Rd. 1 notebook: Hatton starts hot at PGA Championship

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – First-round news and notes on the LIV Golf players competing in the PGA Championship at Quail Hollow:

RELATED: Tee times | Ultimate Guide to LIV Golf players at Quail Hollow

SOLID START FOR HATTON: Tyrrell Hatton’s last visit to Quail Hollow Club was fairly productive, as he tied for third just two years ago at the PGA Tour event held here. The good vibes continued Thursday as he opened with a 3-under 68 that leaves him among the 11 players tied for ninth.

“It’s nice to know that I’ve played good around here,” said Hatton, who joined Jon Rahm’s Legion XIII at the start of the 2024 season. “I’ve also played here and not done very well, so it’s been a mixed bag in the three times that I’ve played a tournament around here.”

He said there’s a level of comfort off the tees at Quail Hollow, which was evident with his accuracy Thursday, as he ranked tied for second in the field in that category, missing just two fairways. The last one he hit was at the par-4 18th, and the approach shot that followed was superb, as it set up his 9-foot birdie putt.

“Sure, there’s some tough tee shots, but I’ve been driving the ball well,” said Hatton, who ranked third in the field in strokes gained tee to green. “If I can keep that going, then that should serve me well for the rest of the week.”

His 68 continues a trend of recent solid starts in majors. It’s the third time in the last four majors that he’s opened with a round in the 60s as he continues his search for his first major victory.

He recorded an early victory this year at the Dubai Desert Classic but describes his performances since the LIV Golf season started as “a little bit inconsistent.” The last two starts have been better, though – a T5 in Mexico City followed by a T13 in Korea.

“Ultimately, I want to be finishing higher than where I did those two weeks,” Hatton said. “But just keep practicing on my weeks off and hoping it’ll click on the tournament week. It has felt better this week so far, but we’ve still got a lot of golf left to play. Hopefully I can keep a good feeling going.”

GOOD DAY FOR LEGION XIII: Hatton wasn’t the only member of his LIV Golf team under par Thursday. Captain Jon Rahm and teammate Tom McKibbin each shot 1-under 70 as three of the four LIV Golf players who broke par in the opening round (along with Cleeks GC’s Richard Bland, who also shot 70).

McKibbin, the team’s newest addition, was 2 under going into the 18th hole before finding trouble off the tee to end with a bogey. Making just his third major start, and first in the PGA, the 24-year-old from Northern Ireland carded his lowest score in any major round.

MIXED EMOTIONS FOR BRYSON: Crushers GC Captain Bryson DeChambeau bogeyed his final hole to finish with an even-par 71 as he chases his third career major. Asked afterwards if he was encouraged or disappointed by his score, he replied: “Both.”

“I’m a little frustrated that I couldn’t shoot 2- or 3-under today, and then I felt like I grinded as well,” explained DeChambeau, who entered this week off his third career LIV Golf victory, in Korea two weeks ago. “So it’s a bit of both right now and I’ve just got to go work on my game.

“If I can get myself swinging it the way I know, like I did in Korea and Mexico, even the Masters barring the irons, I’ll be fine.”

DeChambeau called it a “tricky test of golf” on Thursday, especially with swirling winds that he admitted surprised him.

He was 1 over midway through his back nine before making two birdies, including at the par-3 17th when his tee shot nearly rolled in for a hole-in-one.

“I did think it was in,” DeChambeau said. “I was like go in, go in, go in.”

BLAND MANAGES 70: Cleeks GC’s Richard Bland, the 52-year-old who’s in the field thanks to his win last year at the Senior PGA Championship, knows he’s at a bit of a disadvantage on a course that demands length off the tee.

“Pretty tough for me,” he said. “I’m hitting a lot more club than most guys.”

Still, he worked his way around the course nicely, making two late birdies to shoot 1-under 70.

“It’s just a lot of good course management,” he said. “Being aggressive when you can, being smart when you can. Most of the time, just being smart.”

RAHM’S ROLLERCOASTER STRETCH: Starting his round off the 10th tee, Jon Rahm played his opening nine holes in a bogey-free 2 under, including three consecutive pars through the dangerous Green Mile.

But then … well, it was a rollercoaster ride, with Rahm making bogey-birdie-bogey-bogey-birdie-bogey on his next six holes that undid all the good scoring on his first nine.

Fortunately, a birdie at the short par-4 eighth left him with a 1-under 70 and in a good spot to make an impact going into Friday’s second round.

“It’s funny because I made bogeys but didn’t necessarily make horrible swings,” the Legion XIII captain said about his six-hole adventure. “It was just missed it on the wrong places.”

Rahm is used to starting with a 70 in the PGA Championship – it’s the fifth time in nine career starts that he’s opened with that number. That includes his first PGA start in 2017 at Quail Hollow. His opening 70 left him tied for 15th but a second-round 75 dropped him out of contention entering the weekend.

Eight years later, he’ll have a chance to make a more positive move.

KOEPKA NEEDS A BOUNCE-BACK: Three-time PGA Championship winner Brooks Koepka has never missed the cut in 12 previous starts in this major. But he’ll need a bounce-back round on Friday to keep the streak alive.

The Smash GC captain, who started his round off the 10th tee, shot a 4-over 75 that included a four-hole stretch of bogey-double bogey-bogey-bogey around the turn. That left him far down the leaderboard and well outside the projected cutline.

The 75 ties for his highest score in any opening round at the PGA Championship. He shot 75 in the first round in Southern Hills in 2022 but rallied with a 67 the next day to make the cut, eventually finishing T55.

STANDINGS

LIV Golf players thru Rd. 1