The final major of 2017 is officially underway, and the storylines are endless for the 99th PGA Championship. Despite what you've been reading or hearing, there are more things happening at Quail Hollow than just Jordan Spieth's pursuit of the career Grand Slam — although that is certainly the biggest story of the week. Spieth would become the youngest to ever accomplish the feat by six months, topping Tiger Woods.
We'll try to contextualize what the feat means as the week goes on, and if it starts to look like it's a real possibility. Spieth is the biggest storyline, but there are many other stories to cover. Among them, the PGA Championship moving to May starting in 2019 at Bethpage Black. That will set off a domino effect for the rest of the schedule, but golf officials hope this positions golf's biggest events in a position that doesn't compete with football. Smart moves.
And in terms of this week, Quail Hollow makes its debut, though PGA of America president Pete Bevacqua essentially said there was a 100-percent chance the Charlotte site would host another PGA in his presser on Wednesday. The venue is soggy right now, but it's going to still play tough — especially the new first hole. Anyway, keep it right here for the latest news, scores, tweets and highlights from Quail Hollow.
(All times ET)
3:05 PM: Just as Rickie began to feel it, he's found some big trouble at the par-4 fifth. After his drive found a fairway bunker, Fowler's second hit the lip of the bunker, rolling back towards his feet. He hacked the next one out and is staring double bogey in the face.
2:52 PM: The par-3 fourth has given the field fits all day, but not Rickie Fowler. He rolls in his second straight birdie to get to two under, just two off the lead. Rory and Rahm both make bogey and fall back to even par.
2:37 PM: Rickie, Rory and Rahm all birdie the 483-yard par-4 third to get to one under, and Rory didn't even need his putter to do so.
You can't start a round much better than Byeong Hun An has:
Twenty players are at even par, but two-time major champion Zach Johnson is the only one in the clubhouse, four back of Olesen.
2:25 PM: After a bogey at the 17th, Olesen bounces back and buries a left to right birdie putt on the 18th. He's your solo leader in the clubhouse at four under.
2:20 PM: McIlroy and Rahm stick their approach shots at the par-4 second but neither can convert the birdie putts. Fowler makes par as well and the whole group is tied at even par after two holes.
2:10 PM: The Green Mile strikes again as Olesen makes bogey at the par-3 17th. He's now at three under with one to play.
1:55 PM: Two big names, Dustin Johnson and Jason Day, post low key one-under 70s and are very much in the mix. Day, who was three over through 12 holes, played his final six holes in four under.
As for fan favorite John Daly, he made it all the way to the 18th tee at even par, but finished with a triple-bogey 7 for a three-over 74.
1:52 PM: Rory gets off to a STRONG start with a 330-yard bomb off the first tee.
1:50 PM: Thorbjorn Olesen gets off to a great start on the Green Mile, making a par at the 16th. He's your solo leader at four under.
Gary Woodland joins Koepka and Murrary as the clubhouse leaders with a score of three-under 68. Tony Finau, Paul Casey, Jim Herman and Patrick Reed are all one back and finished with their rounds after firing two-under 69s.
1:29 PM: Brooks Koepka finishes with a par to tie for the clubhouse lead after his first-round 68. Koepka needed just 24 putts in his round, though he missed a couple makable birdie putts early in his round. It's still a great start for the 2017 U.S. Open champ.
His playing competitor, Jordan Spieth, fought back with two birdies at 7 and 8 to get to 1-over, which is just four back of the lead.
1:17 PM: Nobody since Tiger Woods in 2000 has won the U.S. Open and the PGA in the same year. But we have to start talking about that as it relates to Brooks Koepka, who has his second consecutive birdie to grab a share of the lead.
Koepka has two holes to play, along with Spieth, who also has two straight birdies. Spieth is back to 1-over now for the tournament.
1:01 PM: Brooks Koepka and Jordan Spieth both birdied one of the better holes at Quail Hollow, the par-5 seventh — Koepka moving to 2-under with the birdie and Spieth getting to 2-over. With the lead only at 3-under right now, Spieth wouldn't be thrilled with a 2-over start to his tournament, but it wouldn't keep him out of contention. Koepka is now just one back.
Meanwhile, we had to share this video that the PGA just shared from Phil Mickelson's debut at the PGA in 1993. A) That was an awesome shot. Phil showing off his bunker shots at an early age.
