PITTSFORD, N.Y. (AP) — Bryson DeChambeau was back on a major stage Thursday. No longer the incredible bulk, he still lashed away with speed and strength that carried him to a 4-under 66 at tough Oak Hill and the early lead in the PGA Championship.
DeChambeau kept the ball in play for most of the round and powered his way out of the gnarly rough the few times he got out of position. He matched his low score at the PGA Championship and led by one over Scottie Scheffler and Corey Conners.
“It’s a fantastic round of golf at Oak Hill,” DeChambeau said. “It’s a prestigious place, very difficult golf course. As I was looking at it throughout the week, I’m like, ‘Man, I don’t know how shooting under par is even possible out here on some of the holes.’ But luckily, I was able to play some really good golf.”
It still wasn’t easy. Only seven of the 78 players from the morning side of the draw broke par.
The first round was unlikely to be finish because freezing temperatures at dawn that led to a two-hour delay for the frost on the fairways to thaw. That gave way to a pleasant afternoon and ideal conditions with hardly any wind.
“Today was probably the easiest conditions we’ll see all week,” said Scheffler, who took advantage with his first bogey-free card in 51 rounds at a major.
Masters champion Jon Rahm failed to take advantage, making five bogeys in a six-hole stretch around the turn and finishing with a 76, his highest start at a major since the 2018 U.S. Open.
Scheffler challenging for the lead was not a surprise. Last year’s Masters champion has six wins in the last 15 months, and he hasn’t finished worse than 12th this year.
As for DeChambeau, he practically vanished from golf’s elite over the last year.
He injured his hip in early 2022, attributing it to slipping on marble tile playing ping-pong in Saudi Arabia. He had surgery on his left wrist after the Masters last year. And then he joined the Saudi-funded LIV Golf League, where his tie…
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