Thirty players finished the first day of the PGA Championship under par at Kiawah Island’s Ocean Course, and only a handful of folks couldn’t break 80. We might look back at the opening day of the championship as the best scoring day.
Canadian Corey Conners put together a tidy little 67 for a two-shot lead with 54 holes to go.
Before Cut Day gets going in the second round of the PGA Championship, here's a look back at three things to note from the opening round.
2021 PGA Championship notes: Thursday edition
- The Old Man And The Aviators – Phil Mickelson’s scorecard looks like a coloring book that went haywire: six birdies, four bogeys and eight pars. After the crayons settled, Lefty found himself in the top ten of the tournament: he’s only three back. Phil can still hit bombs – he uncorked a 363-yard drive today – and will probably have a fun evening on Twitter. The 50-year-old last won a major in 2013. He knows he can’t win it tomorrow, but he can get a late tee time if he continues the birdie binge.
- Sour Starts – Dustin Johnson, native son of the South Carolina lowcountry, made two doubles on the day and kind of walked around the golf course on the other 16 holes. DJ gets a morning tee time on Friday and will hope the wind dies down long enough to help him make the weekend. Tournament favorite Rory McIlroy got out of the gate poorly with a 3-over 75. Rors did shoot a 75 on Friday when he won the PGA at this golf course, but those conditions felt like an Open Championship. Today’s weather felt more Augusta than anything else.
- Straight Down The Middle – Beer spokesman and sometimes professional golfer Brooks Koepka showed that his knee wasn’t a problem on Thursday en route to a solid 3-under 69. Koepka even did the thing in the post-round media availability where he had his hands on his hips looking like he’d rather visit the DMV than answer one more question. Koepka loves the majors – especially this one. Can his knee hold up for all four rounds?