Australian golfer Min Woo Lee shares the lead with six others after opening round
Australia’s Min Woo Lee battled cold weather and warm greens to take a share of the lead after the first round of the PGA Championship in Pennsylvania.
Lee was part of the biggest gridlock following the opening round of a major championship in 57 years.
But there was still one name that stood out from the rest: Scottie Scheffler, who handled everything Aronimink threw his way.
Scheffler took advantage of two long birdie putts and a big break on the 17th hole to share the lead with six other players — former PGA champion Martin Kaymer perhaps the biggest surprise — with a 3-under 67 on a challenging day in the Philadelphia suburbs.
The period in which Scheffler had at least a share of the lead was the 13th inning in the majors and, remarkably, the first time after the opening round.
At age 67, they were joined by Aldrich Potgieter, Stephan Jaeger, Lee, Ryo Hisatsune and Alex Smalley. The seven-way tie was the largest since nine players shared the lead at the 1969 PGA Championship at NCR Country Club in Dayton, Ohio.
And to think there could be eight players. Garrick Higgo received a 69, which included a two-shot penalty before he even got a shot for being 10 seconds late to the starting point at his group’s starting time.
“Unfortunately, there are situations in golf where we get penalized,” Higgo said. “But it’s a rule, and frankly, I broke the rule. I wish it was under all three. I hope I can make a good story out of it.”
Masters champion Rory McIlroy hit the practice green for much of the afternoon after shooting a 74 over his final four holes.
Lee bounced back from a bogey on the first hole with five birdies in an impressive three-under-par start to men’s golf’s second major championship of the year.
The wide, undulating and lightning-fast greens of Aronimink Golf Club outside Philadelphia proved a challenge for most, but Lee managed the test impressively, leading Australia’s early attack.
Australia’s 2015 champion Jason Day cursed his bowler after managing just two late birdies in the under-69 match despite a superb round of batting.
Jordan Spieth, chasing the last leg of a career grand slam, was making a move with three birdies on the back nine, but two late bogeys left him one behind.
Cameron Smith, who has missed the cut at six consecutive majors, was also three under through seven holes, but Australia’s one-time world No. 2 Cameron Smith dropped three shots late in an even-par round of 70.
McIlroy was furious after finishing with four straight bogeys and posting a one-over 74.
Beginning his round on the 10th hole, McIlroy had a troubled start with an opening bogey after being forced to exit difficult terrain, but bounced right back with a birdie on the 11th hole.
From there it was a run of consecutive par 10s for the Northern Irishman as he chased a seventh major title that would surpass Sir Nick Faldo’s tally and make him the most successful European of the modern era.
The two-time PGA champion couldn’t find the spark and showed his frustration when a sloppy drive in the fourth round resulted in a second bogey.
He again responded directly by sinking a 31-foot putt before heading home.
But no one struggled more than Bryson DeChambeau, the 2024 and 2025 runner-up who didn’t make birdie until his finish on the par-5 ninth hole.
This kept him from achieving the top score at a PGA Championship. He shot 76 and now must work to avoid a second consecutive missed cut in the major.
AAP, AP
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