- Corey Conners leads the way after first-round 67
- Rory McIlroy shoots disappointing 75
- Official leader board
That’s your lot, then. Here’s how the top of the leader board looks after day one. Hope to see you again tomorrow!
-5: Conners
-3: Bradley, Hovland, Koepka, Wise, Horsfield, Davis (17)
-2: Tringale, Laird, Morikawa, Mickelson, Grace, Woodland, Streelman, Im
Related: Brooks Koepka plays through pain while Corey Conners gains at US PGA
Jordan Spieth ends with a bogey and a 73. A dropped shot at 18 for Will Zalatoris too; he signs for 71. A double bogey on 17 for Shane Lowry, plugged in the waste-area sand, but birdie at the last gives him a 73. Sergio cards 77 after dropping five shots in four holes on the back nine. A six to finish for Dustin Johnson, who cards 76.
Ewan Murray, our man in South Carolina, has filed his day one report. Here it is! A final round-up of the late-starting stragglers to come, but in the meantime, click below and enjoy.
Related: Brooks Koepka plays through pain while Corey Conners gains at US PGA
Birdie for Jordan Spieth on 16; he’s back to level par again. Up on 18, Gary Woodland is one turn away from birdie, but he’ll be happy enough with par and a two-under round of 70.
A happy ending to Branden Grace’s day. His round looked to be heading south for a while, but he limited the damage to a couple of bogeys, picked up a stroke at the par-five 7th, and now he gets up and down from a deep bunker on 9 to sign for a staunch 70.
Cam Davis follows up an eagle on 11 with birdie at 14. He’s a little fortunate with this one, giving a 30-foot putt a good whack; had the hole not got in the way, he could have had quite the tester coming back. The 26-year-old from Sydney, making his PGA debut, is -3.
Mickelson pulls his approach into 18 down a swale to the right of the green. He bundles his chip up to three feet, and tidies up for a par and a fine opening round of 70. His playing partner, the European Ryder Cup captain Padraig Harrington, scribbles his name on the bottom of a 71. Fine rounds by the old boys.
Woodland fires his tee shot at 17 straight at the flag. It’s a heatseeker that stops pin high and leaves a ten-foot chance for a rare birdie on this nerve-shredding par-three.
So having mentioned Justin Rose’s steady Faldoesque par golf through 14 (10.59pm), he naturally bogeys 15 and then birdies 16. He’s -1. Back on 14, Spieth’s 20-foot birdie dribbler lips out; nothing much is happening for him as he chases that career slam.
Mickelson sends his tee shot at 17 into the deep bunker on the left. He splashes out to a couple of feet, and tidies up for an excellent sandy par. He remains at -2, three shy of the leader Conners, who can’t make his birdie putt, but is more than content to sign for a 67. Few predicted anyone would shoot so low today.
-5: Conners (F)
-3: Bradley (F), Hovland (F), Koepka (F), Wise (F), Horsfield (F)
Corey Conners is bang on it today. He splits the fairway down 18, then swishes a gentle fairway wood straight at the flag. His caddy congratulates him for a “great shot”, and he’s not wrong. The ball lands softly ten feet from the flag. He’ll have that birdie putt for a wonderful opening round of 66.
Jordan Spieth just can’t get going. A decent tee shot into the par-three 14th rolls slowly, slowly, slowly towards the back … then topples gently down the huge bank, 70 feet away. That’s the second time he’s been teased like that today. Shortsided, he does pretty well to flop back up to 18 feet, but can’t make the par saver and slips back to +1 again. He looks a tad deflated as he departs the scene.
Another birdie for Phil Mickelson, this time at 16, and the veteran entertainer joins the pack at -2. He’s three off the lead, right in the mix, and 50 years old. A story for the ages could be quietly unfolding here. Meanwhile Sam Horsfield sees a fairly straight 12-foot birdie putt lip out on 9, but he’s signing for a three-under 69. A superb performance by the 24-year-old from Manchester.
Conners finds the middle of the par-three 17th. Safe and dry. It should be an easy enough two putts for his par, but he leaves his first one six feet short. Never mind, he knocks in the second and moves to the last, his two-shot lead in tact.
Justin Rose is channelling his inner Nick Faldo today. Through 14, he’s made 13 pars and one birdie, early on at 6. He’ll be content enough at -1. Such steadiness suddenly deserts his compatriot Tommy Fleetwood, though. He takes a couple of hacks to extricate himself from the dunes down the left of 15. He ends up with a triple-bogey seven, and all of a sudden a decent level-par round is in dusty ruins.
Sam Horsfield makes another birdie, this time at 7, and the 24-year-old Englishman, a two-time winner on the European Tour, joins the group in second place at -3. Branden Grace’s travails continue, though, as he yips a tiddler at the par-three 5th to slip to -1. And Corey Conners makes his birdie putt at 16, and suddenly the leaderboard has an all-new look.
-5: Conners (16)
-3: Bradley (F), Hovland (F), Koepka (F), Wise (F), Horsfield (17*)
-2: Tringale (F), Laird (F), Morikawa (F), Harrington (15), Woodland (14), Smith (14), Streelman (12*), Zalatoris (12)
Conners keeps on keeping on. He sends his approach at the par-five 16th from 150 yards to four feet. He’ll have a look at a birdie that’ll take him two shots clear at the top. Meanwhile some welcome news of Sergio, who having turned in 38, birdies 11 and 12 to get himself back to level par.
On the par-three 14th, Gary Woodland caresses an iron straight at the flag. The merest hint of a fade maybe. The ball stops six inches short of an ace. He’ll move to -2. And who’s this creeping up the leaderboard after a miserable start that saw him card four bogeys in the first six holes? Why, it’s Lefty! Birdies at 7, 10, 11 and now 15 have taken Phil Mickelson up to -1, and the traces of a smile play across his face! The oldest player to win a major is Julius Boros, who won this title as a 48-year-old in 1968. Phil is 50. He couldn’t, could he?
