Achieving new firsts on the golf course is no easy task for Scottie Scheffler these days, but the World No. 1 did exactly that on Thursday at the PGA Championship.
With a solid 3-under 67 at Aronimink, Scheffler grabbed a share of a tightly packed seven-way tie atop the leaderboard. That marks the first time in Scheffler's illustrious career that he has held the lead or co-lead after 18 holes of a major championship. Thursday's result also ties the major record for the most leaders after one round.
Min Woo Lee, Martin Kaymer, Stephen Jaeger, Ryo Hisatsune, Aldrich Potgieter, and Alex Smalley all matched Scheffler's 67, while Xander Schauffele, Patrick Reed, and Shane Lowry headline the group sitting just one back.
| Place | Player | Round 1 score | Total to par |
|---|---|---|---|
| T1 | Scottie Scheffler | 67 | -3 |
| T1 | Aldrich Potgieter | 67 | -3 |
| T1 | Stephan Jaeger | 67 | -3 |
| T1 | Min Woo Lee | 67 | -3 |
| T1 | Ryo Hisatsune | 67 | -3 |
| T1 | Alex Smalley | 67 | -3 |
| T1 | Martin Kaymer | 67 | -3 |
| T8 | Xander Schauffele | 68 | -2 |
| T8 | Patrick Reed | 68 | -2 |
| T8 | Shane Lowry | 68 | -2 |
| T8 | Max Greyserman | 68 | -2 |
| T8 | Corey Conners | 68 | -2 |
| T8 | Dan Brown | 68 | -2 |
| T8 | Sahith Theegala | 68 | -2 |
By the time Scheffler finished his round in one of the last groups, 92 golfers were within five shots of the lead - highlighting just how difficult it was to separate on a wind-swept day at Aronimink. According to Justin Ray of the Twenty First Group, the 3-under lead is the worst score to sit at the top of a PGA Championship leaderboard after the first round since 2008.
Thursday's scoring shot down the early-week narrative that a birdie-fest awaited the world's best players. Even Scheffler's round was aided by several lengthy putts, as the four-time major winner sits sixth in the field in putting.
While Scheffler managed to solve the tricky setup, other top players faltered - most notably Bryson DeChambeau and Rory McIlroy.
DeChambeau turned in another dismal start to a major, following up his missed cut at the Masters with a similarly poor opening round that leaves him in danger of missing the cut again. The two-time major winner was bested by eight club professionals in the field, including the indefatigable Michael Block. Removing the club pros, DeChambeau's 76 beat only five players.
McIlroy wasn't much better, with a balky driver the main culprit behind a 4-over performance that he described with brutal honesty afterward. McIlroy hit just 35% of his fairways on Thursday - a sharp contrast from Scheffler's 92%. Earlier in the week, McIlroy and others said strategy off the tee would be minimal, with most players expected to be aggressive with the driver. McIlroy hit the range shortly after finishing with the media, spending at least two hours practicing before heading in.
