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2022 PGA Championship: Scores, Live Updates from Southern Hills

Will Zalatoris moved into the lead on Friday afternoon, first-round leader Rory McIlroy shot 1 over, Tiger Woods made the weekend and Bubba Watson shot 63. We have all the news and notes from Southern Hills.

Morning Read Staff

Tiger Shoots 69, Will Be Around for Weekend

Tiger Woods will play another weekend in a major championship, shooting 69 on Friday at Southern Hills and standing at 3 over.

After a double bogey at the par-3 11th, Woods sat outside the cut line, but that would be his last misstep. Two birdies, at the 13th and 16th, got him back inside the 4 over cut line.

Playing alongside him in the marquee group of the tournament, Jordan Spieth shot 69 to get to 1 over.

Rory McIlroy, the first-round leader, never got going and shot 1-over 71 with two bogeys and a birdie. He is five shots behind leader Will Zalatoris.

Will Zalatoris Shoots Bogey-Free 65, Leads Alone

The leading score after 36 holes at the PGA Championship is 9 under, and it belongs to Will Zalatoris.

The 25-year-old doesn't yet have his first PGA Tour win, never mind a major title, but looked very much the part on Friday with a bogey-free round of 65. He capped it off with a birdie at the par-4 17th.

Zalatoris will play in the final group on Saturday alongside Mito Pereira, who shot 64 on Friday. He narrowly missed a birdie putt on his last hole that would have given him a PGA Championship record-tying 63.

Mito Pereira Joins Will Zalatoris in Lead

Golf fans can be forgiven if they don't know much about Guillermo Pereira Hinke, aka Mito Pereira. But it might time to find out as he has a 6 under round going around Southern Hills and is tied for the lead at 8 under.

Pereira is a 2021 Korn Ferry Tour alum, now on the PGA Tour, and played collegiately at Texas Tech. The 27-year-old hails from Chile, where he grew up with Joaquin Niemann. He has three top 10s this year on tour.

And today, all he's done is make seven birdies opposite one bogey and could find himself in the final group on Saturday at the PGA Championship. 

Bubba Watson Fires Record-Tying 63

A little bit of major-championship history was made in Friday afternoon's favorable scoring conditions, as Bubba Watson birdied half the holes at Southern Hills to shoot 63.

This was the 18th 63 in PGA Championship history, and the first since Brooks Koepka did it in the first round in 2019. Watson had a putt at 62 on the last hole but missed; Branden Grace is still the only player to shoot 62 in a major, at the 2017 British Open.

Tiger Woods Fights Back to 4 over

The cut line continues to sit at 4 over at the PGA Championship, and with a birdie at the par-5 13th hole, Tiger Woods got back to it.

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Woods is even for his second round but it's been an eventful one with three birdies, a bogey and the crushing double at the 11th. He has five more holes on Friday to fight for the chance at 36 more this weekend.

Will Zalatoris Takes Solo Lead

Seven under is on the board at the PGA Championship, and it's next to Will Zalatoris' name.

Zalatoris has a bogey-free round going with the par-5 13th hole coming up next. He leads by one shot over Justin Thomas, long done for the day, and Mito Pereira, 4 under on his day.

Tiger's Fortunes Swing Wildly in Two Holes

In the span of just a few minutes, Tiger Woods went from comfortably inside the cutline at the PGA Championship to outside it.

Woods made his second birdie of his second round at the par-4 10th, holing a 10-footer. But at the next hole, the 173-yard par-3 11th — the shortest hole on the course — Woods sailed his tee shot long and left of the hole. His wedge then landed in a greenside bunker and from there he needed three more shots. Double bogey.

That 5 dropped Woods to 5 over, which at the moment appears one shot outside the cutline. And with the winds having settled down compared to the morning, the scoring is better.

Will Zalatoris Joins Lead at 6 under

Justin Thomas has company at the top.

Will Zalatoris birdied the par-3 11th hole, getting him to 2 under for the round and 6 under overall in a bogey-free day so far.

Zalatoris is acclaimed as one of the best pure ballstrikers on Tour, and has made a name for himself in the majors. The 25-year-old Dallas resident finished T6 in the 2020 U.S. Open, second in the 2021 Masters, T8 in the 2021 PGA and T6 in last month's Masters. 

Rory Drops Another Shot, 3 Back of Lead

Rory McIlroy dropped another shot on his second round, three-putting the par-4 7th hole to fall to 2 over for the day and 3 under for the championship, three back of Justin Thomas.

McIlroy continues to be just a little off compared to yesterday. He has hit four of seven greens and just two of six fairways.

Playing alongside, Jordan Spieth birdied the 7th hole to get to even par for the round and 2 over for the tournament. Tiger Woods parred the hole and is 1 under for the round and 3 over overall.

First Birdie of Round for Tiger, Rory Starts Slow

Tiger Woods has a birdie on the card in his second round, making 4 at the par-5 5th. He hit his drive 334 yards at the 656-yard hole, laid up and spun a wedge close for a birdie. He's at 3 over, inside the projected cut line of 4 over.

Playing alongside, Rory McIlroy isn't as hot as he was in Round 1. He's 1 over through five holes. He bogeyed the par-4 2nd after missing the fairway and green, and he failed to take advantage of the 5th hole. He hit a 385-yard to the left rough and was in the greenside bunker in two, but failed to get up-and-down. 

