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Nov 19, 2023

Five Things We Learned: Thursday at the PGA Championship

Published on By “Frost Delay” is such a common experience for golfers in western

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"Frost Delay" is such a common experience for golfers in western New York, we even have a beer named after it. Another common experience for golfers in the Rochester-Buffalo corridor is three or four seasons in one day. With the eyes of the golf world on the beautiful Oak Hill Country Club's East course, we decided to provide a taste of our world this weekend. On Thursday morning, you had a wee bit of Winter, followed by some summer. We expect some Spring rain on Saturday, and some cool, Fall vibes in the shoulder hours of late afternoon. Don't worry, though. This insight does not count as one of the five things that we learned on Thursday at the PGA Championship. Consider it a bonus slice of our pizza, which is the best around. Or, call it a bit more garbage on your RaChaCha Garbage Plate (you may have to look that one up.)

Enough local flavor for now. Let's get on with five things that we learned on Thursday at the 2023 PGA Championship.

Welcome to the top of the leaderboard, Eric Cole. #PGAChamp pic.twitter.com/MhfbHkLnLD

— PGA Championship (@PGAChampionship) May 19, 2023

1. Oak Hill club champion posts one-over 71

It was the best of times, it was the meh of times, for Rory McIlroy. While he may not be the official club champion at Oak Hill, the official member of the club would certainly take on all comers (admit it, wouldn't you love to a parking space sign for Rors-Club Champ, in the parking lot?) The world's third-ranked male golfer began his tournament on the second nine, and promptly raced to five pars, followed by three bogies in four holes. Not exactly the start he wanted. That was the meh of times.

On the first nine (Rory's second…still with us?) the Northern Irishman turned things around. He posted three birdies against a solitary bogey, to finish the day at 71. Things might have been a lot worse, and being five off the lead is not cause for concern.

Par save & a beauty ?@McIlroyRory | #PGAChamp pic.twitter.com/apV0yNmX1G

— PGA Championship (@PGAChampionship) May 18, 2023

2. Top Ten is a blend of major champs and major seekers

When do ten equal nineteen? When ties come into the equation. 19 golfers sit under par, within four of the leader. If you look at some of the golfers chasing the top cat, you’ll find three major champions and a bunch of major seekers among the group at between -1 and -3. The only PGA Champion among them is Keegan Bradley (2011 at the Atlanta Athletic Club) but you have a US Open champion (Justin Rose) and a Masters champion (Scottie Scheffler.) Among the seekers are everyone's favorite to win a major (Viktor Hovland) and a bunch of guys who could certainly join the one-and-done major club that has a penchant for shining at the PGA Championship.

Golfers like Corey Conners and Thomas Pieters are known names among the seekers, while Justin Suh, Hayden Buckley, Sepp Straka, Ryan Fox and many others qualify among the Who Dat brigade. As Shaun Micheel will attest, all it takes is one week and one great swing at the right time. For Micheel, it happened here at Oak Hill. Lightning might strike twice for one of the aforementioned seekers. Despite this swing, however, it probably won't be Scott Stallings.

And THAT is how you start your #PGAChamp.

Scott Stallings ?? Eagle pic.twitter.com/ovCuku8X7k

— PGA Championship (@PGAChampionship) May 18, 2023

3. Three major champions tied for second

It's no surprise to see Adam Scott, Dustin Johnson, and Bryson DeChambeau near the top of the leader board. Johnson and DeChambeau won majors on northern courses (Oakmont and Winged Foot East, respectively) while Scott owns a ten-year old green jacket. DeChambeau had six birdies in his 66, while Scott found five on the day, and Johnson had four. Excruciatingly, both Scott and Johnson met darkness on the 18th tee, and will need to awaken early on Friday morning, to finish the final hole of their first round.

Adam Scott with this impressive out on 14. He tapped this in to move into a three-way tie for the lead. #PGAChamp pic.twitter.com/V7Hsrt3TCZ

— PGA Championship (@PGAChampionship) May 18, 2023

4. Guys who struggled

We’re going to set the struggle bar at four-over par. Currently at that cypher are Tony Finau (through 13 holes) and Patrick Cantlay (through 12 holes.) Both golfers are Ryder Cup fixtures for the USA side, and neither has really made a run at a professional major. Looks like PGA 2023 won't be that moment, unless they collect themselves and redeem a few stroke-saver coupons coming home.

