Scheffler Shares Lead in Tough PGA Championship Opening Round at Aronimink

Aronimink defied expectations on Thursday in the first round of the US PGA Championship. Expectations had built that the Pennsylvania course would play easy, but thick rough, undulating fairways and sloping greens proved punishing. Only 32 of 156 players finished under par.

Defending champion Scottie Scheffler handled the conditions best with a 3-under 67, tying seven others for the lead. The world number one showed relentless focus in his round. He led a major after 18 holes for the first time despite past slow starts this season.

Scheffler joined Germany's Martin Kaymer and Stephan Jaeger, South Africa's Aldrich Potgieter, Australia's Min-Woo Lee, Japan's Ryo Hisatsune and American Alex Smalley at the top. Few expected this group atop the leaderboard.

England's Dan Brown sat one shot back in his overseas major debut. Spain's Jon Rahm, at 1 under, said chatter about low scores earlier in the week prompted tougher setup. "Earlier in the week there was some chatter where people thought 15 to 20 under par was going to win. And I think that got to somebody in the PGA [of America], and they did something about it."

Masters champion Rory McIlroy faltered late after aggressive driving. The Northern Irishman posted 4-over 74 with four straight bogeys to end his round, seven shots off the pace. His toe injury did not bother him. "There certainly is a penalty for missing the fairway. Probably more than what I anticipated,"

Bryson DeChambeau carded 6-over 76 as precision beat power. His short game struggled, especially on tricky greens softened by overnight rain. On the 11th, a light touch from behind the green sent his ball 87 feet past the hole.

Only Patrick Reed matched the leaders at 3 under without a bogey. England's Matt Fitzpatrick and Justin Rose, pre-tournament favorites for the Wanamaker Trophy, finished at even par.

Former Ryder Cup captain Paul McGinley said players misjudged the rough's difficulty. "The players underestimated the difficulty of playing this golf course from the rough and we're not seeing a whole lot of putts holed."

Kaymer, the 2010 PGA winner and 2014 US Open champion, revived his form after a PGA of America member questioned his status at Tuesday's Champions Dinner. Injuries since joining LIV Golf in 2022 had hampered him. "I got asked by a guy if I'm playing this week or if I'm done with golf. That really motivated me,"

Kaymer birdied two of his first three holes and played pain-free. "Everything is going the right direction. I can practice. It's fun. I have a great passion for the game. Playing those tough golf courses and doing well executing the golf shots the right way, that is really fun. I look forward to hopefully have another three good days."

McIlroy summed up his round with a four-letter expletive when asked to describe it. He missed fairways on holes four, six, seven and nine, hitting just five total. A bogey on the 10th started trouble after rough and a plugged second shot 104 yards short. Late driver issues led to four closing bogeys. He practiced until after 6 p.m. despite finishing around 2 p.m. "From there, it's hard. I didn't have great angles either. Then obviously you start missing it just off the edges of these greens, it gets tricky."