The first round of the 2024 PGA Championship is over at Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Kentucky, with Xander Schauffele off to a great start as he seeks his first major championship.
Schauffele shot a 62 (nine birdies, no bogeys) on Thursday, tying a record he shares with two others for best round at a major. He holds a three-shot lead on Tony Finau, Saheeth Theegala and Mark Hubbard.
Scottie Scheffler , who entered the tournament as the No. 1 player in the world and won the year’s first major championship at the Masters, shot a 4-under 67 and is tied for 12th place.
Tiger Woods teed off early in the morning and shot a 1-over.
USA TODAY Sports provided updates throughout the day. Here's how the first round went:
Mark Hubbard put up a fantastic ending to the day as he jumped to second place after finishing the first round at 6-under-par.
Hubbard birdied three of the last four holes, and the late push began with a 30-foot putt on the par-4 15th. He doesn't have a PGA Tour win, but he ends the day just three shots back of the leader and he's tied with Tony Finau and Sahith Theegala.
It’s been a great day to golf at Valhalla Golf Club, so great that the tournament record is set to be broken.
With the first round nearly wrapped up, 66 golfers are under par, which would be the most in PGA Championship history. The previous record was 60 in 2006 at Medinah.
Several players have noted the grass has been very soft and has played a factor in the low scores. A majority of the the players at the top of the leaderboard teed off in the morning.
Most of the crowd has left Valhalla Golf Club with the sun setting soon, but those still on the course are playing some good golf.
Mark Hubbard and Maverick McNealy are part of the third-to-last group to tee off Thursday, but they are both shooting well as they get close to wrapping up the day. Both are 4-under-par.
The top player in the world had a great first round in Louisville, finishing the day at 4-under-par and in a tie for 10th place.
Scheffler had a perfect start to the day with an eagle on No. 1, and he’s been able to overcome a couple of bogeys to be one of several players with low scores. He’s been on fire this year with four tour wins, including the 2024 Masters, and he remains in the hunt for another major championship this weekend.
No one has been able to get near Xander Schauffele’s incredible first round, but those who teed off in the afternoon are making progress.
All eyes have been on world No. 1-ranked golfer Scottie Scheffler, and he’s played a steady first round at 4-under-par through 16. But some lesser known golfers had impressive days that were nearly free of mistakes. Tom Kim shot a 5-under-par to finish the day in a tie for fourth place, and Thomas Detry is also tied with Kim on the leaderboard.
Collin Morikawa nailed three consecutive birdies in the front nine to get him out of an early hole, and he’s done it again on the back nine to propel him near the top of the leaderboard.
Morikawa birdied Nos. 12-14 to put him at 4-under-par and is now tied for sixth. He’s knocked in some big putts during the hot streak, all of which were at least 10 feet away from the cup.
Tom Kim has been impressive in his young PGA Tour career, and the 21-year-old is having another outstanding round on Thursday at 5-under-par through 13 holes.
Kim hasn't bogeyed in the first round so far, and he has birdies in three of his last four holes. His best finish in a major came in The Open in 2023 when he finished tied for second.
Thomas Detry has played a mistake-free first round so far as he’s made five birdies and avoided any bogeys through 11 holes. His shots on the fairway have been excellent and have set him up for relatively short putts. He’s tied for fourth place alongside Rory McIlroy and Robert MacIntyre.
The Belgian golfer has never won a PGA Tour event.
Scottie Scheffler had a hot start to the day with an eagle on No. 1, and he’s keeping a steady pace at 3-under-par through nine.
The world No.1-ranked player looked immortal until he bogeyed on the par-4 fifth, but he regained ground with a birdie on the par-5 seventh. He had a chance to climb up the leaderboard on No. 8 with a 56-foot putt for birdie, but it fell just short of the cup.
Xander Schauffele remains in first place after his fantastic 9-under-par day.
The 2020 PGA Championship winner is heating up after a slow start.