Poland's Adrian Meronk has had himself a run on the DP World Tour, including a recent victory. His ascent did not translate into success on day one of the PGA Championship. Meronk had eight bogies against three birdies, and will have to reverse those numbers on day two, to rejoin the chase. Also struggling at plus-five is Cameron Young, a native New Yorker (albeit from downstate.) Young had zero birdies on the card through fifteen holes. With the closing triumvirate of beastly par-four holes ahead, Young's work was cut out. With grit, the Fordham Prep and Wake Forest alumnus found birdie at the last to post 74 and end on a high note.

Most surprising among the strugglers was world number one Jon Rahm. An opening-hole birdie (the tenth) aroused the crowd, but five bogies in six holes, followed by a bogey-double stretch, dropped the Masters champion to seven-over. Birdie at his penultimate hole salved the wounds a bit, but 76 Trombones was not the song that the great Basque hoped to hear.

One hole. One under. Rahm is off to the races. @JonRahmpga | #PGAChamp pic.twitter.com/xP30mRaDIQ

— PGA Championship (@PGAChampionship) May 18, 2023

5. Guy who stunned

Eric Cole made a run at this year's Honda Classic, losing a playoff to Chris Kirk. Cole's parents, for golf historians, are Laura Baugh (LPGA) and Bobby Cole (PGA Tour). Each won a national amateur title. Cole has fashioned a five-under card through 14 holes. He’ll begin Friday on the par-four sixth hole, a challenging par four that has hijacked a few runs at championships. Who knows what happens from here? Cole's only bogey on Thursday came at the Hill of Fame hole, the par-five thirteenth, but he made amends on the course's other par five hole, to finish his day. Cole's only other, major-championship appearance came at the 2021 US Open, where he missed the cut. Suffice it to say, he's figured a few things out since then.

(A wee tip of the cap to PGA professional Michael Block from Mission Viejo, California. After double at ten dropped him to plus-three, most guys would have packed up and headed home. Not this fellow. He notched three birdies coming home to lead the CF PGA Team at even par.)

How about a proper golf clap for Michael Block, PGA?

????????? pic.twitter.com/VANAAC952o

— PGA Championship (@PGAChampionship) May 18, 2023

Five Things We Learned: Friday at the PGA Championship

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Ronald Montesano writes for GolfWRX.com from western New York. He dabbles in coaching golf and teaching Spanish, in addition to scribbling columns on all aspects of golf, from apparel to architecture, from equipment to travel. Follow Ronald on Twitter at @buffalogolfer.

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Good Friday morning, golf fans, as the fallout from wildest week in the sport's history continues and day two of the Canadian Open gets underway.

From the Golf Channel digital team…"Michael Feagles made a left-to-right, curling 30-footer for birdie on his final hole Thursday to shoot 59 at the BMW Charity Pro-Am."

The AP's Doug Ferguson…"It was Dunne and Ed Herlihy, chairman of the PGA Tour policy board, whom Monahan leaned on to set his first meeting with Al-Rumayyan a short time after the Masters."

From the team at Golf Digest…

Winner—Saudi Arabia: This is arguably a better outcome than LIV Golf succeeding on its own, for golf's professional tours embracing the kingdom's Public Investment Fund as a formal business partner—and thus allowing it into the sport's political matrix—is exactly the aspiration at the heart of its Vision 2030 plan, a blueprint to help sell the ostracized country to the rest of the world. —Joel Beall

Golf Digest's Christopher Powers…"In basic bio terms, Dunne is the vice chairman and senior managing principal of Piper Sandler, an investment bank and financial services company heavily involved in mergers and acquisitions. He was one of the founders of Sandler O’Neill and Partners, which in January 2020 was acquired by Piper Jaffray. Dunne helped Sandler O’Neill grow into becoming one of the largest independent full-service investment banking firms, focusing on the financial-services sector. A graduate of Notre Dame and a Long Island, N.Y., native, he began his career on Wall Street and has risen to become a rather large deal in the financial world. He's also an avid golfer, and his love of the sport not only played a role in saving his life… it led to him having a very important hand in what has transpired in the golf world this week."

