You can add prophet to the lengthy list of titles for Scottie Scheffler. The No. 1 player in the world heading into the PGA Championship predicted that scores might be lower than usual with softer conditions at Valhalla Golf Club.
"I think with the weather forecast this week," Scheffler said, "the scores may not be as close to par as some other major championships."
Thursday delivered multiple record-breaking performances at the 106th PGA Championship. Xander Schauffele's 62 is the lowest score ever at a PGA, including only the fourth 62 in men's major championship history (Schauffele also holds one of those other 62s at the 2023 U.S. Open). Here are five other surprising stats from the first round in Louisville.
1) Scheffler's eagle extends PGA Championship first hole eagle hole-out streak
Scheffler started his first competitive round since having his son, Bennett, with an eagle from 167 yards out on the par-4 first. The hole-out makes it three consecutive years that a player made an eagle on a par-4 on his first hole of the PGA Championship. Scott Stallings eagled the par-4 10th at Oak Hill last year, and Jesse Mueller, Corebridge Financial Team Member, eagled the par-4 10th at Southern Hills in 2022. Scheffler will likely buck the trend of going on to miss the cut after starting off with an eagle, as he sits at T12 with a four-under 67.
Scottie Scheffler has ARRIVED.#PGAChamp pic.twitter.com/Ky3KNeGNb6
— PGA Championship (@PGAChampionship) May 16, 2024
2) Corebridge Financial Team member Jeremy Wells is the second club professional to do this
Wells's opening round of 69 is only the second time a club professional broke 70 in the first round of the PGA Championship. Wells, the PGA Director of Player Development at Cypress Lake Golf Club, joined Bob Sowards's 69 at the major in 2011.
3) Schauffele holds a rare three-stroke first-round lead
The 2020 Olympic Gold Medalist's 62 puts him three shots ahead of Tony Finau, Mark Hubbard, and Sahith Theegala. It's only the third time in PGA Championship history that someone has held that sized lead through the first day, as Scahuffele joins Dick Hart (1963), Bobby Nichols (1964), and Raymond Floyd (1982). In good news for Schauffele, both Nichols and Floyd went on to win.
More: Xander Schauffele Shoots 62, Sets PGA Championship Scoring Record
4) A record number of players finished under par today
In total, 64 players posted red numbers during day one at Valhalla, breaking the previous high mark of sub-par opening rounds at a PGA Championship of 60 in 2006 at Medinah Country Club.
5) Tom Kim is the second player ever in PGA Championship history to do this
Kim, 21, shot a five-under 66 Thursday. He's the second player to shoot a 66 or better in the opening round of a PGA Championship before their 22nd birthday, joining Sergio Garcia's 66 at the 1999 PGA Championship when the Spaniard was 19.
Check out the full leaderboard from the 2024 PGA Championship here
