[Source: Reuters]

Ryan Gerard stumbled late but still held a one-shot PGA Championship clubhouse lead at Quail Hollow where Rory McIlroy, in his first major since completing the career Grand Slam, struggled on a course he is used to dominating.

Gerard, a North Carolina native competing in just his third major, was cruising along and sitting three shots clear until bogeys on his final two holes left him with a five-under-par 66.

The 25-year-old Gerard looked in total control as he roared out of the turn with four consecutive birdies and then chipped in for eagle at the par-five 15th before missing the green at the par-three 17th and finding a fairway bunker at the last.

Ryder Cup captain Luke Donald and New Zealand’s Ryan Fox were among a group of four players sitting one shot back and in a share of second place at steamy Quail Hollow. U.S. Ryder Cup captain Keegan Bradley was a further shot back after a 68.

“Obviously very pleased with the score, bogey-free in a major,” said Donald. “It was a pleasant surprise.”

Prior to the opening round, only five sitting Ryder Cup captains had opened a PGA Championship with a round in the 60s during a Ryder Cup year, all of whom were American and the most recent being Jim Furyk in 2018 at Bellerive.

There was plenty of focus on McIlroy ahead of the year’s second major, not only due to his stellar form this year but also because Quail Hollow is his happy hunting ground having won the PGA Tour event there for a record fourth time last year.

But McIlroy, who started from the 10th tee alongside Scottie Scheffler and Xander Schauffele in a group featuring the world’s top three players, was errant off the tee and struggled to get anything going as he posted an opening three-over-par 74.

World number one Scheffler salvaged his round with two birdies over his closing three holes for a two-under-par 69 while Schauffele, bidding to become the event’s first repeat champions since Brooks Koepka in 2019, carded a 72.

Scheffler jump-started his round with an eagle at the 15th but gave it back with a double-bogey at 16 when his approach shot from the fairway landed in the water behind the green.

It marked the first time Scheffler had ever made a double-bogey, or worse, in the first round of a major.

“I’m satisfied with my finish. It’s always nice coming off the course finishing with a birdie,” said Scheffler.

“Overall I did a good job battling and keeping a level head out there during a day which there was definitely some challenging aspects to the course.”

Jordan Spieth, making his ninth attempt at securing a career Grand Slam, and Justin Thomas, who won the first of his two PGA Championship titles when it was last held at Quail Hollow in 2017, went out with the late starters.

Among the other notable players with late tee times are U.S. Open champion Bryson DeChambeau, 2025 Masters runner-up Justin Rose and world number four Collin Morikawa.

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