The world's top three players were grouped together, and only one — No. 1 ranked Scottie Scheffler — finished under par. Scheffler survived a pair of bogies and a double to card a 2-under 69. Rory McIlroy, meanwhile, had a rough go of it, carding a 3-over 74. Defending champ Xander Schauffele was one better at 2-over.

The PGA Championship did not use the preferred lie rule after the heavy rains of the past few days, and Scottie Scheffler was not very fond of it.

It was really cool to see Rory be able to finish that off and to be there for that moment,” Scheffler said. “He’s a good buddy of mine out here, so I was very happy for h

The Athletic has live coverage from Round 1 of the 2025 PGA Championship at Quail Hollow. The PGA Championship has produced a long list of big-name winners over the last 20 years. But the long shots in the field this week can still hold out some hope by looking back on John Daly and Rich Beem and picturing themselves holding the Wanamaker Trophy over their heads on Sunday.

SportsLine golf expert Eric Cohen locked in a $10 eight-leg PGA Tour parlay that pays more than $1.1 million for the PGA Championship 2025

Rory McIlroy and Bryson DeChambeau have battled at the end in two recent major championships, with one winning each of them.