PGA Championship Leaderboard: Live Updates, -5 Leads As McIlroy And Schauffele Struggle

RORY FINDS THE FAIRWAY

McIlroy has struggled off the tee today but, at the short par 4 17th, he finds the fairway and will have a short pitch to the green. He is currently two-over for the day, as is playing partner, Schauffele, who has a tough shot coming in from the thick rough.

WORRYING STAT

It's been a bad day at the office for Rory and the big stick. Personally, I've never seen him so wayward. I wouldn't be surprised if he went to the range straight after his round - he seems to have a two-way miss going on.

Again, I say this like I know what I'm talking about. I can confidently say, however, he's driven the ball badly today and he will need no-one to remind him of this after his round.

FOX FLYING HIGH DESPITE POOR PREP

"I played really solid today. It hasn’t been the ideal prep coming in for me, obviously winning last week, being last man in. I literally played 18 holes yesterday and that was the only thing I did preparation-wise, basically, hit a few balls on Tuesday and played one hole before the storm came in.

"Obviously knew I was playing well and just tried to get out of my own way and just let it happen. Today I was really happy with how I did that. Kept the momentum going from last week pretty nicely."

The players get asked A LOT about their preparation ahead of the Major Championships. The Kiwi's round is proof that sometimes you can just go out there and play, not overthink things.

I say this like I know what I'm talking about.

STEPHAN JAEGER LEADS AT -5

The German gets himself out of the pack at -4. He was out in 32 and has just entered the last three holes, which is a really tough section at Quail Hollow.

A few facts on the current pacesetter. From shooting 58 in a pro event to winning six times on the Korn Ferry Tour and earning his PGA Tour card, Jaeger has been in the pro ranks since 2012.

The German moved to Tennessee to play college golf and has been based in the US ever since.

SITTING PRETTY

"I haven't been trending towards something like this," Luke Donald says after his round of 67. He says he has been working hard on his game, though. It showed.

Says it's fun working towards the Ryder Cup for a second time and he's excited about what lies ahead. "The old captain has a little life in him" he jokes. He sure does.

STAT ATTACK

This is a good one. A par at the 18th would give Luke Donald his lowest opening round in a Major in 21 years.

Well, he made it. The force is still strong in Luke.

ARMY GOLF FROM RORY

We're used to seeing Rory striping his drives and splitting fairways but he's been out of sorts today. We've seen him go right and now he's gone left - that was hooky.

What an incredible response from the fairway trap - over the pin, 15 feet for birdie. I'm calling it early, though: Rory doesn't win this week. He's been out partying in his Green Jacket, I reckon. Good on him, I say.

Donald and Fox are both in with 67s - that's bogey free from Donald. I thought when you were a Ryder Cup captain you downed tools and just took it easy watching lots of golf.

AT THE TOP

The Kiwi is carrying on from where he left off at the Myrtle Beach Classic. Can he safely close out a very fine opening round? No, bogey at his final hole. Still, a decent day's work. A very decent day's work, in fact.

We have Noren, Fox, Donald, Poston and Smalley leading at -4.

MUD BALL!

A mud ball for Ryan Fox and that's one of his first loose shots of the day. A little trouble for our leader coming up.

A reminder of what the PGA of America said yesterday evening, as we're going to hear a few complaints about this from the players, I'm sure.

"We do not plan to play preferred lies. The playing surfaces are outstanding and are drying by the hour. We are mowing the fairways this evening."

The weather at Quail Hollow has led to a soft course that is playing even longer than its official yardage. A by-product of the wetter conditions means that there was always a risk of mud balls coming into play, but the PGA of America was confident that the course was dry enough to avoid playing 'lift, clean and place.'

Big championships like to avoid lift, clean and place on the fairways as it allows players to clean their golf balls and place them on perfect lies, while it also means that any records broken are unofficial or at least carry an asterisk.

AT THE BOTTOM END...

One of the pre tournament favorites, Brooks Koepka is at +5. The three-time winner with a really ugly-looking card so far and has just four holes left of his first round to repair some of the damage.

