CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Day 1 of the 2025 PGA Championship is in the books, and Jhonattan Vegas grabbed a two-shot lead after shooting 7-under 64 in one of the final groups of the day. We call ’em like we see ’em around here. They are:
2025 PGA Championship Day 1 Winners
The Green Mile: Say what you want about Quail Hollow as a major venue, but the closing three holes are a killer and absolutely championship-worthy. The marquee threesome of Scheffler/McIlroy/Schauffele all made double bogeys at the par-4 16th hole—what would that parlay have paid on DraftKings? The 16th was the most difficult hole of Round 1, the 17th was second and the 18th the fourth most difficult.
Ryder Cup captains: Keegan Bradley has had a decent year so his opening 68 wasn’t a shock, but who saw Luke Donald shooting 67? Only once have both sitting Ryder Cup captains made a PGA Championship cut in a Cup year, when Steve Stricker and Padraig Harrington played the weekend at Kiawah Island in 2021. Maybe if the proceedings at Bethpage end in a tie, the captains should have a playoff.
Playing by the rules: If this were a PGA Tour event you could bet your bottom dollar that lift, clean and place would have been used Thursday. And if you’ve walked around Quail Hollow this week you’d have a hard time arguing. The PGA of America had to sense player concern, hence a Wednesday announcement to play it down, and sure enough there were mud balls and angry comments after Round 1. But this major would have been tarnished had the PGA given in to preferred lies.
Ryan Fox: Talk about riding a heater. The Kiwi wasn’t eligible for last week’s signature event at Philadelphia Cricket Club, so he pegged it at Myrtle Beach and won the opposite-field event for his first Tour win. That got him to Charlotte and he’s still hot, making six birdies in a round of 67 that has him on the first page of the leaderboard.
Jhonattan Vegas: As mentioned, he's your Day 1 leader, and he scores extra style points for ringing up five birdies over his final six holes. He's a four-time winner on the PGA Tour, including last year at the 3M Open, so don't be surprised if he remains a factor this week.
2025 PGA Championship Day 1 Losers
Pre-tournament hype: Well, this wasn’t what we were expecting. Rory McIlroy might be unburdened after his Masters triumph but his driver was unfriendly in a round of 74. Jordan Spieth, who said he was inspired by Rory, shot 76 and his career Grand Slam will probably wait at least another year. Bryson DeChambeau had a couple highlights but an even-par 71 with his firepower was underwhelming. Instead, this leaderboard looks like a regular PGA Tour stop. But there’s a reason they play 72 holes, so let’s all hang in there.
Brooks Koepka: The three-time PGA champion hit only five fairways and made five bogeys and a double in a round of 4-over 75. The LIV star missed the cut at the Masters and will need a rally to make the weekend in Charlotte.
This article was originally published on www.si.com as 2025 PGA Championship Day 1 Winners and Losers: Quail Hollow Shines, Rory McIlroy Struggles.
