Day 1 of the PGA Championship is over and boy, are we surprised! Venezuelan golfer Jhonattan Vegas stormed to the lead at Quail Hollow, with a score of 7 under par. The 4-time PGA Tour winner carded 9 birdies, finishing strong with 5 birdies in his last six holes. The 40-year-old will be looking to make this opportunity count as he had never finished in the top 20 of a major championship before.
American golfer Alex Smalley, who was a late replacement for Sahith Theegala, also impressed, recording a score of 4 under par and currently at T4. The top part of the leaderboard is full of surprising names including Ryan Gerard (T2) and New Zealand golfer Ryan Fox (T4), who just recently won his first PGA Tour title at the Myrtle Beach Classic. The bizarre nature of the leaderboard was a topic of discussion on several platforms which tried to understand the reason behind it.
The PGA Championship experience
The medley of names at the top of the leaderboard feels vaguely familiar. In fact, Alan Shipnuck in his appearance on the Dan on Golf episode, pointed out that the first day of the PGA Championship feels like just any other PGA Tour event. A lot of surprising names at the top of the list, with big names, struggling to find footing. “It just feels like a PGA Tour event, we have a PGA Tour leaderboard with some journeymen, some unexpected names.” Shipnuck explained.
The mud balls have been an issue that has bothered some of the best in the game at Quail Hollow. Scottie Scheffler was vehemently vocal about it after the first round. “I understand how a golf purist would be, oh, play it as it lies. But I don’t think they understand what it’s like literally working your entire life to learn how to hit a golf ball and control it and hit shots and control distance, and all of a sudden, due to a rules decision, that is completely taken away from us by chance,” The World No.1 stated.
Scheffler was part of the early group of players and teed off with Rory McIlroy and Xander Schauffele, both whom carded above par scores. The surface was still wet when they played and the mud balls could have played a huge role in determining the score. “The guys who went out this morning may have caught a really bad break with the mud balls.” Rapaport added.
Rory McIlroy had a surprising run at Quail Hollow. Coming into the tournament as one of the favourites, the Northern Irish golfer only hit 4 out of 14 fairways, leading to his worst ever performance at Quail Hollow since 2011. He ended with a 3 over par score and was T98 on the leaderboard at the end of day 1, running the risk of getting cut. The last time he failed to make the cut at the PGA Championship was in 2018. “Rory was a big disappointment today. Nothing was really working.” Shipnuck summed up the Masters winner’s performance today.
Rory McIlroy shoots 74 (+3) in R1, 4/14 fairways hit.
His worst opening round at Quail Hollow since 2011.
— Underdog Golf (@UnderdogGolf) May 15, 2025
But while Rory McIlroy struggled through a tough day in Charlotte, it wasn’t just him who was a big name that didn’t show up at Quail Hollow. Let’s see some of the big names that underperformed.
The big names falter at Quail Hollow
In the top 28 players at the end of Day 1, there are only four major winners present. Keegan Bradley and Matt Fitzpatrick are at T9 with a score of 3 under par, while Scottie Scheffler and Adam Scott are at T20 with a score of 2 under par. In a field that contains 33 major title winners, this is surprising. The biggest shock would be Rory McIlroy, but Brooks Koepka has also been disappointing.
The 5-time Major winner only carded a 4 over par to finish day 1 at T112, and joins a list of underperforming LIV golfers. Two-time PGA Championship winner Phil Mickelson and Dustin Johnson have also disappointed severely, carding 8 over par and 7 over par respectively. Even Bryson DeChambeau, who is one of the few LIV golfers who get consistently good results in majors, has an even par score at T46.
Do you think the big names will fight back on day 2 at Quail Hollow? Or will the minnows keep surprising? Let us know in the comments.
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