But how about that purple hat. That thing is so vintage Phil it's not even funny.
12:50 PM: We think it's safe to say you didn't bet Grayson Murray would hold the clubhouse lead at some point on Thursday. But the PGA Tour rookie — who just earned his first win a couple weeks ago at the Barracuda Championship — fired a first-round 3-under 68 to get off to a great start.
Murray is a Raleigh, N.C. native, so he's playing his first major as a pro in his home state. He missed the cut in the 2013 U.S. Open as an amateur.
So far so good for the outspoken 23-year-old.
https://twitter.com/PinehurstResort/status/895693127620546560
12:43 PM: Jordan Spieth looks like he's steaming a bit after bogeying three of his last six holes (Nos. 1, 6 and 7) to fall back to 3-over for the tournament. The putter is cold to start, with a couple of three-putts — at one and six — being the main culprit thus far. Not a great start for the 24-year-old.
12:10 PM: Fifty-eight players have come through the new par-3 fourth hole, and there have been zero bogeys thus far. Players were grumbling about the hole, with its green so new and non-receptive that it's a struggle to walk away with a par.
Koepka can sympathize. His bogey at the fourth drops him back to even-par. Spieth parred it to stay at 1-over.
Thus far, there have been 21 bogeys out of 58 players through, one double-bogey and an 8 on the one-shotter, made by Young-Han Song.
11:55 AM: Brooks Koepka hasn't had a great day with the putter — hitting most of his greens on his outward nine but turning in even-par.
Koepka wouldn't need the putter at the 12th hole, as he got a birdie with a sporty chip-in from in front of the green.
That puts the U.S. Open champ at 1-under in his opening round. Spieth remains at 1-over after 12 holes, currently tied for 24th.
11:46 AM: Looks like we spoke to soon. Grayson Murray just joined Olesen in a tie for third at two under after making his fourth birdie of the day at the par-5 15th. Not a bad start for a PGA Tour rookie making just his second career appearance in a major championship, the last coming at the 2013 U.S. Open. He's heading into one tough stretch though….
11:45 AM: Herman and Woodland are now through 12 holes and continue to plug along at three under, one ahead of Olesen who is in solo third. Nine players are at one under, including four Englishmen – Chris Wood, Tommy Fleetwood, Paul Casey and Lee Westwood.
Then it's a host of players at even par, but one in particular stands out.
How about long John getting in the mix through 11 holes! The way the morning is playing out, even par could be a very good score. Let's hope JD can hang in there on the home stretch.
11:27 AM: Koepka nearly makes birdie at the 527 par-4 first but it just rolls by to stay at even par. He's been a few inches away from being at least two under on the day.
Spieth, who found the greenside bunker, failed to roll in a 10 foot par putt and is now one over through 10.
Sixteen players are under par at the moment, including club pro Kenny Pigman out of Goose Creek Golf Club in California. Herman and Woodland, both through 11, still lead at three under.
11:11 AM: Just like we all predicted, Jim Herman and Gary Woodland are tied for the lead at three under. Paul Casey and Denmark's Thorbjorn Olesen are one shot back at two under.
11:07 AM: Spieth nearly holes out his chip and saves a par. Classy.
Koepka rolls his just past for birdie and also saves par. He and Jordan make the turn in even par, while Sergio makes his second double bogey in three holes and falls to four over. Let's hope no reporter asks him about the wedding day after the round.
11:01 AM: My goodness, Sergio finds the creek on the 18th. Body language isn't great at the moment for the Masters champ.
Koepka finds the green and has a decent look for birdie, while Spieth will need to get up and down to save par.
Meanwhile, look who is getting some early practice in.
https://twitter.com/GWcampusinsider/status/895659880174039043
Because even Phil needs extra wedge work.
10:50 AM: Sergio's struggles continue on the stretch known as "the Green Mile." He follows up his double at 16 with a bogey at 17 to fall to two over.
Koepka and Spieth save pars and remain at even.
10:40 AM: Koepka, Spieth and Sergio make a mess of the 515-yard par-4 16th. Koepka and Spieth were able to grind out two bogeys to stay at even, while Sergio's second shot found the water and he made double to fall back to one over. Now they get the 226-yard par-3 17th, which is surrounded by water.
https://twitter.com/WatchStadium/status/895662928132702208/video/1
Dustin Johnson – remember him? – makes his second birdie of the day at the par-5 15th to get back to one under, two back of Woodland who leads alone. Tony Finau and David Lingmerth join Herman and Casey at two under.