Birdies at 11 and now 13 for Cameron Smith, and the 27-year-old Aussie, fresh off a third top-ten finish at the Masters in four years, is nicely placed at -2. Birdie for Will Zalatoris at 12, and he’s just a couple off the lead too. And finally some good news for Branden Grace, who steadies the ship by scrambling his par at 4 to remain at -2. His putt threatened to stop irritatingly on the lip, but was only teasing the gallery, eventually dropping to the South African’s great relief.
John Catlin, the current Irish Open champion, has been handed a one-shot penalty for slow play. He took 74 seconds over a shot on the 16th hole, was issued with a warning, and then was penalised for taking 63 seconds over an approach to the 12th. Great news. If the powers that be could start handing out these sort of penalties like confetti, that would be great, and should get golf moving again. If only to set a good example to ponderous weekend hackers, who need to get a bloody wriggle on as well. We stand with Brooks.
Corey Conners takes the lead! He pulls out the putter from off the front of 15, and steers a snaking uphill 50-footer into the hole! That was a lovely putt to follow, as it gently oscillated one way and the other, always looking destined to drop. Could Conners become only the second Canadian to win a major, after Mike Weir’s Masters win of 2003? He’s bang in form right now, and taking it to the next level here.
-4: Conners (15)
-3: Koepka (F), Bradley (F), Hovland (F), Wise (F)
Grace’s wheels continue to wobble ominously. Another slice, and this one flies into the thick stuff down the right of 4. Birdie for Sam Horsfield at 6, meanwhile, and the young Mancunian rises to -2 again.
Grace chips back up aggressively – bravely – and gets his reward as his ball bites hard three feet from the flag. The damage is limited to bogey. Meanwhile from the back of 11, Spieth chips up to a couple of feet, and his birdie takes him back to level par.
-3: Bradley (F), Hovland (F), Koepka (F), Wise (F), Conners (14)
-2: Tringale (F), Laird (F), Morikawa (F), Harrington (13)
Grace chips up from the back of 3. It’s heavy handed, and he’s unable to generate any spin. The ball sails through the green, and off the front, heading back down the fairway. He’s been clinging on, and it looks as though the Ocean Course is finally about to take a chunk out of him. Meanwhile Conners can’t make his birdie putt on 14. He stays at -3. Only Martin Laird has made it to -4 today, and he quickly came back to the pack.
Grace finds more trouble, this time down 3, clipping his second shot clean off the top of a waste area and through the green. His ball sits down in a thick tuft. Par’s going to be a battle once again. But the other man out there right now at -3, Corey Conners, swishes a lovely tee shot into 14. He’ll have a ten-foot look at birdie.
Jordan Spieth’s par effort on 10 makes for even more distressing viewing. A lip-out from a couple of feet that sends the Texan, on a career-slam hunt, out to +1. Meanwhile back on 2, an astonishing par save by Branden Grace, whose second shot plugs so deep in a waste area that he can only see the top third of his ball. Unable to get relief, he has to take a drop … and then splashes, er, gracefully to four feet, before tidying up for par. He stays at -3.
Actually, the coverage of the heron haring after some poor fish or other has reminded me of one of the highlights of the 2012 PGA here at Kiawah: Gator v Snake. Warning: this is not for the squeamish. A distressing rout, the best bit is sadly missing from the clip: a few minutes later, lazy old Gator was pictured floating insouciantly in the water, slowly digesting, smiling, as content as a golf-club captain who had just polished off a large gin and tonic, then told one of the juniors to take off their hat and tuck in their shirt.
From herons to eagles, and Patrick ‘I’ve made two’ Cantlay’s absurd up-and-down round continues with a three-putt bogey at 8. He’s level par, and not entirely sure how. A brilliant birdie for the 2019 US Open champ Gary Woodland at 10, sending his tee shot over the flag to a couple of feet, and he’s in red figures at -1. And Wyndham Clark had been going well at -2, but he sends his approach at 13 into the water down the right and the resulting double has him crashing back down to level par.
The television coverage concentrates on a heron pursuing its prey, which kind of tells you where we’re at right now. It’s fine slow television, though it doesn’t do much for the old live blog. When we finally switch back, Corey Conners plays a weak approach into 12 that lands short and kicks left, but he gets up and down to remain in a share of the lead at -3.
Eagle for the 2008 champion Padraig Harrington at 11! He just about gets onto the front of the green in two, then steers in the long putt. He’s -2. The wind’s dropped a little, but so has the level of excitement. A links longueur.
Ian Poulter drops one at 17, having sent his tee shot onto the top of a sandy bank to the left of the green. A weak chip and an underhit putt sealed his fate. He slips back to -1. Meanwhile DJ – who had to settle for an underwhelming par at the par-five 7th, the result of that wild tee shot – stays adrift at +2 after a long birdie effort at 8 slips by.
A second eagle of the day for Patrick Cantlay! This one’s less sensational than his hole-out from 140 yards on 2; he’s on 7 in two big hits, and rolls in a 20-footer. All good, except the eagles have sandwiched bogeys at 2, 3 and 5, and he’s only -1 as a result. Not in complete control of his game right now, he walks off looking distinctly unimpressed, despite it all.
Jon Rahm has been fairly quiet so far, reaching the turn in level-par 36. But he’s just rolled in a 25-footer on 10 to move into red figures for the first time. The par-five 11th coming up, too.
Grace wastes all the good work at 18 by slicing his drive at 1 into the penalty area. Conners birdies 11 to join the leaders at -3. Max Homa adds birdie at 11 to the one he’d picked up at 5; the Genesis Invitational champion latches onto the group at -2.
