balls could introduce chaos and uncertainty, potentially making the major more exciting than it might otherwise seem.
“Normally, I feel like the PGA does a really good job with setup. It`s always fair. If they have the right golf courses, it`s fair and hard,” Jaeger noted.
“That SubAir is going and the greens are going to get firmer and faster as the week goes on. They were manageable today. I felt like you could spin some and stop a mid-iron, but I know the weather looks pretty hot for the weekend. So it`s going to be baked out by Sunday for sure.”
Bryson DeChambeau sees the potential uncertainty as something to adapt to.
“You just have to manage your ball a little bit better. It`s not easy,” DeChambeau said. “I hit a couple shots where the ball is over-curving and you just have to go, `Ok I got to play it out more one way`… everybody has to deal with it.”