10:25 AM: Gary Woodland joins Casey at three under with a birdie at the par-5 seventh. He has just eight putts in seven holes. Looks like those tips from the Presidents Cup captain are helping.
Right after Spieth makes his first birdie of the day at the par-5 15th, he finds a fairway bunker on the long par-4 16th. His playing partners, Sergio and Koepka, made par at the 15th and also both found trouble off the tee at the 16th. All three guys are at one under, but have some work to do to stay there.
10:03 AM: Paul Casey takes the solo lead at the PGA Championship thanks to three birdies on his first five holes, all on par-4s. He's at three under and leads by one over Matsuyama, Wood, Herman and Gary Woodland, who just made his second birdie of the day at the 249-yard (!!) par-3 sixth.
At the short par-4 14th, Spieth and Koepka each drove the green and were left with putts of over 110-feet for eagle. They both walked away with par, as did Sergio.
9:40 AM: Just like that we have some fireworks. It's a four-way tie atop the leader board at two under between Paul Casey, Chris Wood, Hideki Matsuyama and Jim Herman. What a group!
The marquee group is through four holes now, and Koepka and Sergio leading the way at one under after making birdie at the par-3 13th. Spieth's made all pars and is even.
9:21 AM: At the 12th, Spieth takes a ridiculous line on his long birdie putt, aiming about 15 or 20 feet right of the cup. Of course, it was right on line but came up just short. He'll clean up his par to stay even through three holes. Koepka and Sergio also tap in their par putts and sit at even as well.
9:04 AM: Koepka's birdie just slides by and he taps in for par. Sergio gives a shot right back with a bogey, while Spieth makes an eight footer to save par.
Chris Wood is now alone at the top. He's at two under through three holes.
9:00 AM: Koepka hits the longest drive of the day so far at the 11th, then pures his approach to within 10 feet for birdie. Spieth and Garcia both miss the green with their second shots.
Meanwhile, Scotland's Russel Knox and England's Chris Wood each get off to hot starts, both making birdie on their first two holes. They are now in a two-way tie for the lead after Matsuyama bogeyed the par-4 12th (his third).
8:45 AM: Spieth's 20-foot birdie attempt just slides by on his opening hole, the par-5 10th, and he settles for par. Playing partner Brooks Koepka also makes par, but Sergio Garcia makes birdie to get his 19th PGA Championship off to a great start. It seems this marquee group has a pretty famous athlete following them inside the ropes as well:
https://twitter.com/PGATOURSMartin/status/895626615375450112
8:31 AM: Jordan Spieth begins his pursuit of history with a perfect tee shot on the par-5 10th hole. Spieth is playing alongside Masters champ Sergio Garcia, who yanked his drive left, and U.S. Open winner Brooks Koepka, who bombed it past Spieth by about 20 yards.
8:23 AM: Hideki Matsuyama, fresh off a five-shot win at the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational, birdies his first two holes. Shocking news, we know. The World No. 3 is a popular pick to win major No. 1 this week. If he keeps making putts from 52 feet like he did on his first hole, the field at Quail Hollow is in trouble.
8:19 AM: If you're wondering about the weather, the sun is actually out in Charlotte on Thursday morning. And despite all the doom and gloom forecasts, it looks like we're in for a great day of golf:
(* Knock on wood *)
8:14 AM: We're not sure this is a sign of things to come for Jordan Spieth. But it's pretty cool — as Spieth walked off the short-game area, he holed his last chip shot. Of course he did.
He hasn't teed off yet, and Spieth's doing Spieth things.
8:05 AM: We are 20 minutes from the group of 2017 major winners (Jordan Spieth, Sergio Garcia and Brooks Koepka) teeing off Quail Hollow's 10th hole. They will be followed by the 8:35 tee time of World No. 1 Dustin Johnson, Jason Day and Henrik Stenson. Unfortunately, TV coverage on TNT doesn't start until 1 p.m., but these two marquee groups will be live-streamed on the PGA Championship app. Hope you've been conserving your data on your phone this month. . .
7:40 AM: Here's a look at the pin positions for round 1: