CHARLOTTE, N.C. – The highly anticipated showdown of the world’s top golf trio unfolded less spectacularly than many expected on the opening day of the PGA Championship at Quail Hollow. World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler managed to hold his own with a 2-under 69, the only member of the elite group finishing under par.
Meanwhile, defending champion Xander Schauffele fought hard to a 73, while Rory McIlroy's struggles were evident as he notched a 74. “Hopefully tomorrow we will play a little bit better,” Scheffler remarked after a challenging round.
Playing together for a second time in as many months after an eventful pairing at The Players, the trio saw mixed fortunes. McIlroy, fresh from his career Grand Slam, and Scheffler, in peak form following a decisive win in his last PGA event, failed to replicate their successes.
The chaos peaked at the par-4 16th, where McIlroy's double-bogey set a tumultuous tone. He sliced his tee shot and errantly pitched out, leading to a score of six. Scheffler and Schauffele also stumbled, falling victim to muddy conditions that misdirected their fairway shots into water hazards—a result of recent heavy rains.
“I kept the honor with making a double,” Scheffler joked post-round. Despite these setbacks, he salvaged his day with a precision 6-iron shot landing just feet from the cup, exemplifying his resilience.
Mud balls proved a thorn in the side for many, as noted by feedback from the top players regarding course conditions without preferred lies after significant rainfall. Schauffele lamented, “It’s kind of stupid to hit good shots and get penalized like that.”
McIlroy's struggles were apparent in his stats—hitting four fairways and a poor putting performance marking a day to forget. His misfortunes on the greens saw him outside the top 100 and left him refraining from media comments.
Nevertheless, not all is lost for the grouping of golf's creme-de-la-creme. As history suggests, the road to the top is still open with recent champions often emerging from lower ranks. The trio tees off again at 1:47 p.m. ET on Friday, hoping to climb the leaderboard and rekindle their form.
