'Pride Match'... Scheffler 2-Under vs McIlroy 3-Over

Scheffler Tied for 20th, McIlroy Tied for 98th
Vegas Leads, An Byeonghun in 20th, Kim Joohyung in 46th

World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler (USA) has taken the early lead.

Scottie Scheffler is making a bunker shot on the 14th hole of the first round of the PGA Championship. Charlotte, USA - Photo by AP

On May 15 (local time), in the first round of the 2025 season's second major, the PGA Championship, held at Quail Hollow Club (par 71, 7,626 yards) in Charlotte, North Carolina, USA, Scheffler shot a 2-under-par 69 to tie for 20th place. Scheffler recorded one eagle, four birdies, two bogeys, and one double bogey. Starting on the 10th hole (par 5), he was unable to lower his score over 15 holes, but closed out the round with consecutive birdies on the 7th and 9th holes.

Scheffler's greens in regulation rate was only 61.11%, making for a challenging round. However, his putts per green in regulation stood at a respectable 1.55. Since claiming his first win of the season at The CJ Cup Byron Nelson on May 4, he has been on a clear upward trajectory.

In contrast, World No. 2 Rory McIlroy (Northern Ireland) is now in a position where he must worry about making the cut. He is tied for 98th place with a 3-over-par 74. He carded two birdies, three bogeys, and one double bogey. It was disappointing that he lost two strokes on the 16th hole (par 4) due to a pulled tee shot. His fairway accuracy was just 28.57%, reflecting significant struggles off the tee. Since completing his career Grand Slam with a Masters victory last month, he appears to have lost some of his competitive edge.

Rory McIlroy shows a disappointed expression after a tee shot mistake on the 16th hole of the first round of the PGA Championship. Charlotte, USA - Photo by AFP

Jhonattan Vegas (Venezuela) surged to the top of the leaderboard with a 7-under-par 64. Cam Davis (Australia) and Ryan Gerard (USA) are both chasing closely, tied for second at 5-under-par 66, two strokes back. For Korea, An Byeonghun is tied for 20th, Kim Joo-hyung is tied for 46th (even-par 71), Kim Siwoo is tied for 60th (1-over-par 72), and Im Sungjae is tied for 73rd (2-over-par 73), all looking to climb the leaderboard.