A sensational sandy par for Spieth on 8. His tee shot into the heart of the par-three green has a couple of extra joules behind it, and there’s just enough energy for it to slowly drop off the back and into sand. But he splashes up to kick-in distance, and remains at level par.
A fine par save on 18 by the co-leader Branden Grace. Always in trouble after finding sand with his tee shot, he forensically guides in a left-to-right slider from 30 feet to remain at -3. Meanwhile some news of Ian Poulter, who will be enjoying the street-fighting nature of this contest. He’s followed up birdie at 11 with another at 16, and joins a fairly big group at -2.
-3: Bradley (F), Hovland (F), Koepka (F), Wise (F), Grace (9*)
-2: Tringale (F), Laird (F), Morikawa (F), Clark (11), Horsfield (10*), Conners (10), Poulter (7*), Davis (5)
More trouble for Dustin Johnson, who sends a big slice into deep trouble down the right of the par-five 7th. That looked like nestling in a clump of thick filth. DJ scrunches his nose in mild irritation. His trusty big stick is uncharacteristically out of whack. Meanwhile up on the green, Jordan Spieth passes up a short birdie chance … then nearly yips the 18-inch tidy-up job, the ball performing the full 360 before finally dropping. Spieth has the good grace to react with theatrical relief. Missing the birdie putt was sloppy enough; dropping a stroke would have been inexcusable.
You may recall the struggles of Sam Burns (7.56pm BST). When we left him, he was +4 through 7. He went on to bogey 8 and reach the turn in 41 … whereupon he withdrew from the Championship with a back injury. That explains an unexpectedly poor showing from one of the pre-tournament dark-horse picks.
There’s nobody making much of a move this afternoon. That’ll be down to the wind staying fresh, the greens getting a little harder. Here are some of the big names stuck at level par right now: Kim Si-woo, Jon Rahm, Patrick Reed, Gary Woodland, Im Sung-jae, Will Zalatoris, Jordan Spieth.
DJ wasn’t able to make his long bogey putt on 4. He’s +2, and the world number one doesn’t look on top of his game at all. It’s a second bogey on the bounce for Ortiz, always out of position on the par-five 16th after finding a waste area down the right; he’s -1. And some bother for Im Sung-jae, who was going along nicely after birdies at 11 and 13, only to hack around in the sand dues down the right of 15, the double bringing him back to level par.
Sensational eagle for Will Zalatoris at the par-four 6th! He sends his high-flying second over the flag from 120 yards, landing it 20 feet behind the hole and spinning it back into the cup! This guy really does make things happen. Never mind that second place at Augusta on debut. What about his hole in one on 7 at Winged Foot during last year’s US Open, a feat he nearly repeated six holes later during the same round, the flagstick denying him a unique slice of history?! Wow. Anyway, that’s wiped out the deficit of bogeys at 2 and 4, and he’s level par again.
Branden Grace joins the leaders at -3 with back-to-back birdies at 15 and 16. Conners, from an impossible lie on the woodchip at 9, heads the other way, squirting his ball straight left. Two putts from distance, and that’s a bogey five. He’s -2.
Rubbish elsewhere: DJ’s chip from the back of 4 only just stays on the green; he’ll have a 20-footer to limit the damage to bogey. Spieth can’t get up and down from the sand at 5, so he’s back to level par. And on 9, Connors overclubs, his approach falling off the back of the green and into a pile of bark.
On 18, Sebastian Munoz hooks his tee shot towards the hospitality boxes. The ball takes a bounce off the picket fence along the front and into a nearby bin. For obvious reasons, the crowd are delighted with this apt turn of events. “Do I have to get it?!” he asks a referee, clearly not enamoured with the prospect of fishing through the trash. Yes, comes the answer. He gets a little help from someone who manipulates the binbag from below, gingerly plucks it from the top, and quickly offloads it to a nearby fan, who is delighted with her rubbish souvenir.
A fine up-and-down from sand by Jordan Spieth at 4. That saves his par, but he’ll need more of it at 5, pulling a 7-iron into another waste area. “That is not going to help me at all,” he deadpans, with some understatement. Also in some bother: Dustin Johnson, who pulls his drive at 4 into a hazard, takes his drop, and whistles his third over the back of the green into the second cut. The Ocean Course continues to bare its teeth.
Shane Lowry rolls a 25-footer across 3 and into the cup. He’s -1. A three-putt bogey for Carlos Ortiz on 15, and he drops out of a share to -2. And an eagle for Jason Day at 7; that was much needed, coming after bogeys at 1, 4 and 6. Life suddenly doesn’t look so bad for the 2015 champion, who bounces back to +1.
A third birdie of the afternoon for the in-form Corey Conners. This one comes at the par-five 7th, having very nearly rolled in from the front apron for eagle. He joins the leading pack … as does Carlos Ortiz, who makes it three birdies in a row at 13.
-3: Bradley (F), Hovland (F), Koepka (F), Wise (F), Conners (7), Ortiz (5*)
-2: Tringale (F), Laird (F), Morikawa (F), Horsfield (7*), Grace (6*), Im (4*), Cantlay (2)
Patrick Cantlay has missed the cut at his last four tournaments. So he’ll be more than pleased with this start. He’s just holed out from 141 yards on the par-five 2nd for eagle! That was arrowed straight at the flag, the ball pitching five feet away, taking a couple of soft bounces, then rolling obediently into the cup! He’s -2.
Birdie for Sergio at 2. He finds the dancefloor in two swipes, the second a glorious fairway wood. The eagle putt’s never quite dropping, but he’ll happily tap in to move to -1. Also carding his first birdie of the week: Jordan Spieth at 3. And here’s a young Englishman coming through: Sam Horsfield, who is -2 after birdies at 14 and now 16, a fine start to his PGA debut.