ESPN report…"Corey Conners shot a bogey-free 5-under 67 on Thursday to share the first-round lead at the RBC Canadian Open, the first PGA Tour event since its announcement of unifying with Saudi-funded rival LIV Golf."

Golfweek's Adam Woodard…"The first of six team ownership groups for TGL has officially been announced."

Lillian Rizzo for CNBC…"Despite those tensions being settled between the tour and LIV, they could be relevant when regulators comb over the deal."

Paul Higham for Golf Monthly…"Justin Rose says it won't be easy for some LIV Golf players to get back onto the PGA Tour, and would be more worried about the future from their perspective than players who stayed."

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With the PGA Tour playing north of the border this week, GolfWRX stayed in the States and headed to the Korn Ferry Tour's BMW Charity Pro-Am.

In addition to a couple of general galleries, we have nine WITBs for you to check out as well as a look at a new Aldila Rogue shaft.

Check out links to all of our photos below.

See what GolfWRXers are saying in the forums.

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Good Thursday morning, golf fans, as the fallout from wildest week in the sport's history continues.

Joel Beall for Golf Digest…"To those who sensed that McIlroy might be feeling betrayed after Tuesday's stunning announcement between the tour and Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, well, you’re right."

ESPN's Mark Schlabach…"I still hate LIV," McIlroy said. "Like, I hate LIV. I hope it goes away, and I would fully expect that it does. I think that's where the distinction here is. This is the PGA Tour, the DP World Tour and the PIF — very different from LIV."

Monahan on his lack of transparency…"There's no question that yesterday was a setback, and I’ve had setbacks before and in terms of rebuilding the trust it begins with having conversation like I had through the night last night and being here in the morning and talking to players and explaining to them this deal and how this is a great outcome for every PGA Tour member and the game. I don't expect everybody to understand right off the bat. I think this is going to take some time but when you look out over the horizon I’m entirely confident when I talk to our players that this is where I’m going to take them. That's essentially where we are right now.

Monahan on ‘owning his hypocrisy’

Via Golf Channel's Brentley Romine…"People would be more open to it if it were this conversation two years ago before all the s— started," said the anonymous player. "The Tour messed up in the beginning and took such a hard stance. … To go back on his words literally a year later after making all these changes. Honestly, the PGA Tour is in a good spot with all the designated events and the changes. But I also think the litigation is the real reason [for the merger]. … I think LIV was going to be perfectly fine dragging out the court case. There's a lot of stuff."

Golf Channel's Ryan Lavner…"In a memo to players Wednesday, DP World Tour chief executive Keith Pelley reiterated that the joint commitment between his circuit, the PGA Tour and Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund doesn't change the short-term prospects of the LIV players who resigned their European tour membership last month."

Golf Channel's Ryan Lavner…"Jay Monahan promised Wednesday that the superstars who rejected offers from Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund to remain loyal to the Tour will be compensated in some fashion."

ESPN's Bob Harig…"Norman, who was not mentioned in any of the news releases associated with the agreement between the PGA Tour, DP World Tour and Public Investment Fund that was announced Tuesday, told more than 100 people on a 30-minute call that LIV will see no operational changes and that work is already being done on a 2025 schedule."

Literally and figuratively the final paragraphs of his Quad column…"The major championship organizations also must feel more secure knowing they draw larger audiences and have history as an eternal draw for players and fans. They’ll still face pressures due to the PGA Tour mismanaging the threat at every turn and showing a willingness to sell out. But unlike Monahan's Tour taking their eye off the ball so regularly, the USGA, R&A, Augusta National and PGA of America have certainly not morphed into marketing machines oblivious to their missions."

Maverick McNealy WITB accurate as of the PGA Championship. Driver: Callaway Paradym Triple Diamond Plus (10.5 degrees @9.5) Shaft: Graphite...

Thomas Pieters what's in the bag accurate as of the PGA Championship. More photos from the event here. Driver: Titleist...

Driver: Titleist TSR2 (9 degrees) Shaft: Aldila Rogue M-AX 3-wood: Titleist TSR2 (15 degrees) Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei AV Blue 75...

Chris Gotterup what's in the bag accurate as of the Memorial Tournament. More photos from the event here. Driver: TaylorMade SIM2...

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