NEWTOWN SQUARE, Pa. — Four players from four continents with a total of zero major championships share the lead midway through the first round of the PGA Championship.
Ryo Hisatsune of Japan poured in five of his seven birdies on the back nine to join South Africa’s Aldrich Potgieter, Germany’s Stephan Jaeger and Australia’s Min Woo Lee in a tie at 3-under-par 67 on Thursday at Aronimink Golf Club.
That quartet was an inch ahead of four players in the clubhouse at 2-under 68: 2024 PGA champ Xander Schauffele, Sahith Theegala, Max Greyserman and England’s Daniel Brown.
A large tie at 1-under 69 included Jon Rahm of Spain, Australians Jason Day and Cameron Smith, three-time PGA champion Brooks Koepka and Jordan Spieth — who briefly held a share of the lead on his second nine before he chased birdies at Nos. 5-6 with bogeys at Nos. 7-8.
Hisatsune, 23, found 13 of 14 fairways in regulation but was undone by four bogeys. Potgieter, 21, scored similarly well with six birdies on his card.
Jaeger birdied four of his first six holes to race in front; all four of those birdie putts came from at least 13 feet away, including 39 1/2 feet on No. 4 and 22 feet on No. 5.
A 36-year-old grinder without a top-20 finish at a major, Jaeger cooled off on the back nine after capitalizing on soft greens early in the morning after some overnight rain.
“It’s kind of hard because you kind of prepare for a certain golf course, and you don’t know how much rain the golf course got, how soft it is,” Jaeger said. “So you kind of inch your way the first couple holes with some wedges off fairways and see what the ball’s doing on the greens.
“But it held up great, honestly. The golf course is in unbelievable shape. Even with the rain, the greens have some bounce to them.”
Garrick Higgo of South Africa was less than 60 seconds late to his tee time and incurred a two-stroke penalty on the first hole. But he rebounded to score a 1-under 69 — meaning he’d be tied for the lead without the penalty.
Higgo attempted to plead his case in the scoring tent.
“I was just trying to get evidence. I feel like any of you would have done the same,” Higgo declared. “It’s kind of — I was there on time, but the rule is, if you’re one second late, you’re late. So if you think about it, I was there on time, if you know what I mean.”
Rahm, playing in a group with Spieth and Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland, holed out for eagle at No. 2 and chipped in for birdie at the par-3 eighth before a closing birdie at No. 9.
McIlroy struggled with his driver and turned in a 4-over 74. Bryson DeChambeau faltered on his approaches and with the flatstick, posting a 6-over 76 with no birdies until his final hole.
Notable players with afternoon tee times include World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, Collin Morikawa, J.J. Spaun, Justin Thomas, Cameron Young, Japan’s Hideki Matsuyama, Ireland’s Shane Lowry and Englishmen Tommy Fleetwood, Matt Fitzpatrick and Justin Rose.
–Adam Zielonka, Field Level Media