Aaron Wise is an inch away from stroking in a birdie effort on 9. But his ball stops just short, and he’ll make do with a very fine opening 69, which gives him a share of the lead. It’s not been such a good day for another much-fancied 24-year-old American, though: Sam Burns, who won his first Tour title earlier this month at the Valspar, has suffered a shocking start to his championship: a double at 2, a triple at 5, and another bogey at 6. Birdies at 3 and 7 illustrate his moxie, but one of this week’s dark horses is already floundering at +4.
Will Zalatoris, having escaped with par on 1 after slicing his drive, shoves his approach at 2 right as well. He can’t find his ball, is forced to take a drop, then sees his fourth topple back down the bank at the side of the green. He nearly chips in, but the flagstick has other ideas and it’s a bogey six. He’s +1. Jordan Spieth meanwhile makes it two opening pars.
Kim Si-woo follows birdie at 11 with another at 16. The 2017 Players champ joins the group at -2, now bereft of Carlos Ortiz, who steers a lovely approach into the water-lined 13th to ten feet, then knocks in his third birdie putt in a row. He joins the leaders at -3.
Carlos Ortiz has done nothing of note in the majors – a tie for 52nd at the 2019 US Open is all he’s managed to date – but the 30-year-old from Guadalajara has been enjoying a decent season. He won the Houston Open last November, his first victory on Tour, and the first by a Mexican for 42 years. Now, maybe, it’s time to finally make a mark in one of the big ones? Birdies at 11 and 12 have him just off the lead at -2.
Corey Conners is coming off the back of a couple of excellent performances at Augusta: a tie for tenth back in November, a tie for eighth last month. The 29-year-old Canadian continues his major-championship form here, with birdies at 2 and 5. He joins the group at -2, while Aaron Wise, the 2018 PGA Tour Rookie of the Year, makes good on that promise with his fourth birdie in seven holes, the latest at 7. The 24-year-old – born in South Africa but raised from a young age in California – takes a share of the lead at -3.
-3: Bradley (F), Hovland (F), Koepka (F), Wise (16*)
-2: Tringale (F), Laird (F), Morikawa (F), Conners (5), Grace (3*), Ortiz (3*)
Dustin does reasonably well to bump his ball back up onto the green, though he’s left with a 20-footer for his par. He can’t make it, the ball always breaking to the right. Bogey to start. Lowry meanwhile lashes into the heart of the green from the semi-rough; two putts later and that’s a nerve-settling opening par. Four for Sergio as well.
DJ gets away with that drive, his ball snagging in the sandy waste area down the right of 1. He takes absolutely no advantage of his lucky break, though. The ball’s sitting up nicely, but he thins his wedge, sending his ball skittering at warp speed through the green and past several members of the gallery, somehow avoiding everyone and ending miles past the green on a scruffy patch of waste ground. Not the ideal start from the world number one.
Will Zalatoris somehow scrambles his par on 1, draining a 30-footer and walking off with a cheeky grin. He knows full well he’s got away with that wild drive, and it’s the sort of save that will feel like a fast-start birdie. Meanwhile this is an actual fast start: birdies at 11 and 12 for Branden ‘Mr 62’ Grace. He’s -2 in double-quick time.
Can a reigning Open champion be a dark horse? You decide, though Shane Lowry comes into the week as the curveball selection of many an observer, on account of all that links expertise and sensational short game. His opening drive at 1 sneaks into the thick rough. He’s going round with Sergio and Dustin Johnson, the latter hoicking his tee shot perilously close to watery trouble on the right.
The Masters champion Hideki Matsuyama pars the 9th to sign for a 73. He’s +1. But an irritating finish for the defending champ Collin Morikawa, who misses a short par putt and slips back to -2. He’s signing for a 70.
-3: Bradley (F), Hovland (F), Koepka (F)
-2: Tringale (F), Laird (F), Morikawa (F), Lewis (17), Wise (15*)
Jordan Spieth shouts after his approach into 1 with disgust. High standards, because that’s straight at the flag, 15 feet short. Meanwhile up on 9, par for Bryson DeChambeau, who has salvaged a round threatening to go south, signing for a level-par 72.
Big thanks to Niall. Now then, who’s turn is it to flay their opening drive into thick oomska this time? It’s Will Zalatoris, fresh off his second place at the Masters. His tee shot at 1 has ended up deep in the trees down the right, nearly clocking some poor guy in a cart and nestling on some woodchips. He’ll do well to save his par from that tight spot. Meanwhile career-slam chasing Jordan Spieth splits the fairway.
Keegan Bradley rescues par at the 18th, while Koepka completes his three-under round. Those two join Viktor Hovland as joint clubhouse leaders, with Morikawa looking to join or better them as he finishes on the par-four ninth.
Time to hand back to Scott Murray, who will guide you through the rest of the day’s action. Here’s the leaderboard:
Keegan Bradley tees off at the 18th, looking to join the Norwegian as clubhouse leader. Instead, his wayward drive almost lands in the clubhouse, landing deep in the rough close to concerned patrons in a hospitality tent.
Morikawa tidies up his birdie, and joins the leading group. Another 2020 major winner, Bryson DeChambeau, continues his up-and-down day with a spectacular long birdie putt. He’s level-par with one to play.
The defending champion, Collin Morikawa, plays a belting tee shot at the eighth that curls neatly in towards the pin. A big chance for birdie, and a share of the lead. At the ninth, Hovland makes par and signs for a three-under-par 69. He’s the new clubhouse leader!
Unlucky for Martin Laird, who plays a nice chip-and-run onto the final green, then sees his par putt lip out. He’ll take the clubhouse lead, but will feel a touch disappointed with a bogey-bogey finish. Bradley, Koepka and Hovland the three joint-leaders now.