Phil Mickelson (+4), who famously won this tournament at the age of 50, is also struggling.

SCOTTIE STRUGGLING?

Don't be silly. He rolls in a 10-footer at the 2nd to get back under par. Fox and Noren are sharing the lead at -5.

MORE TROUBLES ON 2

It's fair to say that Rory hasn't driven the ball too well today. He's underneath the trees on the 2nd, but does a pretty good job of carving one up onto the green from about 130 yards. A 72 wouldn't be a bad score from here, you feel.

It's a good putt from mid range and he escapes with a par. Talking of good putts, Fox hits the front with another good roll. -5 leads.

NOT GOING TO PLAN... YET

It's another bogey for McIlroy at the 1st - he slips to +2. That eagle from Scheffler aside, no real fireworks from the top 3 in the world just yet.

We've got a four-way tie at the top. Donald, Noren, Echavarria and Jaeger all at -4.

QUAIL SHOWING ITS TEETH

We might currently have a bunch of players in the red numbers, but there's plenty of trouble out there and 'RXS' are certainly finding enough of it.

The par-4 1st is no pushover. McIlroy is in the greenside trap and that looked like a straight block. A lot of people were expecting a fast start from the Northern Irishman, myself included, but after opening with a birdie on 10, the Masters champion has been a bit off it.

THREE AT THE TOP

Stephan Jaeger has joined Donald and Fox at the top of the leaderboard on -4. We've then got eight players at -3.

Talking of the top, the world's top 3 are now playing the par-4 1st. It's a bit of a monster at 504 yards. Scheffler(E) is safely on and will have a decent look at birdie; Schauffele (+2) is also in good shape.

FOX TAKES SOLO LEAD

Only for a moment. Luke Donald rolls in a short one and joins the main from New Zealand at the top on -4.

The marquee group is midway down 18. McIlroy dicing with water again off the tee, finds the center of the green with a beauty (9-iron out of the juicy rough from 165 yards).

It's been a scrap for all three players so far, but I'm expecting them to respond on the front nine and make a move.

SHIP STEADIED

After all making double at the par-4 16th, Rory McIlroy, Xander Schauffele and Scottie Scheffler (who I will now refer to as 'RXS') steady the ship with 3s at the par-3 17th.

The 18th is regarded as the toughest hole on the course, a fraction under 500 yards (par 4) and playing longer today. All three players will feel as though if they can get through this hole with no further damage, it will give themselves a chance to make inroads on the front nine.

SUNDAY AFTERNOON... CAPTAIN VERSUS CAPTAIN

What a great story it would be if both Donald and Bradley found themselves in contention on Sunday afternoon.

No thoughts of the Ryder Cup - former World No.1 Donald in the hunt for a first Major Championship and Bradley looking to lift the Wanamaker Trophy for a second time.

THE LEADERS

Let's take a moment to bring you up to speed with what's happening elsewhere on the course. We have nine players sharing the lead and, to be honest, I don't have time to list them all (see leaderboard above).

One of the stories of the morning so far is that we have Ryder Cup captains Luke Donald and Keegan Bradley both in the mix at -3.

THE DAMAGE

Schauffele, in fairness, had a mud ball. It went left on him and into the drink. Everyone is looking at double here. Expect a fair bit of chatter about mud balls later on today.

Three lengthy putts for bogeys for these three absolute hackers. Scheffler ends up with 10 feet left for a double - this is really, really messy stuff on the 'Green Mile'. I imagine there will be some players waiting on the tee now, as this is all taking quite a bit of time.

McIlroy almost drops his bogey putt, but it stays above ground. He's now back to +1. Scheffler makes his six with a good, confident putt - that's eagle, double for the World No.1 and he's back to level par.

Schauffele's putt just grabs enough of the hole and that's three doubles for the world's top three golfers.

Right, onto the 17th.

WOW... TOP 3 STRUGGLING

The par-4 16th is tough, but the world's top three are playing the hole like a group of 28-handicappers (no offense to 28-handicappers).

Rory is greenside in three after almost finding the water off the tee and just about managing to hack his second 10 yards further.

