Valhalla greets the golfing greats
The sun shone down on the players on day one at the Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Kentucky as the world’s greatest golfers competed in the second Major of the season, the US PGA Championship (16-19 May). And two Americans snatched the headlines: Xander Schauffele and Scottie Scheffler.
In the morning, the 30-year old Californian, Xander Schauffele shot a superb bogey-free opening round of 62. His score of 9-under par included a magnificent mix of nine birdies which gave the other 155 players at the course a really tough target. Schauffele’s 62 is a new course record at Valhalla and is the lowest score in US PGA Championship history.
Schauffele, who turned professional in 2015, is getting used to low scores. Last summer he shot a 62 in the opening round of the US Open at the Los Angeles Country Club. In fact, he is the first golfer ever to shoot two rounds of 62 in a Major.
So what happened in Kentucky?
Well, the Californian started at the 10th hole at Valhalla and just kept holing putts like crazy to finish on 9-under par 62. Interestingly, Xander Schauffele, who is rated as player number three in the Official World Golf Ranking, is in search of his first Major.
The World Number One player and recently-crowned Masters Champion, Scottie Scheffler, has become a proud father for the first time of a baby boy called Bennett. The 27-year old from New Jersey was playing in his first competitive event since winning the Masters. And, as most new fathers will confirm, the birth of a baby can have a really positive impact on your golf.
And so it was that Scottie Scheffler teed-off at Valhalla GC and promptly holed his second shot from 167 yards on the first hole for eagle! Yes, the US PGA Championship is another very important milestone in Scheffler’s bid to win his third Major.
The Masters Champion played an impressive eagle, par, par, birdie, bogey during the first five holes and thereafter scored two birdies and two bogeys in the final thirteen holes to finish on 67, 4-under par. His score is a pretty promising first round in the US PGA Championship, but when you see Schauffele’s 62 at the top of the leaderboard, then the best golfer in the world will have to dig deep on Friday.
It was a delight to see three of the current Major winners playing together: Scottie Scheffler (Masters Champion), Brian Harman (Open Champion) and Wyndham Clark (US Open).
Harman shot a one-over par 72 and Wyndham Clark closed out with a level par round of 71 with three bogeys and three birdies.
Defending champion Brooks Koepka, who won his third US PGA Championship title last year, is showing good form at Valhalla. He also opened with a 67 along with Scheffler, Bryson DeChambeau and three others.
Who is challenging Schauffele?
Not too surprisingly, there is a wealth of Americans at the top of the leaderboard. Tony Finau, Sahith Theegala and Mark Hubbard are all tied for second spot three shots behind Schauffele on 65.
Seven players then share fifth spot on 66. Among them are Europeans Robert MacIntyre (Scotland) and Rory McIlroy (Northern Ireland) together with Americans Maverick McNealy, Collin Morikawa and Tom Hoge plus Thomas Detry (Belgium) and Tom Kim (South Korea).
The US PGA Championship continues for the next three days when we shall be viewing some equally spectacular golf at Valhalla Golf Course.
Wendy Hoad
Editor
MAIN PHOTOGRAPH: Xander Schauffele shoots an opening round of 62 in US PGA Championship at Valhalla GC in Kentucky, USA. MINIS (l-r): Scottie Scheffler (Masters Champion), Brian Harman (Open Champion) and Wyndham Clark (US Open Champion).