Rory McIlroy typified an underwhelming morning at the PGA Championship as he slumped to a three-over 74 to lie ten shots off the top of a leaderboard which must make for nightmare viewing for the PGA of America.
The big three all flattered to deceive with McIlroy and defending champion Xander Schauffele (+1) both over par while two birdies in his last three holes gave world number one Scottie Scheffler a round of 69.
A four-time winner at Quail Hollow, the 36-year-old has it all to do. Seemingly imperious before winning the Masters, he has spent much of the last month basking in glory but golf has a way of reminding you that nobody should get comfortable on their throne.
McIlroy’s bid for back to back major titles for the first time since winning the 2014 PGA Championship got off to the ideal start with an opening birdie on the par-5 10th after getting up and down from short of the green.
The Masters champion has been sloppy in his two appearances since winning the green jacket and it was clear that the sharpness was lacking when he three-putted the eleventh from mid-range.
A birdie on the 15th got him back into red figures but McIlroy struggled badly off the tee, hitting four of fourteen fairways and ranking 40th in strokes gained tee to green.
His length should have been an advantage on the lengthy par-4 16th but a pull hook ultimately cost him a double bogey – Scheffler and Schauffele also made double – and a bogey from the middle of the fairway on the first put him firmly up against it.
Birdie chances came and went on the sixth and eighth holes and the lefts returned off the tee on the ninth. After pitching out from under a tree, McIlroy was unable to get up and down from 74 yards and had to settle for a damp squib of a first day which leaves him ten shots shy of Ryan Gerard.
The leaderboard at present stinks of a regular PGA Tour event with US Ryder Cup captain and former US Open champion Matt Fitzpatrick the only notable contenders in the top-10 while Jon Rahm, Tommy Fleetwood and Scheffler are all under par but chasing.
Four of the five Irish took to the golf course on Thursday morning with Seamus Power the best of the home hopefuls on one-over after a 72 while 2008 PGA champion Pádraig Harrington and Shane Lowry struggled to rounds of 73.
Tom McKibbin gets underway this evening on his PGA Championship debut.
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