Scheffler and Schauffele have played two of their worst iron shots of the year - both wet (I think, Schauffele definitely).

A report of the damage will follow shortly.

STRIPE SHOW

We gave the nod to Tommy Fleetwood's striped polo earlier. How about Jason Day's? The Aussie always has people talking about his clobber. Who's stripes do we prefer?

GO CAPTAINS

Not to be outdone, Keegan Bradley gets himself alongside Luke Donald at -3. The Ryder Cup captains are rolling back the years.

I genuinely don't know what would/could happen if they were to win this week. It's unlikely, certainly in Donald's case, but stranger things have happened. Playing captains?

Meanwhile, Scheffler holes a long putt for eagle at the par-5 15th to get to -2. Of course he does. McIlroy to -1 with a four. Both players have shown flashes of brilliance over their opening holes but Scheffler has certainly played a few bad ones, too. Suddenly, though, he's a -2, a shot off the lead.

Bubbling nicely, this one.

BIG BREAK!

McIlroy looked for all the world like he was wet off the tee, but he finds his ball above ground and he's now facing a simple up-and-down for birdie. He's just alongside Scheffler in the dip in front of the 15th green.

Both players could do with making 4s to settle. You need a bit of luck, of course, and the Northern Irishman knows he's had some there. The ball musxt have taken a soft bounce - it was a just a few feet from toppling into the water. Can he take advantage of that good fortune?

TIME FOR AN ENGLISH WINNER?

It's early days but could we finally see an Englishman win the PGA Championship? No English player has won the PGA Championship since Jim Barnes (below) claimed victory at the first two tournaments in 1916 and 1919.

There are currently three English players in the top three (Tommy Fleetwood, Luke Donald and Matt Fitzpatrick).

MISSED CHANCES

Both McIlroy and Scheffler miss very good opportunities at the drivable par-4 14th. They'll have been eyeing birdies after those tee shots. The 'big 3' play that hole in +1 and it's onto the par-5 15th.

TOUCH OF CLASS

The touch of a now five-time Major winner. McIlroy chipping towards the water releases his chip down the slope to set up a birdie on 14, which he should convert to get to -1.

Scheffler a bit tentative and leaves his effort 12 feet short. Schauffele wedges his third 15 feet past the pin after a penalty for finding water with his tee shot.

What a great hole this is by the way - risk/reward at its finest. If you were being boring, you could put an iron in Position A and wedge it close, but these guys are in full out attack mode.

JOINT LEADER

Here's your joint leader. Fleetwood has nailed it with this stripy little number from Nike. Three birdies on the bounce and the Englishman is at -3 alongside Ryan Fox.

RISK AND REWARD

Onto the 14th and it's just 311 yards - a cracking little par 4. We saw Mickelson go swimming earlier, and Schauffele has done the same - this time overdoing a little draw with a 3-wood.

McIlroy leaves himself in a tricky spot near the entrance to the green. Nothing wrong with the tee shot, just needed a kick left off the slope. Scheffler in the best position of the three.

Fleetwood continues his good start with a third birdie in three holes (13, 14 and 15).

SCOTTIE STRUGGLING... SORT OF

We've seen a bit of everything from Scottie Scheffler so far in the early part of this first round. He's pitching in with his second shot on the par-3 13th (something most club golfers do), and does it nicely enough. He has some work to do to make his par. He somehow manages it, curling in a 10-footer for make his 3.

Meanwhile, Schauffele and McIlroy make their par 3s in the more conventional, no stressing there. This group now moves onto the driveable par 4.

TOMMY STARTS WELL

Fleetwood has made a solid start as he goes in search of his first Major title - it's all that's really missing from his CV.

The Englishman (-2) has finished runner-up twice in the Majors and clearly has all the attributes to land one of the 'big 4'.

We've got a Tommy feature coming up in the magazine, which goes to press next week. Nothing would give us more pleasure than giving it a major edit on Sunday evening.

