Lee Westwood, Kevin Chappell and Ryan Palmer all fired six-under 65 to grab a share of the lead after Round 1 at the PGA Championship being played at the Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, KY.
For Westwood it hasn’t been the best of times lately, as the former World No. 1 has seen his Official World Golf Ranking dip to No. 34, although he finished seventh at the Masters and won the following week in Malaysia, he has missed the cut in four of his last five starts, including at both the U.S. Open and Open Championship.
But on Thursday, Westwood started on the right foot as he birdied his opening hole (Par-5 No. 10), and made the turn at three-under after back-to-back birdies. Trouble would come right one the very next hole (Par-4 No. 1), as the rough gave him trouble with his third shot, and then he missed a short four-foot bogey putt to drop two shots.
But the 41-year-old Englishman would end with a furious rally, birdieing five of his last six holes (including the last four), to finish at six-under. This was his best score ever at the PGA Championship.
Westwood has been long considered as probably the best ever, not to win a major championship, despite having finished second twice and third six times in majors. A win here would not only erase that title, but would place him right on the Team Europe Ryder Cup team, on which right now he is on a far-end looking out.
Chappell, a 28-year-old Californian who has yet to win in four years on the PGA Tour, was flawless today as he went bogey-free, spreading three birdies on each nine for his six-under 66 including a hole-out from the bunker at the tough 10th. Last year he missed the cut at Oak Hill, on his only other PGA Championship appearance.
Palmer started on the back-nine and was on fire through those first nine for him as he blitzed to a bogey-free five-under as he made the turn after back-to-back birdies. The 37-year-old Texan added two more to take the right-out lead at seven-under at the seventh hole, but then overshot the green on the Par-3 eight with his tee-shot, and missed a five-foot putt for par, for his only blemish of the day.
A group of five players are one shot behind at five-under, led by the overwhelming favorite, the World’s No. 1 and Open Champion Rory McIlroy. He was bogey-free at three-under when he made the turn and found big time trouble at the 10th, where he took a double bogey after yanking a shot out of bounds.
He followed the double with a bogey on the Par-3 11th after he missed a short four-foot putt for par. But Rory being Rory, he showed why he is right now the best player on the planet as he answered with four straight birdies and capped his round off with another one on the 18th.
McIlroy was joined in fourth place by last year's runner-up Jim Furyk, World’s No. 4Henrik Stenson, Italy’s Edoardo Molinari and Englishman Chris Wood. Furyk and Wood were bogey-free today.
American Jerry Kelly, who benefited by being the one who replaced Dustin Johnson in the field, posted a four-under 68 and sits tied for ninth-place alongside Finland’s Mikko Ilonen rounding up the Top 10.
A big group of nine players, led by Englishman Ian Poulter and Kentucky native J.B. Holmes follow at three-under tied for 11th place.
Rickie Fowler, who comes with high expectations after being the only player this year to finish in the Top-five at each of the Tour’s first three majors, fired a two-under 69. He is tied for 20th with13 other players including Phil Mickelson, FedEx Cup leader Jimmy Walker, Jason Day, Graham DeLaet, Steve Stricker and Victor Dubuisson.
Four-time champion Tiger Woods struggled today as he mixed four bogeys and a birdie on his way to a round of three-over 74. Around the turn, Woods hit a pair of poor drives at one and two that led to bogeys, but was able to ‘straighten’ the ship as he closed with seven pars in a row.
Defending champion Jason Dufner withdrew citing a sore neck after making triple bogey at the Par-5 10th. He was having a horrible day standing at eight-over when he dropped out.
"I'll play golf again when I'm healthy," Dufner said before exiting the parking lot. "That could be at The Barclays, that could be next year, that could be 2016. I refuse to be out here and not be healthy and not give myself a chance to be competitive."
The other current two major winners, Masters winner Bubba Watson and U.S. Open champion Martin Kaymer, played alongside McIlroy and both shot one-under opening rounds. Watson was hurt by a pair of late bogeys.