PARIS — Top-ranked defending champion Scottie Scheffler fired a three-under par 67 to seize a share of the lead in the opening round of the PGA Championship.
South African Aldrich Potgieter, Australian Min Woo Lee, American Alex Smalley, Japan’s Ryo Hisatsune, and Germans Stephan Jaeger and Martin Kaymer also shot 67 to share the lead on a wild day at Aronimink.
Scheffler, a four-time major winner, made five birdies against two bogeys and found himself atop the leaderboard after 18 holes for the first time in a major.
“But is it really a lead when you’re tied with six or seven guys?” the American wondered according to AFP.
“The golf course was pretty challenging,” Scheffler said. “I did a good job staying in it mentally on a course that was difficult at times.”
Scheffler made birdie putts from 38 feet at seven, 28 feet at 10 and just inside nine feet at 11 to share the lead, then answered a three-putt bogey at 14 with a four-foot birdie putt at 16.
Second-ranked Masters winner Rory McIlroy was frustrated after a 74, having no problems with his blister-hit right foot but plenty with his golf swing.
McIlroy, a back-nine starter, closed with four bogeys in a row and five in his last six holes.
“I’m just not driving the ball well enough,” McIlroy said. “It has been a problem all year for the most part.
“That’s pretty frustrating, especially when I pride myself on driving the ball well.”
An unlikely group did solve Aronimink’s trademark undulating greens, including 23-year-old Hisatsune, who made seven birdies, four of them after each bogey in his round in only his fifth major appearance.
“I’m very lucky, especially with a lot of birdies and a lot of bounceback,” Hisatsune said. “I’m so happy.”
Kaymer, 41, won the 2010 PGA and 2014 US Open but has not had a top-10 major finish in 10 years.
“Didn’t make many mistakes. Stayed out of trouble,” Kaymer said. “I avoided big numbers and the rest of it was very consistent.”
Jaeger birdied five of the first nine holes but struggled on the back nine.
“On the front I hit some fairways and made some nice putts,” Jaeger said. “Kept it together on the back.”
The only other time two Germans were in the top five of a major round was when Bernard Langer and Alex Cejka shared the first-round lead at the 2001 British Open.
Potgieter, a 21-year-old South African making his sixth major start, made six birdies, including a 43-foot putt at 11, in his PGA Championship debut.