TIDY... VERY TIDY

McIlroy with a really delicate touch, tidies up on 12, as does Schauffele. Scheffler, though, with the tidiest chip of the lot... pops it in from the back of the green. Back to level par for the World No.1 and that was class. World class. Might have been going past a few feet but, still, very good.

SPLASH!

Phil Mickelson with an early water ball. That is not one of his best drives. Wild. Splash. Lefty looks a bit bemused. He must have known that was going to end up wet the moment it left the clubface.

Back to the marquee group. Scheffler goes at the pin on the 12th and it bounces past the pin and into a semi awkward spot on the fringe. Wow, that looked good - these greens are firm. There's a little shelf on 12 that McIlroy has also misjudged and he spins back into a really tricky spot.

Schauffele, last to play, takes one bounce and goes over the green. Not the best second shots from these three but the 12th looks to be one of the toughest holes so far.

BOGEYS FOR WORLD'S NO.1 & 2

McIlroy hands the shot he picked up on the 10th back straight away at the 11th. It's a sloppy one, too, three putts from around 25 feet. Scheffler also misses his par effort. A long, long way to go, still settling.

Onto the par-4 12th for this group, 456 yards. Back on the 8th, the now silver-haired Luke Donald gets to -2, converting a short birdie putt. Quite a few players already in the red. There's not much roll on the fairways so it's going to play long today and the greens are still fairly firm (that'll be the sub air system for you). Good scoring conditions - just don't stray into the trees.

HERE'S YOUR LEADER

Enough with all the chat about the world's top three. Here's your leader, Ryan Fox. Birdies at the 10th, 13th and 14th so far and he's now playing the par-5 15th. Great start and could be about to get even better.

Scheffler, meanwhile, has made a jumpy start. After a poor drive on 11 and an average third shot from the front of the green, he has some 12 feet left for par.

RORY BIRDIES HIS FIRST

You can't get bored of watching Rory McIlroy drive the golf ball. He's off to a solid start with a birdie on the 10th. The same can't be said of Scheffler who has put in a double cross at the 11th.

BIRDIES FLOWING

Rahm drops a long putt at the 11th (his second). It feels like it's important for the Spaniard to make a good start this week. That'll help his confidence.

Back to the 10th, a 591-yard par 5. It's a par for the World No.1 and birdies for Schauffele and McIlroy. Schauffele played the hole perfectly, his chip for a eagle from a tight lie scaring the hole. McIlroy rolls in a nice putt from about 10 feet after a good pitch from the greenside rough.

FOX TO -3

'Flying Fox'. Not the first time you'll hear that today, so we'll get that in early. The Kiwi is out of the blocks quickly.

Back to the marquee group and we have the top three in the world all taking aim at the par-5 10th with their second shots. We're about to see some short game magic from all three.

McIlroy in an awkward spot but it would be no surprise to see all three start with birdies.

MARQUEE GROUP OFF

Rory is off first. Not his best, finds the rough. Xander is Ok. Scheffler, wearing that orange polo, (nice) with the best of the lot.

We're in for a special few hours with this lot. Ram is out, too, and he pars the 10th hole (his first).

Ryan Fox leads the way early at -2.

SHOWTIME!

Rory McIlroy, Scottie Scheffler and Xander Schauffele are moments away from getting underway.

No introductions needed. I'm predicting three long, straight drives. Stay tuned...

PAST CHAMPS OUT EARLY

Great to see two former PGA champions out and about early at Quail Hollow - Padraig Harrington (2008) and Martin Kaymer (2010).

Harrington enjoyed a purple patch winning the PGA Championship at Oakland Hills and two Open Championships in fairly quick time. Kaymer a winner, of course, at Whistling Straits in 2010 when he edged out Bubba Watson in a playoff.

WHO'S YOUR MONEY ON?

Despite being the reigning Masters champion and having a record at Quail Hollow most players could only dream of, Rory McIlroy is not the bookmakers' favorite this week. Scottie Scheffler, the World No.1 and a recent winner at the CJ Cup Byron Nelson, is back.

While many of his rivals warmed up for the second men's Major of the year with a Signature Event, the 28-year-old took time at home to practice before making a run at his third Major title.

