PGA Championship Round One Highlights

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The first round at Quail Hollow on Thursday brought some unexpected names to the top of the PGA Championship leaderboard, but none were more noteworthy than Luke Donald.

At 47, the European Ryder Cup captain is currently 871st in the world rankings, playing part-time while preparing for Bethpage Black.

Donald managed to shoot a 4-under 67, placing him fourth, just three shots off the lead, despite struggling with five consecutive missed cuts leading up to this event.

“Clearly, I’ve been trending downwards this week with those missed cuts,” Donald joked. “Golf can be quite unpredictable.”

Initially, I doubted that Donald’s game would thrive at Quail Hollow, especially with its long course, but perhaps it wasn’t in as bad a shape as I thought.

“That was a nice surprise,” he remarked.

Trailing Donald by one shot and sitting at 3 under is 38-year-old Keegan Bradley, the US Ryder Cup captain.

If you ever had the two Ryder Cup captains shooting 7 under in your opening round bingo card, raise your hand.

This occurrence is rare—it’s reminiscent of the 1937 British Open when two sitting captains were among the top 10 together.

After the second round of that tournament, the European Captain Charles Whitecom and US Captain Walter Hagen finished second and eighth, respectively.

“Someone just pointed out that this is the lowest first round I’ve had in a major since 2004,” Donald noted.

This round marked his first bogey-free effort in a major since 2015, tying his lowest opening round in a major (2004 PGA).

When asked about the pressure of being scrutinized in tournaments, he shared, “I took this on because I’m the European Ryder Cup captain; otherwise, I wouldn’t be here. It’s a fantastic opportunity and perk.”

Donald has acknowledged that his game isn’t at its peak anymore, yet he’s not overly troubled by that.

Having led the Europeans to victory in Rome in 2023, he sees his role as captain as a “balanced responsibility,” stating, “I love to compete. Yet, I’m also dedicating ample time to prepare for New York.”

Ranked 19th in the world, Bradley imagines himself as a strong contender for points on the captain’s Ryder Cup team.

“I was thrilled to see Luke playing well,” he mentioned. “It’s impressive for him to have that kind of round. I’m genuinely happy for him.”

In turn, Donald praised Bradley, noting, “Keegan is among the top 20 in the world. He could have an outstanding week here.”

“I don’t envision that being my future, but Keegan remains one of the elite players in the game.”