Collin Morikawa had two bogeys through five holes, but he's found a rhythm with three consecutive birdies on Nos. 6-8. He capped off an impressive streak with a 41-foot putt on the par-3 eighth to secure the birdie and put him at 1-under-par for the first time on Thursday.
Jon Rahm had an odd beginning of the week at the PGA Championship with his press conference, and things aren't looking good on the course either.
Rahm has quickly fallen into a hole with bogeys on three of his first five holes, including three in a row on Nos. 4-6. The Spaniard hasn't been able to get close on the green and his putter hasn't done him any favors either. Rahm is 4-over-par through six.
Scottie Scheffler is showing early why he is the world No. 1-ranked player.
After his incredible eagle on No. 1, the 2024 Masters champion is in a groove after he picked up a birdie on the par-4 fourth hole to put him at 3-under-par and already launching himself into the top 10 of the leaderboard. Scheffler had great second shot on No. 4 to set up the birdie to put himself 13 feet away from the hole. It was a breeze with the putter, having no problem sinking the putt.
For the first round of a major championship, scores have been rather low for those players who teed off early at Valhalla. A brief fog delay caused tee times to be pushed back slightly, and the moist early conditions allowed many golfers to rack up the birdies.
In addition to Xander Schauffele's 9-under 62, fellow Americans Tony Finau and Sahith Theegala shot 65s to finish their opening rounds just three shots off the pace.
Other excellent early rounds included 5-under 66s from Northern Ireland's Rory McIlroy and Scotland's Robert MacIntyre. Among a group at 4-under 67 were Americans Ben Kohles, Brooks Koepka and Taylor Moore.
Masters champion Scottie Scheffler has a tough act to follow as he tees off at the second major championship of the golf season.
But after one hole, he appears to be up for the challenge.
Chasing Xander Schauffele's course record 62, the world's No. 1-ranked player safely launched his tee shot down the right side of the fairway on No. 1 ... and hit his approach shot into the hole for an eagle, from 167 yards out.
On ESPN's broadcast of the tournament, anchor Jim Nantz succinctly said, "Hello dad" as the ball took one hop into the cup.
Scheffler is playing in his first tournament since his wife Meredith gave birth to their son Bennett earlier this month.
The first eagle of the 106th PGA Championship belongs to defending champion Brooks Koepka.
Going for the green in two on the 590-yard par-5 seventh hole, Koepka hit his second shot from 211 yards out to within three feet of the hole. He converted the eagle putt to get him to 3-under for the tournament, then followed it up with a birdie to get to 4-under with one hole left to play.
Koepka has won five major titles in his career, including three wins in this event. He previously won the PGA Championship in 2018 and 2019 in addition to last year.
Shortly after Koepka's eagle on No. 7, Bryson DeChambeau got one of his own on the same hole by holing out a 51-yard shot from the fairway.
Tiger Woods sits 10 shots off the pace at Valhalla after shooting an opening round of 1-over par.
On the same course where he won the 2000 PGA Championship (in a playoff over Bob May), Woods finished with back-to-back bogeys on holes 8 and 9 for a 72.
It was an up-and-down round of three birdies and four bogeys for Woods, who's seeking to tie the record of five PGA titles held by Jack Nicklaus and Walter Hagen.
Australian Cam Smith found himself in an interesting situation during his opening round that may seem quite familiar to many weekend duffers.
Tied for sixth at 3-under par, Smith's wayward drive on the par-5 seventh left him just to the right of the fairway landing area. The problem was, his ball was in the hazard and sitting in some shallow water.
Smith declined to take a drop and chose to play it out of the hazard … but not before taking off his shoes and socks to take his stance.
The Australian was able to make solid contact and get the ball back in play safely. His approach shot from 243 yards found the right rough, but he chipped it to within seven feet and sunk the putt for an unconventional par.
Xander Schauffele has set a blistering pace at the 2024 PGA Championship, shooting a major championship record-tying 62 in his opening round to lead the tournament by three shots over Tony Finau.
