Defending Champion Scheffler Shares Lead at US PGA Championship
World number one Scottie Scheffler aims to defend his US PGA Championship title after his victory at Quail Hollow last year.
Heading into this week's US PGA Championship, much attention was focused on how Aronimink Golf Club would perform and what challenges it would pose to the players.
Many anticipated that the Pennsylvania course might be subdued or easily managed by the competitors.
Contrary to expectations, Aronimink proved to be a formidable opponent on the opening day of the season's second major, presenting significant difficulty.
By the end of Thursday's first round, only 32 players—just over a fifth of the 156-man field—had completed their rounds under par.
The world's top golfers found it challenging to adapt to the course's undulating terrain, thick rough, and sloping greens.
Appropriately, it was the world's best player, Scottie Scheffler, who managed the conditions as effectively as anyone.
The defending champion is part of a seven-way tie for the first-round lead after carding a three-under-par 67. His round demonstrated his relentless focus and composure under pressure.
Although Scheffler has often struggled to start rounds strongly—a factor that has cost him in the current season—he now leads a major tournament after 18 holes for the first time in his career.
At 29 years old, the American finds himself alongside an unexpected group of leaders rather than the usual favorites.
Scheffler shares the lead with German golfers Martin Kaymer and Stephan Jaeger, South Africa's Aldrich Potgieter, Australia's Min-Woo Lee, Japan's Ryo Hisatsune, and American Alex Smalley—players not widely predicted to top the leaderboard.
"Earlier in the week there was some chatter where people thought 15 to 20 under par was going to win. And I think that got to somebody in the PGA [of America], and they did something about it," said Spain's Jon Rahm, who finished one under par.
McIlroy and Rahm Face Challenges on Aronimink
Masters champion Rory McIlroy's strategy of aggressively driving the ball faltered late in his round due to inconsistent tee shots.
The 37-year-old from Northern Ireland, who reported no issues with the toe injury that affected his preparations, finished seven shots behind the leaders after closing with four consecutive bogeys, posting a four-over-par 74.
"There certainly is a penalty for missing the fairway. Probably more than what I anticipated," said McIlroy.
Similarly, Bryson DeChambeau, known for his power hitting, recorded a six-over-par 76 as precision outmatched power on the course.
The American's short game was notably problematic during his round.
Mastering the complex geometry of the greens was expected to be a critical challenge, and after overnight rain softened the putting surfaces for early starters, the difficult pin placements caused additional trouble.
DeChambeau experienced this firsthand when a delicate touch from the back of the 11th green caused his ball to roll 30 feet past the pin and then another 57 feet beyond.
The challenging putting conditions contributed to only one player, the in-form American Patrick Reed, who is one shot off the lead, completing a bogey-free round.
"The players underestimated the difficulty of playing this golf course from the rough and we're not seeing a whole lot of putts holed," said former European Ryder Cup captain Paul McGinley.
