The PGA Championship had some surprises Thursday, as the top 10 players in the world were nowhere to be found among the top 10 at Quail Hollow, and Jhonattan Vegas surged into the lead with a 7-under 64, shattering the majors’ strongest field.
Vegas played the best golf that almost no one witnessed at the end of a long day full of sunshine and mud balls.
When Vegas stormed to the finish with five birdies on his final six holes—including an 18-footer on No. 8 and a 25-footer on the rough ninth ; the once electrified audience had mostly dispersed.
In forty-five rounds of majors play, it was Vegas’ highest score. The Venezuelan had not qualified for this major in three years and has never been in the top 20.
Up until bogeys on his final two holes, he was two shots ahead of Ryan Gerard, the PGA TOUR rookie who was born and raised in North Carolina and was the only other player to achieve 7 under. At a score of 66, Australian Cam Davis joined him.
It wasn’t quite as motivating as four of the previous five majors they have won together, and the largest fans were from the top three in the world.
Following a 3-over 74 that took him directly to the range, Rory McIlroy, the winner of the Masters, failed to make birdie on his final 12 holes and had nothing to say about it.
On the 16th hole, which sent both Scottie Scheffler and defending PGA champion Xander Schauffele to double bogey, they had a lot to say about mud balls on tee shots. Scheffler at least made two off-the-green shots, one for eagle and one for birdie. On No. 9, he closed with a 6-iron from 215 yards to 3 feet, which put him at 69.
“There were undoubtedly some difficult parts of the course, but I did a fantastic job of persevering and maintaining composure during the day. On a day when I wasn’t feeling my greatest, I did a good job of posting a number.” Scheffler said.
No one from the top 10 in the world ranking was among the top 10 scores following the first round of a major for the first time in at least 30 years.
They were replaced by Vegas, who only managed to get his act together last year after winning in Minnesota, along with a number of other unexpected players.
On his way to a 67, Alex Smalley, the first alternate who learned he had a spot in the field around 15 hours before he teed off, rolled in a 70-foot eagle putt. New Zealand’s Ryan Fox, who won the ONEFlight Myrtle Beach Classic to qualify, was likewise at 67.
A sizable contingent joined them, including Luke Donald, the 47-year-old European Ryder Cup captain and the only player without a bogey on his record. Keegan Bradley, the captain of the United States, was trailed by another shot.
Due to a PGA of America tradition that invites active Ryder Cup captains, Donald remarked, “It’s always fun, bogey-free in a major championship on a course that you wouldn’t have thought would be ideal for me.”
Considering the victors the majors have produced in recent years, this scoreboard more closely mirrored the ONEFlight Myrtle Beach Classic. None of the top eight players have ever competed significantly or won a major.
Gerard appeared at ease performing in front of his home fans. He shot a 60-footer for eagle on the par-5 15th hole, made a difficult par on the rough ninth hole, and then made four consecutive birdies on the back nine to finish the round at 7 under.
Davis missed a 10-foot par putt on his final hole to take the lead, but he made seven birdies. Not bad for someone who hasn’t had a top 10 since early February and just concluded a run of 5 consecutive missed cuts.
“It simply tries to keep the head in a place where you don’t feel like you’re constantly hitting your head against the wall by continually returning to the things that have worked. excellent procedures, excellent routines, and all those tiny one percenters eventually build up to terrific golf. Its letting things happen naturally.” Davis said.
Aaron Rai and Stephan Jaeger, who both won on the PGA TOUR for the first time last year, were the other players at 67.
Scheffler had the highest score of any member of the world’s top 10 with 69.
Four-time Quail Hollow winner McIlroy entered this PGA Championship with the belief that, regardless of his future plans, his thrilling Masters victory from last month, which earned him the career Grand Slam, would be the high point of his career.
That was not going to be changed by a careless round, especially from the tee. His struggles at Quail Hollow, when he recorded his best round since a 76 in the second round of the 2018 Truist Championship, were not any less shocking.
In his attempt to win the PGA Championship back-to-back, Schauffele finished with a 72.
Jordan Spieth likely will have to wait until next year at Aronimink to aim for the career Grand Slam. The three-time major champion scored 76 after making three consecutive bogeys early in the back nine. The only major trophy missing from his major collection is the Wanamaker Trophy.
