Luke Donald's Unlikely Victory at the US PGA Championship

Luke Donald, the European Ryder Cup captain, pulled off a stunning upset at the US PGA Championship, shooting a bogey-free round of 67 to take a seven-shot lead. Despite being 47 years old and having failed to make a cut in 2023, Donald's short-game guile and white-hot putter proved to be too much for the competition. He will start his second round three ahead of world No 1 Scottie Scheffler and seven shots clear of Rory McIlroy.

Key Takeaways:

• Donald's score of 67 was his lowest on the first day of a major for 21 years, and he reached nine greens in regulation without dropping a single shot.
• Despite reaching only 13 of 18 greens in regulation, McIlroy shot a 74, with a missed birdie putt from 4ft at the driveable 14th hole.
• Scheffler carded a 72, with a double-bogey six at the 16th hole, which sparked controversy over the ruling against preferred lies.
• Bryson DeChambeau among the later starters, and many of the big names, including Xander Schauffele and Scheffler, were unhappy with the decision not to allow preferred lies.
• Ryan Gerard of the early wave was the only player to better Donald's score, shooting a 66.
• Alex Smalley of the US and Ryan Fox of New Zealand joined Donald on four under, while Matt Fitpatrick of England and Robert MacIntyre of Scotland were right behind on three under.

Statistics:

• Donald's score of 67 was the lowest first round in a major for 21 years.
• McIlroy hit only one fairway across his first nine holes and had three birdies and two bogeys.
• Scheffler had a double-bogey six at the 16th hole, the same score as two other players in the gilded group.
• The US PGA Championship had received five inches of rain in the past week, leaving some juicy rough in its wake and muddy balls on the fairway.

Sources:

• Dailymail.co.uk/sport
• Getty Images