CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — The PGA Championship is the second major of the year and occasionally gets overlooked between the Masters and the U.S. Open. That’s not the case this year when the 107th edition returns to Quail Hollow.
But the first round featured a leaderboard that looked more like the Myrtle Beach Classic.
The leader is Jhonattan Vegas of Venezuela at 7-under 64. It’s his lowest score in 45 rounds at the majors. And he hasn’t played the PGA Championship in three years. Masters champion and career Grand Slam winner Rory McIlroy shot 74. Jordan Spieth needs to win the PGA Championship for the career slam. He shot 76.
Here are some other details about the PGA Championship.
Who’s leading at the PGA Championship?
Vegas surprised even himself with his big finish. He took only nine putts over the last eight holes and he birdied five of the last six. It led to a 64 and a two-shot lead over PGA Tour rookie Ryan Gerard and Cam Davis of Australia.
Ryder Cup captain Luke Donald shot a 67, a better score than all 12 of his European players who won at Marco Simone in 2023. Keegan Bradley is the U.S. captain. He shot 68, better than everyone on the American team last time in Italy.
How can I watch the PGA Championship?
The PGA Championship coverage on Friday begins at 7 a.m. with ESPN+ streaming until noon, after which it shifts to ESPN until 7 p.m. During the weekend, coverage runs from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. on ESPN+, before transitioning to ESPN for the rest of the day until 1 p.m. From Saturday through Sunday, CBS and Paramount+ will provide coverage from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Who are the betting favorites?
Scheffler began as a mild favorite but is now considered the clear frontrunner according to BetMGM Sportsbook, currently at 7-2 from an initial odds of 69. The U.S. Open winner Bryson DeChambeau scored 71 and follows closely at 10-1. Meanwhile, McIlroy’s chances have dropped to 12-1 from his original position at 9-2.
Vegas, the 18-hole leader, is at 25-1. This is only the second time he has finished a round in a major in the top 10, and he has never finished in the top 20 in a major.
What’s at stake?
The winner
gets the Wanamaker Trophy
, weighing in at 27 pounds, it is the most substantial among the four principal championship trophies.
McIlroy faces a difficult path toward becoming the fifth player since 1960 to win the first two majors of the year. Spieth hopes to become the seventh player with the career Grand Slam.
Schauffele (72) is trying to become only the third player to win the PGA Championship in consecutive years in stroke play. And if Justin Thomas (73) were to win, he would join Tiger Woods as the only players to win the PGA Championship twice on the same course.
Who are the players to watch?
The world’s top three golfers—Scheffler, McIlroy, and Schauffele—are set to play together again on Friday, though their teeing off will take place in the afternoon instead of earlier as before.
Scheffler is only five strokes behind, a minor gap for someone at the pinnacle of the sport. McIlroy, lagging ten shots further back, must channel one of his renowned performances from Quail Hollow if he aims to get back into the mix. This venue holds particular significance for him as he boasts four victories here—more than any other American golf course. On Thursday, however, he seemed out of sync with his driver throughout the game.
Schauffele, who holds the title of the reigning PGA champion, trails by eight strokes.
Bradley, who scored 68 even with a bogey on hole number 18, could be a golfer to keep an eye on.
Thomas secured victory in the PGA Championship during its previous appearance at Quail Hollow back in 2017, and recently broke a three-year dry spell by claiming the RBC Heritage title last month. However, he still faces significant challenges ahead.
What about LIV?
Sixteen participants from LIV Golf are part of the lineup at the PGA Championship, matching the count from the previous year. This group encompasses John Catlin, who typically serves as a substitute for the Saudi-backed circuit.
After scoring 68, Tyrrell Hatton might be the player to keep an eye on. Despite his performance, Bryson DeChambeau, who has won the U.S. Open twice, remains in the running with a score of 71. Regarding two-time PGA winner Phil Mickelson, he managed to outperform only amateur players.
What’s the forecast?
Mainly sunny conditions will prevail during the afternoon session on Friday as temperatures climb close to 90 degrees. The likelihood of precipitation remains below 10%.
What happened last year?
Last year, Schauffele claimed victory at the PGA Championship held at Valhallah when he sank a crucial 6-foot birdie putt on the last green, securing a one-stroke win over DeChambeau. This triumph marked his maiden major title. That’s how things unfolded out on the course.
Beyond the boundaries lay a shocking turn of events: Scheffler, who had claimed victory at the Masters and held the top ranking globally, found himself detained by Louisville law enforcement early in the tournament’s second day. He was escorted to custody in handcuffs after failing to comply with directives during a police inquiry into a vehicular accident resulting in death.
Scheffler got back to Valhalla before play resumed because of a rain delay and responded with a round of 66, putting him just three strokes behind the leader. However, he struggled the following day, scoring a 73, which led to a tied eighth-place finish overall.
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AP golf:
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Doug Ferguson along with Steve Reed from The Associated Press
