Scottie Scheffler is part of a seven-way tie atop the PGA Championship leaderboard after a 3-under 67, the report says, the largest share of a major lead since nine players were tied in 1969.
Scheffler missed a 4-foot putt and laughed, then took advantage of two long birdie putts and a break on the 17th when free relief from a sprinkler cap allowed him to close out a par, the report says. He missed only one fairway and made two bogeys, and he told ESPN that he was dubious about calling it a lead when he was tied with six others.
Joining Scheffler at 67 were Aldrich Potgieter, Stephan Jaeger, Min Woo Lee, Ryo Hisatsune, Alex Smalley and former PGA champion Martin Kaymer, the report says. Kaymer, who won the PGA Championship in 2010, joined LIV Golf in 2022 and has not finished in the top 10 in the few European Tour events he has played since then; the report lists him at No. 1,160 in the world ranking and notes he has not been in the top 10 after one round of a major since 2020.
The course proved a stiff test at Aronimink, with severely sloped greens, fast fairways and wind that kept morning clouds at bay, the report says. Only 48 players were within three shots of the lead, and the difference between missing the cut and being part of the lead was six shots. Garrick Higgo was penalized two shots after being 10 seconds late to his group’s starting time and finished with a 69, per the report.
Other notable rounds included Rory McIlroy, who bogeyed his final four holes for a 74 and spent much of the afternoon at the practice range, the report says. Patrick Reed was the only player to complete a round at Aronimink without a bogey, carding two birdies for a 68 and sitting in the large group behind the leaders. Scheffler summed up the state of the field by saying, “At this moment, it’s anybody’s tournament,” per the report.
