Newtown Square, Pa. The opening round of the 108th PGA Championship showcased a range of brilliant shots, but it also featured serious teeth from a strong Aronimink layout that inflicted its share of pain among the world’s best players.

Seven players share the lead with a three-under-par score of 67. The most notable member of that group is Scottie Scheffler. The world-ranked number one golfer played in the afternoon wave and unlike other tournaments this year when the 29-year-old has gotten off to sluggish starts his play throughout the opening round showcased a clear reason why the defending champion is determined to keep the famed Wannamaker Trophy in his possession.

Scheffler’s tee game was superlative — the best among all players with 13 of 14 drives finding the short grass. An early bogey at the 4th was quickly offset by consecutive birdies at the 6th and 7th. Back-to-back birdies happened at the 10th and 11th. A final bogey took place at the par-3 14th before one final birdie came at the par-5 16th.

Good breaks can often be a difference maker in major championships and Scheffler was the beneficiary of one at the par-3 17th. Scheffler was in the thick collar of rough to the right of the par-3 17th, facing a chip over a ridge and down toward the hole. But his golf ball was close enough to a sprinkler cap that he was given free relief, dropped on the fringe and putted it to close range for a par.

Remarkably, until his first round today at Aronimink, Scheffler has never been tied or in the lead after round one in any major championship.

Scheffler’s play in 2026 has featured sluggish starts in opening rounds. At the Masters he started with rounds of 70-74 and was 12 shots back of eventual winner Rory McIlroy. Scheffler would make a late rush to earn a runner-up finish.

The Texan will have an early start for Friday’s second round and should he post a quality round it could prove daunting for those chasing the top ranked player in the world.

As defending champion Scheffler can match what two previous winners accomplished when securing a first round lead the next year. That feat was achieved by Tiger Woods in 2000 and Brooks Koepka in 2019. Scheffler is looking to do similarly.

Related: Round 1 Notes & Statistics

PGA Championship 2026.

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