Brooks Koepka began with a double bogey; now he has a share of the lead! His eagle effort on the seventh comes up short, but he tidies up to go three under. He’s quickly joined by Viktor Hovland, who drains a downhill birdie putt on the eighth. We have a four-way tie at the top!
-3: Laird (17), Bradley (16), Koepka (15*), Hovland (16*)
-2: Tringale (F), Stenson (15), Cink (15), Lewis (14), Morikawa (15*)
Cameron Tringale is still the clubhouse leader, enjoying a rare good day at the US PGA. The Californian’s highest finish in this particular major is 72nd and he has been disqualified twice, including last year, when he made an error on his scorecard. He’ll have been double checking every pencil mark after today’s two-under-par error.
Rory McIlroy pulls a shot back with a birdie on the sixth, then immediately lands his tee shot in the filth. A decent follow-up onto the fairway gives him a chance of escaping the par-five without dropping any more shots. He’s on two-over.
Some big names are getting under way in the next 30 minutes or so. Tony Finau is off shortly, with Padraig Harrington, Phil Mickelson and Jason Day at 1.14pm local (6.14pm BST). Jon Rahm, Patrick Reed, Tommy Fleetwood and Justin Rose can all be found in the following two groups. It’s heating up nicely.
Paul Casey, who has posted a one-under 71 for the first round, is unequivocal about the challenge Kiawah Island poses. “It’s one of the toughest courses I’ve ever played,” he tells Sky. Nobody is playing it better than Martin Laird just now, although he drops a shot at the 17th to drop into a share of the lead with Keegan Bradley. It could have been worse, Laird pulling off a fine recovery shot after a wayward drive.
A three-putt bogey for Tom Lewis at the par-three 14th … and a fine opportunity to post the latest leaderboard, and hand over the reins to Niall McVeigh, who will be your guide for the next hour. See you again soon.
-4: Laird (16)
-3: Bradley (15)
-2: Tringale (F), Stenson (15), Hovland (15*), Cink (14), Koepka (14*), Lewis (14), Morikawa (13*), Marek (12)
Brooks Koepka has found his range now. In goes a 15-footer at 5, and it’s back-to-back birdies that bring him up to -2. The pre-tournament favourite is heading in the wrong direction, though: a three-putt bogey for Rory McIlroy, and he’s +3. News meanwhile of Stewart Cink: the 2009 Open champion is in the middle of a late-career renaissance, the 47-year-old from Alabama having won twice on Tour this season already. After a slow start today, he’s birdied 7, 8 and now 14, and he’s in very good nick at -2. What a story it would be if the veteran could complete the fairytale by becoming the second-oldest major winner in history (behind Julius Boros, who won the PGA as a 48-year-old in 1968). We’re still not totally forgiving him for denying Tom Watson, of course, but he’ll be able to live with that, I’m sure.
Martin Laird takes sole ownership of the lead with his fourth birdie in a row! This one is the result of a long rake across 16. Just as well that his putt hit the hole, because it was travelling some. Meanwhile Rickie Fowler and Tyrrel Hatton reach the clubhouse in 71 strokes, though the early clubhouse leader is Cameron Tringale, out first this morning at 7am, and returning with a 70.
-4: Laird (16)
-3: Bradley (14), Lewis (13)
-2: Tringale (F), Dufner (16), Stenson (15), Hovland (14*), Cink (14), Morikawa (12*), Marek (12)
The elaborately hatted Brad Marek rolls in a 30-footer on 11. Already with eagle at 7 on his card, the 37-year-old teaching professional is doing the best of the PGA Team of 20 “club pros” who have made it through to the big one. He’s -2.
Brooks Koepka rattles a 25-footer across 4 and into the cup for birdie. He’s been battling hard ever since that double-bogey start, and now he’s in red figures at -1. A slightly miserable end to Paul Casey’s round, though; he follows up bogey at 8 with another at 9, and signs for a one-under 71. Plenty would take that, but it could have been so much better.
The green at 3 is like the bonnet of a VW Beetle. Morikawa, chipping from the left, can’t hold it, his ball toppling back off the front. He’s playing alongside Matsuyama, who lobs up from the other side, only to watch in horror as his ball stalls on the top of the bank and rolls back down to his feet. Morikawa bogeys; Matsuyama runs up a double-bogey six, and they’re now -2 and +2 respectively. DeChambeau, the third member of the group, bumps up from the rough, but can’t make the ten footer he leaves himself for par and slips back to +2.
Three big putts shave the hole and refuse to drop. Keegan Bradley’s par effort at 13, Tom Lewis’s birdie chance from 30 feet at 12, and Paul Casey’s ten-footer for par on 8. Martin Laird’s birdie putt at 15 drops, though, and the 38-year-old Glaswegian, who won his first PGA Tour title in seven years at the Shriners last October, grabs a share of the lead.
-3: Laird (15), Bradley (13), Lewis (12), Morikawa (11*)
Par for McIlroy at 3, snapping a bogey-bogey run that has seen him slip to +2. Behind him, a birdie for Morikawa, and the defending champ is just a shot off the lead.
-4: Bradley (12)
-3: Casey (16*), Stenson (13), Lewis (11), Morikawa (11*)
Paul Casey also came close last year, of course, and here he is once again, looking for that elusive major title. Birdie at 7, and he’s just a shot off Keegan Bradley’s lead at -3. Alongside him, another Englishman in Tom Lewis, who has birdied 7, 8 and now 11. Lewis is still mainly remembered for his opening round of 65 at the 2011 Open as a 20-year-old amateur. Is that about to change?
Cameron Champ was in the penultimate group last year at Harding Park, watching Collin Morikawa shoot 65 en route to his first major. Champ shot 70 himself, slipping from a tie for second to a tie for tenth. The 25-year-old Californian won’t be in the thick of it this time, though. A double bogey start at 10 has proved a sign of things to come: after turning in 38, two over, he’s since tripled the par-five 2nd and doubled the par-three 5th, and now finds himself at +8, with only the 55-year-old John Daly (+9) below him in the standings. Champ is one of the biggest hitters on Tour, and right now an illustration that length alone, even on the longest course in major-championship history, guarantees nothing.