THE GREEN MILE

We're only just underway in the first round. However, here's a reminder of what the players face towards the end of their round.

The Green Mile is the name given to the final three holes at Quail Hollow, which represent one of the toughest finishing stretches in Major championship history and regularly the toughest on the PGA Tour.

Measuring in at around 1,270 yards for the par-4, par-3, par-4 combination, carnage usually ensues as players try and cling on to their score during a white knuckle ride to the finish.

HERE'S WHAT THEY'RE PLAYING FOR

It must be said, the Wanamaker Trophy (currently near the 1st tee) has to be one of the best-looking pieces of silverware in golf. Who really wants a jacket? Ok, that green one might be pretty cool, but you can't beat a massive trophy!

The original Wanamaker Trophy stands at 28 inches (2.5 feet/75cm) high, 10-and-a-half inches in diameter, 27 inches from handle to handle, and weighs 27 pounds (12kg). Look at it, magnificent!

EARLY PICTURES FROM QUAIL HOLLOW

I have to say, it looks delightful. My guess is that we're going to see some low numbers today - looks soft and 'getable'.

Here's Luuuuuuuuuke making his way towards the 1st tee. He's got a very busy year ahead of him, of course, and will be no stranger to an early morning. Perhaps this is why they put the former World No.1 golfer off first.

Incidentally, did you know that there hasn't been an English winner of the PGA Championship since 1919?

WE'RE OFFICIALLY UNDERWAY

Right, we're off. Enjoy! It's an early one for these chaps but Ryan Fox is off and he's made birdie at 1...

Great to see European Ryder Cup captain Luke Donald get us off. I'm sure there will be quite a bit going on inside his head this week; he'll be hoping to see some European names up there contending on Sunday afternoon.

WHEN'S BRYSON OUT?

Bryson DeChambeau is out at 1.47pm ET with Viktor Hovland and Gary Woodland. The PGA opted not to put him with Rory, but I think we'd all like to see these two players in the same group on Saturday/Sunday.

I think this is a genuine rivalry now. You can't force these things as a lot of the players on tour are just good friends. I'm not saying there's not respect there, but they are two very different characters.

PGA WEATHER UPDATE

I'm no meteorologist but I've had a good look at the weather and I'd describe it as 'mixed but Ok'ish'.

A dry and warm start is expected before unsettled conditions on Saturday. The first two rounds look like playing out in fine conditions, with the biggest concern being the humidity as temperatures approach 90F on Friday.

However, Saturday is likely to bring more unsettled weather, with the potential for thunderstorms, the chance of downpours leading to flooding and strong gusts of wind. It won't be quite as humid on Sunday, although it will remain warm with clouds and sun.

Summary...

Thursday: Partly sunny and humid; Low: 68F; High: 87F; Winds: SW 8 mph
Friday: Very warm and humid with some sunshine; Low: 71F; High: 89F; Winds: WSW 7 mph
Saturday: Partly sunny and humid with breezes in the morning and potential thunderstorms, wind and downpours in the afternoon; Low: 66F; High: 87F; Winds: WSW 12 mph
Sunday: Warm and less humid with clouds and sun; Low: 64F; High: 87F; Winds: W 7 mph

MARQUEE GROUP OFF AT 08.22AM ET

The world's top three players will play the first 36 holes together in the all-star grouping on Thursday and Friday, going off at 8.22am ET in round one and 1.47pm ET on day two.

All three have plenty of reasons to like their chances this week, especially Scottie Scheffler who won the CJ Cup Byron Nelson recently and Rory McIlroy, of course, who won the Masters last month to complete the career Grand Slam.

Meanwhile, Xander Schauffele is kind of flying under the radar recently, perhaps due to the injury he had been suffering with earlier in the season.

WELCOME TO THE LIVE BLOG

Welcome to the second men's Major Championship of the year and the first day of the PGA Championship. We'll have you covered here with all the action and updates from Quail Hollow right the way through until the champion lifts the Wanamaker trophy on Sunday afternoon (weather permitting).

So, who will that be?