Warren LittleCHARLOTTE, NC – AUGUST 10: Grayson Murray of the United States plays his shot out of the bunker on the 18th green during the first round of the 2017 PGA Championship at Quail Hollow Club on August 10, 2017 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Warren Little/Getty Images)CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Appearing in his first major championship as a professional barely fazed Grayson Murray. Then again, very little fazes Grayson Murray, at least on a golf course.
Exceedingly talented but with a tempestuous streak, Murray continued to make news solely with his game by opening the 99th PGA Championship Thursday with a three-under-par 68 at Quail Hollow Club. Playing in the morning wave, the PGA Tour rookie from nearby Raleigh, N.C., had a share of the clubhouse lead until Thorbjorn Olesen snuck in with a 67.
Murray, 23, covered his inward nine holes in a tidy 32 strokes in front of family and friends who made the trek from Raleigh. The performance was largely mistake-free as he hit 15 gre..

Mike EhrmannJordan Spieth reacts to his putt on the 14th hole during the first round of the 2017 PGA Championship at Quail Hollow Club.CHARLOTTE — Jordan Spieth’s plan in Thursday’s opening round of the PGA Championship was to take the lead because he prefers to play from in front.
It didn’t exactly work out.
Spieth stumbled to a one-over 72 at Quail Hollow and is five back of leader Thorbjorn Olesen.
His assessment?
“I can’t putt any worse than I did today,” said Spieth, who, if you haven’t heard because you’ve been living in an underwater cave for the past month, is trying to become the youngest player to complete the career Grand Slam.
The 24-year-old Texan was mostly right. Not long after finishing his round from the morning wave, Spieth ranked 140th of 156 players in strokes gained/putting, having lost 2.109 strokes to the field on difficult greens that caused players to be defensive.
He took 32 total putts and missed several chances from 10 to 20 feet.
Other than a terrific two-p..

CHARLOTTE — Quail Hollow underwent a massive overhaul to host the 2017 PGA Championship, installing a new strain of grass and destructing and recreating multiple holes. Though most of the changes haven't garnered much protest from players or caddies, the new fourth hole is becoming the subject of controversy.
On paper, the fourth looks innocuous: a par-3 tapping out at 184 yards, with three bunkers fronting the green. Closer inspection, however, reveals severe, sporadic mounding throughout the green, knocking most tee balls—even those of the accurate variety—off the dance floor. Worse, many of the funnel areas present their own challenges, with little flat real estate to land chips.
A nasty Thursday pin position didn't help matters, with the flag planted behind a trap and a drastic fall-off steps in back of the cup. To say it's a tight window is incorrect, as that assumes there is one.
The early stats and sentiments back this up. From the morning wave, just one player—Da..

Mike EhrmannSergio Garcia and Brooks Koepka share a laugh on the 13th tee during the first round of the 2017 PGA Championship at Quail Hollow Club.CHARLOTTE — Here’s how well Brooks Koepka is playing in majors. During the first round of the PGA Championship, when the putter that has become a secret weapon this season (he ranks 10th in strokes gained/putting) surprisingly was nowhere to be found, Koepka suddenly started to hit his driver straight. In turn, the bomber's accuracy off the tee set up a few can’t-miss chances that left the U.S. Open champ with an opening-round 68 and a spot atop the leader board at Quail Hollow Club.
“They tell me I hit 10 fairways, which is really impressive for me,” Koepka joked after his round, his No. 159 ranking in driving accuracy on tour backing him up. “I was hitting it off the center of the face, controlling shots off the tee.”
Success at majors has become the norm for the 27-year-old. In his past 13 starts in the game’s biggest events, Koepka ..

Stuart FranklinCHARLOTTE, NC – AUGUST 10: Gary Woodland of the United States plays a shot on the 13th hole during the first round of the 2017 PGA Championship at Quail Hollow Club on August 10, 2017 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Stuart Franklin/Getty Images)CHARLOTTE—Gary Woodland calls this year the hardest of his life. Given what he and his wife have gone through, there's no doubt that's true.
The 33-year-old and his wife, Gabby, were expecting twins but lost one of the babies in a miscarriage, forcing Woodland to withdraw from the WGC-Dell Match Play at the time, and understandably, taking his mind away from golf. One month premature, the couple welcomed a baby boy, Jaxson Lynn, who is healthy but needs constant treatment. Now after golf each day, Woodland has a new routine — FaceTiming his wife so he can talk to Jaxson while he's on the road.
Woodland will do talk to his family Thursday afternoon with a smile on his face following an opening-round 3-under ..

Streeter Lecka(Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)CHARLOTTE — Quail Hollow is often described as a bomber's paradise, but this wasn't what was envisioned. Then again, nothing about John Daly has ever followed convention.
There he was on Thursday, that glorious blonde mane and fish-tank pants shining in the Carolina sun. While the course did a number on marquee players like Jordan Spieth, Justin Thomas and Thomas Pieters, the 51-year-old Daly — who knows a thing or two about bumps and bruises — stood tough through 17 holes.
Daly took his lumps, bogeying the tough 525-yard par-4 first and borderline-unfair par-3 fourth. Yet the two-time major winner responded to every hiccup, racking up four birdies on a morning where red was a rare sight on the score board. He made a tricky eight-footer for par on the 16th hole to sit just two back of the leaders.
And then he did what John Daly does, which is implode in extravagant fashion.
He left his tee shot on the par-3 17th well short..