Poor old Rickie Fowler hasn’t had much luck of late, slipping down to 128 in the world rankings. So often the bridesmaid at the majors, he started well today, with birdies at 11 and 14, but he’s just followed bogey at 4 with another at 6. He came very close to chipping in for birdie, only to see his subsequent par putt lip out. He’s back to level par, though this still stands as a better-than-expected performance from the woefully short-on-confidence Californian. Here’s hoping he hangs in there, because his moustache, perhaps golf’s suavest since the days of Lloyd Mangrum, deserves a wider audience.
A big chance for Keegan Bradley to extend his lead to two. A couple of fine shots into 12, setting up a ten footer for birdie. However he doesn’t hit the putt, which is always breaking right. He remains at -4.
Erik Van Rooyen had been going well, after that early eagle-birdie burst. But he’s shipped one of those shots at 18, unable to get up and down from a greenside bunker. In fact he did well to limit the damage to bogey, having raced an excitable par putt five feet past the hole. He’s -2.
It’s like 2016 all over again, as Danny Willett and Henrik Stenson take turns to trundle in long birdie putts on 12. That year’s Masters champion moves to -2; its Open winner a shot off at -3. Meanwhile Matt Jones can’t get up and down from the swale at 15, and there’s a fresh new look to the leaderboard:
-4: Bradley (11)
-3: Jones (15), Dufner (14), Stenson (12)
McIlroy can’t make his par. His putt lips out and he’s +1. It was a decent effort; the mistakes were made further down the hole. Koepka also bogeys to slip to +1. With Thomas parring to remain at +2, this star-studded group appear to be dragging each other down. But going the correct way: Keegan Bradley, who makes it to the front of 11 in two, nearly drains a long eagle effort, and tidies up for the birdie that gives him a share of the lead at -4. With Jones in a spot of bother, the 2011 winner could soon have sole ownership of the lead.
A spot of trouble for the leader Matt Jones down the right of 15. On the top of a thickly covered mound, he can only bump his third to the bottom of a swale to the side of the green. Also struggling to save his par: Rory McIlroy, who pulls his tee shot wide left at 1, comes up short from the thick stuff, then lobs a fairly average third to 12 feet. That one only just stayed on the putting surface, for a second looking as though it might keep going and topple off the back. But there’s still hope.
The defending champ Collin Morikawa sends a tramliner straight into the cup at 18. He’s been a bit up and down so far, and yet he’s turning in 34 shots. He’s -2. Meanwhile another birdie for Jason Dufner, this time at 13, and the 2013 champ is a shot off Jones’s lead at -3!
A wayward drive down the right of 15 by Cameron Tringale. He’s forced to take a drop from an unplayable lie, but whips a 5-wood off a dusty track to 60 feet. He limits the damage to bogey, but drops out of second place; he’s -2.
Thomas does exceptionally well to get up and down for a double-bogey six. A lovely little chip that grips then releases to a couple of feet. He’s +2. Pars for Koepka and McIlroy, who both complete the back nine in level-par 36.
Some big bother for Justin Thomas on the 505-yard par-four 18th. He finds a deep fairway bunker with his drive, then slams his sand shot into the face of the bunker, the ball ballooning into some thick nonsense. He can only hack out into shorter rough, and leaves his fourth shot well short of the green. This is the world number two. A gusty Kiawah Island, ladies and gentlemen. With the wind expected to pick up some more as the day goes on, it could be quite the afternoon.
Here are three other ways to play the spine-chilling 17th. Collin Morikawa sends a high fade into the heart of the green, taking two putts for par. Hideki Matsuyama uses the shoulder of the bunker to the back left of the green to gather his ball to ten feet. He’s one joule of energy short of making the birdie putt, which died to the right at the very last, one dimple away. Finally Bryson DeChambeau takes a 5-iron – remember some folk have been unsheathing the driver – and arrows to four feet! But he can’t make the birdie putt either. Huge disappointment all round after three exceptional, but varied, tee shots. Still, Bryson has snapped a run of four straight bogeys. He remains at +2. Morikawa and Matsuyama are -1 and level par respectively.
Matt Jones takes sole ownership of the lead, taking a brave line into 13 with the water on the right, and curling in a 12-footer for birdie. The 2011 champ Keegan Bradley is hot on his tail, though, raking a long one across 9. And Paul Casey continues nicely along, responding to a dropped shot at the difficult 18th with birdie at 2.
-4: Jones (13)
-3: Tringale (13), Bradley (9), Van Rooyen (6*)
-2: Long (13), Casey (12*), Dahmen (12), Fowler (11*), Dufner (11), Z Johnson (9*), Stenson (9), Hovland (8*), Lewis (7), Samooja (5*)
Thomas does exceptionally well to stab out from the cabbage, down the slope to six feet. But he pulls the par putt and slips back to level par. McIlroy, who had dumped his tee shot into a deep bunker to the left, splashes out to five feet and scrambles his par. He stays at level. Of course, calmly find the centre of the green and it’s a two-putt par. Koepka remains at level. Three very different ways to play that hole.
There’s no other way of putting this: Pete and Alice Dye were sadists. Their iconic 17th island green at Sawgrass is one thing; this par-three 17th here at Kiawah is another level of hurt altogether. Across water, exposed high beside the ocean, straight into the wind. The players are having to take woods, sometimes driver! This is going to be a lot of fun on Sunday afternoon. Anyway, we’ve already seen Loius Oosthuizen dump his tee shot into the drink en route to a double-bogey five; now Justin Thomas has overcompensated for the water by whistling his fairway wood halfway up a bank covered in thick rough. God speed, JT.
McIlroy wedges to ten feet at 16, but can’t make the par putt and slips back to level par. He’s not been quite on top of his game this morning, though he’s been heavily punished for the two big mistakes he’s made. The small margins. His playing partner Koepka also moves to level par, but in the more acceptable direction, with birdie.
This is how the top of the leaderboard looks right now. Nice to see 2011 winner Keegan Bradley up there, alongside 2013 champ Jason Dufner. That should either make you feel very old, or young again. Let’s go with the latter.
-3: Tringale (12), Jones (12), Van Rooyen (5*)
-2: Long (12), Dahmen (11), Fowler (10*), Dufner (10), Z Johnson (9*), Stenson (9), Bradley (8), Hovland (7*), Morikawa (6*), Samooka (4*)
No relief for Rory, who politely thanks the referee for the ruling anyway. He hacks back out onto the fairway instead, and will have to get up and down from 100 yards or so to save his par. Meanwhile the previously out-of-form Henrik Stenson hits the turn in 34; also at -2, Collin Morikawa and Viktor Hovland after rolling in big birdie putts at 15 and 16 respectively.
A third bogey in a row for Bryson DeChambeau, this time at 15. He’s paying the price for some wayward driving, and slips to +1. Trouble meanwhile for McIlroy up ahead at the long par-five 16th. He sends his second out to the left, and his ball plugs in some ugly sand. He asks for a referee, questioning whether he’s actually in one of the designated waste areas; if he’s not, he’ll get relief, but if he is (as he appears to be) he’ll have to hack it out from where it lies.
The 41-year-old Australian Matt Jones has a journeyman record in the majors, but clearly has a taste for these links-style set-ups. Jones led the 2015 PGA at Whistling Straits after two rounds, ending the week in a tie for 21st, and he’s going along very nicely here at the Ocean Course, too. Birdie at 11, and he’s suddenly got a share of the lead, with Cameron Tringale dropping a stroke up ahead on 12.
-3: Tringale (12), Jones (11), Van Rooyen (4*)
Koepka can’t get up and down from 100 yards at 14, and he slips back to +1. But McIlroy saves his par, whipping a Mickelsonesque lob from the grassy knoll to six feet, and rolling the putt confidently into the centre of the cup. Looks like his flat-stick renaissance, under the tutelage of Brad Faxon, is continuing after his laser-accurate putting heroics at Quail Hollow. He’s -1. Meanwhile the third member of the group, Justin Thomas, makes a meal of his par, sending a hysterical birdie effort ten feet past the hole, but cleaning up to remain at -1.
Frustration for Cameron Tringale up on 11, as a ten-footer lips out. He taps in with theatrical irritation, waving his putter high in the air … though there’s frustration and then there’s frustration, because the lipped-out putt was for eagle, and the tap-in gives him sole ownership of the lead. Not the worst fate, huh.
-4: Tringale (11)
-3: Van Rooyen (3*)
A stroke of luck for Brooks, who finds his ball snagged at the bottom of some reeds. There are no white markers around, so he’s able to play it, and lashes back out onto the fairway. McIlroy meanwhile isn’t in the sand to the left; he’s in thick cabbage the other side of it. He whips hard, and it comes out hot, flying into thick rough up a bank to the right of the green. A couple of two-time former champions struggling to scramble par here.
So much for Koepka’s recovery. He sends a huge slice towards the ocean at 14. If it’s not wet, it’s in a penalty area. McIlroy, a little spooked by that, sends his tee shot wide left into one of those waste areas we have this week instead of your old-fashioned bunkers. The wind, nicely up now after a relatively benign start, is beginning to mess with a few minds.
Oosthuizen slips out of the lead. He finds a deep bunker to the side of 15 and can’t get up and down. He’s -2. DeChambeau also moves the wrong way, three-putting the 13th. But it’s a birdie for the Players champion Justin Thomas, who steers in a left-to-right curler on the par-three 13th to move under par for the first time today.
Erik van Rooyen, having raked a long one in for eagle at 11, makes a similar putt for birdie at 12. He ties for the lead with Cameron Tringale and Louis Oosthuizen. Meanwhile the 2013 champion Jason Dufner, sleepwalking around the place in his trademark laid-back style, is this close to making a long birdie putt at 8 that would have given him a share. The Somnambulist remains at -2.
Brooks Koepka continues to bounce back from that opening-hole double-bogey horror. A second birdie in three holes, this time the reward for an aggressive line taken into 13, ignoring the water just to the right of the green, and the 2018 and 2019 champion is back to level par.
Oosthuizen can’t make his birdie putt on 14. An uncertain downhill prod that’s always dribbling wide right. The tee shot deserved better, but life could be worse, and he remains in a share of the lead.
-3: Tringale (9), Oosthuizen (5*)
-2: Long (9), Jones (9), Casey (8*), Hoge (8), Fowler (7*), Dufner (7), Z Johnson (5*), DeChambeau (3*), Van Rooyen (2*)
Erik van Rooyen, who finished in the top ten at Bethpage Black a couple of years ago, starts strongly with eagle at 11. Up on the long par-three 14th, his compatriot Louis Oosthuizen creams an iron to nine feet. Chance coming up to take the early lead. Meanwhile on 12, another birdie out of nothing for Bryson DeChambeau, who comes up short with his second but trundles in a putt from off the green to move to -2.
Louis Oosthuizen strokes a 12-footer into the cup at 13, and he joins Cameron Tringale at the top of the early leaderboard at -3. Meanwhile last year’s nearly man, Paul Casey, birdies his second par-five of the day, the 16th, and he joins the group at -2 … as does Zach Johnson with birdie at 14. It’s all happening this morning.
Cameron Tringale lips out for birdie at 9, and he turns in 33. The scoring is a little better than everyone was predicting this morning, though the wind is beginning to pick up now, so let’s see how long this lasts. A lot of players at -1, incidentally, including Bob MacIntyre (5*), Paul Casey (6*) and … Rory McIlroy, who rolls in a 15-footer on 12, and that opening drive suddenly seems a long time ago.
-3: Tringale (9)
-2: Long (8), Jones (8), Fowler (6*), Oosthuizen (3*)
A couple of breaks for Bryson down 11. His drive found some sandy waste ground down the left, but he found a clean lie and was able to hoick a blind second towards the green. That stopped one yard short of some extremely wild rough, another fortunate lie, from where he gets up and down for an unlikely birdie. He’s -1.
McIlroy is so close to responding to that opening bogey in spectacular style. He crashes a huge drive down the 11th, sends a 7-iron to 15 feet, and is very unlucky to see his firm, confident eagle putt lip out. Birdie gets him back to level par.
Fine second-shot recoveries from either side of 10 by DeChambeau and Morikawa, and they escape with pars. Birdies at 11 for Xander Schauffele and Viktor Hovland, two young men in search of their maiden major. They’re -1. And birdie at the 608-yard 16th for entertaining everyman Harry Higgs. It’d be some way to mark the 30th anniversary of John Daly’s win if Higgs – whose favourite “cocktail” is vodka with a very small splash of water in a styrofoam cup – matches his feat of winning on debut. This blog approves of Harry Higgs.
Another birdie for Cameron Tringale, this time at 7. The 33-year-old is yet to win on the PGA Tour, but he’s leading this championship right now at -3. Zach Johnson is hot on his tail; the 2007 Masters and 2015 Open winner eagles the par-five 11th … as does 2010 Open champion Louis Oosthuizen. There’s good news of the woefully out-of-form Rickie Fowler, too: birdies at 11 and now 14 and he joins the group at -2.
A huge stroke of luck for Rory, who thins his sand shot from the back of 10 and past the pin. But the ball, helped by a combination of breeze and camber, comes back towards the hole. He’ll have a good chance to limit the damage to bogey. In it goes: he’s +1, and he’d have taken that with both hands when he was watching his tee shot sail off towards the briny. Thomas meanwhile gets up and down for his par. Koepka, though, having found the green with his fourth, goes nowhere near with his bogey putt, and the two-time winner begins with a different sort of double.
At this point, it’s probably worth mentioning that the first four holes of the Ocean Course ease you into this particular Pete and Alice Dye nightmare. Starting at 10 is just asking for trouble. The reigning champion Collin Morikawa is next up, and he follows McIlroy’s ill-advised line. A frown creases his brow. Bryson DeChambeau isn’t too happy either, as he flays his tee shot into the gallery down the left. No shout of fore, which is poor form. Finally it’s the newest major champion of all, the Master golfer Hideki Matsuyama. A lovely smooth one down the middle. This is going to be extremely entertaining.
A scene all amateurs will be familiar with unfolds on 1. As Rory works out where to drop, in the background Koepka is spotted firing his second straight into the face of the bunker. He hacks his third back onto the fairway. Then Rory takes his drop and lashes his third onto the green … and off the back into sand. Thomas also finds greenside sand. Three of the world’s best golfers immediately on the back foot, in damage-limitation mode.
This 10th hole has already claimed one victim today. Adam Scott, the 2013 Masters champion, ran up a triple-bogey seven after doing exactly what McIlroy’s just done. Meanwhile we have a new early leader in Cameron Tringale, who has birdied 1 and now 6. Jimmy Walker drops back into the small pack at -1 with bogey at 3.
-2: Tringale (6)
-1: Coetzee (3), Casey (4*), Fowler (3*), Walker (3)
Here comes Rory … and oh dear. The pre-tournament favourite sends a monster slice way right of the par-four 10th. Plenty of trouble over there. Plenty of wet trouble over there. He’s in the water. Neither of his playing partners cover themselves in glory, either; Brooks Koepka is up against the face of a bunker, while Justin Thomas sends his drive into the thick stuff on the left. Major championship golf, right here, right now.
Ewan Murray is our man at Kiawah. In case you missed his preview, here it is. Get on it!
Related: Tiger Woods targets Ryder Cup role as Kiawah contenders ready for US PGA
Good morning South Carolina, good afternoon to those in Blighty. The most significant early news from Kiawah? The wind’s up, and it’s only likely to get stronger as the day goes on. One of the toughest courses in the world has just become that little bit harder. But that’s not going to faze a couple of former champions. John Daly, celebrating the 30th anniversary of his breakthrough triumph at Crooked Stick, hooked his opening tee shot into vegetation down the left of 1, sent his second into some sandy nonsense at the bottom of a greenside swale, then chipped in for birdie. Meanwhile his partner Jimmy Walker, who won this title in 2016 at Baltusrol, has opened birdie-birdie, and is the very early leader of the 103rd PGA Championship!
-2: Walker (2)
-1: Tringale (4), Holmes (3), Coetzee (3), Casey (3*), Fowler (2*), Daly (2)
One autumn Sunday last year, Paul Casey stood on the 17th tee at Harding Park, San Francisco, an excited man. He’d just made a birdie to grab a share of the lead at the 102nd PGA Championship. One good shot at this par-three, and that elusive major title could finally be his.
But before he took it, he made the mistake of looking back down the par-four 16th. It was at this point he saw a ball gently fading around the corner, landing on the front of the green and rolling seven feet short of the hole. A drive to set up an eagle. “Was that Morikawa?” he asked his caddy, in the manner of a man who knew full well it was indeed young Collin, his co-leader. Casey turned back, knocked his tee shot to ten feet, missed the putt, and in the blink of an eye, it was all over.
