TLDR
Contents
- Matt Fitzpatrick and Luke Donald share early lead at PGA Championship, both aiming to become first English champion since 1919
- Europe Ryder Cup captain Luke Donald is competing at age 47 and seeking his first major win
- Tommy Fleetwood joins the English contingent in contention despite a bogey at the 17th hole
- Only four Europeans have ever won the PGA Championship title
- Scheffler, McIlroy and Schauffele also made early moves in the feature group
English Challenge for Historic PGA Championship Win
The first round of the PGA Championship at Quail Hollow began with a strong showing from England’s golfers. Matt Fitzpatrick and Luke Donald grabbed a share of the early lead on Thursday, both sitting at three-under par.
These English golfers are trying to make history. Not since Jim Barnes in 1919 has an English player won this major tournament. Barnes took the first two PGA Championships in 1916 and 1919.
Donald, who serves as this year’s Europe Ryder Cup captain, is seeking his first major win at age 47. He had the honor of striking the opening shot off the first tee for the field of 156 players at the 7,626-yard, par-71 course.
His best finish in a major came at the 2006 PGA Championship, where he tied for third place. Donald’s first round included three birdies. He sank a four-foot putt at the par-three fourth hole, a five-footer at the par-four eighth, and rolled in an 18-foot putt at the par-five 10th.
Fitzpatrick, who began his round on the 10th tee, is already a major champion having won the 2022 US Open. His round featured a 36-foot birdie at the 10th hole. He followed this with precise approach shots at the 14th and 15th holes, leaving his ball inches from the cup for easy birdies.
International Competition Heats Up
Tommy Fleetwood joined his English compatriots in the hunt. He shared the lead early in his back-nine start but stumbled with a bogey at the par-three 17th hole. Fleetwood earned a silver medal at the Paris Olympics and has seven top-five major finishes without a victory.
The leaderboard was crowded with international talent. Also at three-under were US Ryder Cup captain Keegan Bradley, fellow American Max Greyserman, Dane Rasmus Hojgaard, Germany’s Stephan Jaeger, New Zealand’s Ryan Fox, Colombian Nico Echavarria, Spaniard David Puig, and Sweden’s Alex Noren.
Fox made a strong start from the back nine. He sank birdie putts from just inside eight feet at the 10th hole, from 30 feet at the 13th, and from just over four feet at the 14th.
The tournament’s feature group drew plenty of attention. World number one Scottie Scheffler, Masters champion Rory McIlroy, and defending champion Xander Schauffele all started from the 10th tee.
Scheffler, fresh off his first win of the year two weeks ago, made an early move. He sank a 35-foot eagle putt from just off the green at the 15th hole to reach two-under par. This came after a bogey at the 11th and a 20-foot birdie chip at the 12th.
McIlroy stood at one-under through his early holes. The Northern Irishman made a birdie-bogey start before adding another birdie with a three-foot putt at the 15th. McIlroy has a strong history at Quail Hollow, having won there four times previously.
Schauffele began with a five-foot birdie putt at the 10th hole but gave that stroke back with a bogey at the 14th. As the defending champion, he faces the challenge of becoming the first repeat winner since Brooks Koepka in 2018-2019.
McIlroy comes into the tournament in excellent form. He completed his career Grand Slam by winning the Masters last month, ending a major drought that stretched back to 2014. He has already claimed the Players Championship and Pebble Beach titles this year.
The historical context adds weight to the English challenge. Only four Europeans have ever won the PGA Championship, making the early showing by Donald, Fitzpatrick, and Fleetwood even more important as the tournament progresses.
Play continued throughout the day with the leaderboard expected to shift as weather and course conditions evolved during the first round at Quail Hollow.