Starting his round on the back nine, Schauffele – currently No. 3 in the World Golf Rankings – collected nine birdies without a bogey to get to 9 under par.
Finishing up with a two-putt par on the 415-yard, par-4 ninth hole at Valhalla Country Club, Schauffele's 62 tied the record he shares with Rickie Fowler (2023 U.S. Open) and Branden Grace (2017 British Open) for the lowest round ever in a men's major championship.
Tiger Woods is back into red figures after notching his second birdie on the front nine at the par-5 seventh. (He began his round on hole No. 10.)
After a 300-yard drive into the landing area surrounded front and back by water, Woods found a fairway bunker on his second shot, but hit his approach shot to 13 1/2 feet and nailed the putt for birdie to get to 1-under for his round with two holes to play.
The birdie put Woods in a tie for 20th place.
Continuing his early assault on Valhalla, Xander Schauffele has jumped out to a big lead with two holes to play in his opening round. With a two-putt birdie on the Par-5 seventh hole, Schauffele moved to an astounding 9 under par.
It was his fourth birdie on the front nine – after starting with five birdies on the back nine. If he birdies one of his two remaining holes and gets to 10-under, he would find himself in uncharted territory.
No player has ever shot 61 in any round of any major championship.
Schauffele leads Tony Finau and Robert MacIntyre by four shots.
Tiger Woods finally took advantage of a Par 3 on No. 3, using an iron to get within 5 feet of the cup and easily tap in for birdie. But no one has been able to stop Xander Schauffele (-7), who added another birdie at No. 4 and has a two-shot lead over Tony Finau, after he birdied 18 to close out his front nine.
Another hole and another birdie for Schauffele. He made good on the par 4, No. 2, while Rory Mcllroy hit the pin on the first hole of the back nine and tapped in for an easy birdie putt. McIlroy sits at 2-under, four shots off the lead.
Rory McIlroy showed a bit of frustration after his long putt for par on 17 went wide and settled for a bogey. He is 1-under and seeking his first major in 10 years, while Viktor Hovland's struggles on 17 also led to a bogey, and he is at 2-under. Three Americans are on top of the leaderboard, led by Xander Schauffele (-5), Tony Finau, who missed a birdie chance at 16, and Doug Ghim, who are one shot back.
Tiger Woods had one birdie and two bogeys in an uneven first nine holes and finds himself at 1-over after he settled for par on the Par 5 18th. Xander Schauffele is the leader at 5-under at the start of the back nine after another birdie on the 18th. Tony Finau is off to a torrid start as well and is one shot back after three straight birdies on 13, 14 and 15.
Schauffele, seeking his first major victory, birdied Nos. 13, 15 and 16 to take the outright lead at 4-under through his first seven holes. Doug Ghim and Jordan Spieth, who is off to a great start with birdies on three of his first four holes to start the day, are one shot back. After a bogey on 15, Tiger Woods, who has been playing with fire with his putting all morning, is back to 1-over for the round.
With golfers usually making up scores when a hole is a Par 3, the early stages of Round 1 at the PGA are proving difficult. So far, only nine birdies have been made on the four Par 3 holes that have been played (No. 3, 8, 11, 14). But there have been 20 bogeys on those holes as well. Viktor Hovland, Rory McIlroy, after his birdie on No. 13, Doug Ghim, Xander Schauffele, Robert MacIntyre, Jordan Spieth and Sahith Theegala are on top at 2-under.
Through the early portion of the first round, no golfer has broken through to establish themselves as the one to beat. Doug Ghim and Xander Schauffele are the early leaders at 2-under, and there are nine golfers at 1-under, including Rory McIlroy and Luke Donald. Tiger Woods again settled for par on No. 13 and is still 1-over through three holes. Find the live updating PGA Championship leaderboard here.
After Tiger settled for par on his first hole, his tee shot on the par 3 No. 11 went awry, and he had to settle for a bogey. Woods sits at 1-over, and his putting will be the key moving forward to see if he can take advantage of the multiple holes set up for easy scores.
