• 97 of the top 100 players on the Official World Golf Rankings teed it up at the PGA Championship on Thursday. It is by far the highest such total this season, eclipsing the mark of 79 at The Players Championship.

• The leaders shot 67 (-3) on Thursday. It is the first time since 2008 that the leader(s) at the end of R1 of the PGA Championship are no more than 3-under par.

• Seven players share the first-round lead. It is just the third time in PGA Championship history that seven or more players were tied at the end of any round. Nine players were tied for the lead after the first round of the 1959 and 1969 championships.

• Several records were broken today in terms of most players within X shots of the lead at the end of a major championship round:

-33 players are within 2 shots of the lead. The previous record was 28 (1993 Open Championship, R1)
-48 players are within 3 shots of the lead. The previous record was 47 (1993 Open Championship, R1)
-66 players are within 4 shots of the lead. The record is 68 (1993 Open Championship, R1). However, this is a new PGA Championship record. The previous record was 58 (2005, R1).
-92 players are within 5 shots of the lead. The previous record was 85 (2002 Open Championship, R1)

• Twelve former major champions are within 2 shots of the lead (Kaymer, Scheffler, Schauffele, Reed, Lowry, Day, Smith, Koepka, Spieth, Rahm, Thomas, and Morikawa). That is a new record for any round at a major championship. The previous record was 11, set in R1 of the 1999 Masters.

• Those who teed off in the early wave on Thursday had a stroke average of 72.13 while the late wave players averaged 72.36.

• Aldrich Potgieter is the second youngest player in PGA Championship history to at least a share of the lead at the end of R1. Only Sergio Garcia (19 years, 215 days old in 1999) was younger than Potgieter (21 years, 243 days old today).

• For just the second time in major championship history, a pair of German nationals are among the Top 5 at the end of a round. At the 2001 Open Championship, Bernhard Langer and Alex Cejka were tied for the lead after the first round.

• Scottie Scheffler, playing in his 27th career major this week, holds at least a share of the lead at the end of R1 for the first time in his major championship career. The last time that he led after R1 of any official PGA Tour event was at the Travelers last June.

Related: What they said — round one PGA Championship

Seven share top spot at Aronimink.

• Jordan Spieth is T-15 after shooting 69 on Thursday. In need of a PGA Championship to complete the career grand slam, it is the first time that he has been among the Top 15 at the end of a PGA Championship round since R3 in 2021 at Kiawah (T-13, finished the championship T-30). He has two Top 10s at this championship: runner up to Jays Day in 2015 at Whistling Straits; and T-3 in 2019 at Bethpage.

• Rory McIlroy opened with a 74 on Thursday. It is just the second time is his PGA Championship career that he shot 4-over par or worse in the opening round. He shot 74 (+4) in R1 at Baltusrol in 2016 en route to missing the cut.

• Here are all the instances in major championship history in which five or more former major champions were within one stroke of the lead at the end of any round:

• The last time that Martin Kaymer was among the Top 10 at the end of a major championship round was at the 2020 PGA Championship (R1, T-3, missed the cut)

• With a win this week, Justin Thomas would join the following list of players with 3 PGA Championships: Jack Nicklaus (5), Walter Hagen (5), Tiger Woods (4), Gene Sarazen (3), Sam Snead (3) and Brooks Koepka (3).

• Martin Kaymer is 41 years, 137 days old today. The last time a player his age or older had at least a share of the lead at the end of the first round of the PGA Championship was in 2013 when current Ryder Cup captain Jim Furyk had a share of the first-round lead at Oak Hill.

• Aldrich Potgieter is currently leading the field in SG:Putting. He ranks 122nd in that category on the PGA Tour this season.

• Jon Rahm holed out for an eagle on the Par-4 second hole today. Amazingly, it was the first eagle of his PGA Championship career. He had played 576 holes at this championship entering today.

• Today marks the fifth time that Bryson DeChambeau has shot four-over par or higher over his first nine holes in R1 of a major championship. He made the cut in two of the previous four instances (2018 USO, 2021 Masters).

• Cameron Smith has shot 70 or higher in each of his last 19 major championship rounds, dating back to R2 of the 2024 PGA Championship. He last made a cut at a major at the 2024 US Open.

• Stephan Jaeger ranked T-4 after shooting 67 (-4) in R1 at last year’s PGA Championship. It is the only time he has ranked among the top 5 at the conclusion of any major championship round. Jaeger has never finished among the top 20 in a major championship.

• Stephan Jaeger’s outward nine of 31 today matches the lowest 9-hole side of his majors career. He shot 31 over his first nine holes in R1 of the 2025 Masters; and over his first nine holes in R3 of the 2024 PGA Championship.

Compiled by Elias Sports Bureau, Inc.

Related: Round 2 Groupings & Tee times

2026 PGA Championship.