Rory McIlroy knocked down a birdie putt to get his PGA Championship started with a bang. McIlroy joins Martin Kaymer, Xander Schauffele and Luke Donald – who bogeyed No. 5 – at 1-under.
As more golfers join the fray at Valhalla, Luke Donald and Doug Ghim find themselves at the top of the leaderboard at 2-under. Matt Wallace, Xander Schauffele and Adam Hadwin are in a three-way tie for third place at 1-under. Find the live updating PGA Championship leaderboard here.
Tiger Woods had about a 10-foot putt for birdie, but rolled it past the hole to the right. Woods recovered, however, and made his putt for par. Tiger joins 15 other golfers at even at Valhalla.
Luke Donald carded a birdie on the par-3 No. 4 hole to move to 2-under and take early sole possession of the lead at the PGA Championship. Donald's best finish at a PGA Championship came in 2006 when he tied for third.
Rory McIlroy, who has finished at the top of the leaderboard in his past two tournaments, is just barely off the left side of the fairway as he starts his 2024 PGA Championship.
Dustin Johnson and Justin Rose teed off alongside McIlroy. Johnson and Rose were also in the rough, but just off to the right.
Tiger Woods ripped a perfect drive down the middle of the fairway to kick off his 2024 PGA Championship.
Adam Scott and Keegan Bradley followed, with Bradley joining Woods on the fairway and Scott finding the rough.
The next group off the No. 10 tee will be Rory McIlroy, Dustin Johnson and Justin Rose at 8:25 a.m. ET.
Ludvig Aberg, Xander Schauffele and Justin Thomas are on the course after teeing off on No. 10. The group behind them is Tiger Woods, Adam Scott and Keegan Bradley, who are scheduled to tee off at 8:14 a.m. ET.
Nine golfers are through one hole, and Luke Donald leads the way at 1-under. Meanwhile, Doug Ghim, Tyler Collet, Adrian Meronk and Ben Kohles are even-steven. Find the live updating PGA Championship leaderboard here.
After splitting the fairway on his drive off the tee, Luke Donald wrapped up his first hole at the PGA Championship with about a 15-foot putt to card a birdie on the par 4 No. 1 hole.
The Louisville forecast for Round 1 – aside from foggy – says partly cloudy with a high of 83 degrees. Winds from SW at 8 mph, according to the Weather Channel.
The second group is on the course, with Doug Ghim, Tyler Collet and Adrian Meronk teeing off from the No. 10 hole.
Michael Block, Luke Donald and Shaun Micheel have teed off from the par-4 No. 1 hole, and the 2024 PGA Championship has begun.
Morning starting times for the first round of the PGA Championship are being pushed back 10 minutes due to a thick fog hovering at Valhalla.
For cord-cutters, select focuses of the PGA will be available on CBS Sports HQ over the four-day event. Cord-cutters can also turn to Fubo, which carries CBS and ESPN.
- TV channels: ESPN, ESPN2, CBS
- Live stream: ESPN+
Thursday : Noon-8 p.m., ESPN
Friday: 1-8 p.m., ESPN
Saturday: 10 a.m.-1 p.m., ESPN; 1-7 p.m., CBS
Sunday: 10 a.m.-1 p.m., ESPN; 1-7 p.m., CBS
Daily TV coverage of the 2024 PGA Championship tournament will be available on ESPN and CBS. ESPN2 will offer an alternate telecast ESPN BET at the PGA Championship from 11 a.m. - 1 p.m. followed by PGA Championship with No Laying Up from 1-3 p.m.
Tiger Woods is set to tee off at 8:04 a.m. ET Thursday.
PGA Championship Round 1 start time
The first round of the PGA Championship starts at 7:15 a.m. ET on Thursday when Michael Block, Luke Donald and Shaun Micheel tee off.
PGA Championship tee times for Round 1
Here is every tee time and grouping for Round 1 of the PGA Championship.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 2024 PGA Championship highlights: Xander Schauffele leads with 62
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