Abraham Ancer Inches Closer to Top

Mexican Abraham Ancer has made back-to-back birdies on the 12th and 13th holes (he started on the 10th) to get to 5 under, one shot behind Justin Thomas.

Ancer showed little good form coming into Southern Hills, but that's not proving to matter. He missed the cut at the Masters, was T42 at home in the Mexico Open and T56 at the Wells Fargo.

He's tied with Will Zalatoris at 5 under. Zalatoris opened his round with a birdie at the 1st hole and has three pars since.

Tiger, Rory, Jordan Begin Second Round

The marquee group of the 2022 PGA Championship — Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy and Jordan Spieth — is on the course for the second round.

McIlroy held the Round 1 lead after a 5-under 75 but wasn't leading when he teed off, thanks to Justin Thomas' second 67 that got him to 6 under.

McIlroy parred the par-4 1st hole, missing the green short but chipping up close and making the putt. Woods worked hard for his par, missing the fairway right but chopping onto the green from the rough and two-putting.

At 4 over for the tournament, Woods will need to shoot even par or better to ensure making the cut.

Spieth bogeyed the first hole and is at 3 over for the week.

Masters Champion Likely to Miss Cut

With a 40 on his second nine including a double bogey at the 9th hole (his last), Scottie Scheffler is likely not going to be around for the weekend at the PGA Championship.

The world No. 1 and Masters champion followed an opening-round 71 with a 75, starting his Friday with nine straight pars but then found plenty of trouble on the front nine, hitting just two fairways. At the par-5 6th hole, he made a bogey 6 after an eagle 3 on Thursday.

The low 70 and ties make the weekend at Southern Hills, and Scheffler's 6 over left him tied for 104th with the afternoon wave yet to play.

According to stats guru Justin Ray, since the inception of the Official World Golf Ranking in 1986, the world No. 1 has missed the cut at the PGA only twice — 1986 (Seve Ballesteros) and last year (Dustin Johnson).

Thomas Shoots 67, Takes Solo Lead

With a birdie on the 9th hole (his last), Justin Thomas shot 67 to take the solo lead at the PGA Championship.

The 2017 champion made four birdies opposite one bogey, hitting 9 of 14 fairways and an impressive 16 of 18 greens given the gusty conditions.

"I made it very easy on myself," Thomas said. "It was tough, but if you got the ball in the fairway, the greens are very receptive."

Can Round 1 leader Rory McIlroy pull back ahead? We'll find out soon, he tees off at 1:36 p.m. local time with Tiger Woods and Jordan Spieth.

Thomas Returns to Top

Justin Thomas birdied the 5th hole, his 15th, to get back into a tie for the lead at 5 under. He has three birdies and one bogey in his second round. 

The 2017 PGA champion is playing clinical golf around windy Southern Hills. He has hit 13 of 15 greens and has 23 putts on those greens-in-regulation, leading the morning wave.

Joaquin Niemann Starts Fast

There may not be bunches of birdies around Southern Hills today given the winds, but Joaquin Niemann got off to a 3-3-3 start with a pair of birdies to go from 2 under to 4 under and within a shot of Rory McIlroy's lead.

The 23-year-old Chilean started on the 10th hole. He won earlier this year at the Genesis Invitational and has risen to No. 16 in the world.

Justin Thomas Gets to 5 Under

There's a tie for the lead on Friday morning at Southern Hills, as Justin Thomas is 2 under for his round and 5 under.

Thomas birdied his fourth hole of the day, the par-5 13th hole, the easiest on the course in Round 1. He began his day with a birdie at the short par-4 10th.

Thomas won the 2017 PGA Championship. He began his 2022 major season with a T8 at the Masters.

Round 2 Under Way, Winds Up

The second round of the 2022 PGA Championship has begun, with the morning wave facing stiffer winds than what Thursday's early players faced. Winds are currently 15 mph with gusts nearing 30 mph, and expected to pick up during the day.

Justin Thomas got an early start and immediately birdied his first hole, the 10th, to get to 4 under and one shot behind Round 1 leader Rory McIlroy.

The marquee group of the world's top three players is also on the course, with Masters champion and No. 1 Scottie Scheffler looking to improve off his opening 71.

Round 1 Complete, All Chasing Rory

Just a hair after 8 p.m. local time, the opening round of the PGA Championship concluded.

Rory McIlroy posted 5 under in the morning and it held up all day. Will Zalatoris and Tom Hoge are one shot back. Matt Kuchar, Abraham Ancer and Justin Thomas are two back.

Of the top 15 on the leaderboard, only four players (Thomas, Matt Fitzpatrick, Lucas Herbert and Joaquin Niemann) teed off in the more difficult afternoon conditions.

Round 2 tee times can be found here. McIlroy, Tiger Woods and Jordan Spieth will tee off on hole No. 1 at 1:36 p.m. local on Friday.

Past PGA Champ Thomas Shoots 67

Justin Thomas has a PGA championship on his resume, but he has never opened a PGA with a score as low as the one he shot on Thursday at Southern Hills.

The 2017 champion shot 67, no small feat on a considerably tougher course for those teeing off in the afternoon. He finished with a birdie at the 18th.

"I just felt like I managed everything pretty well," Thomas said. "It was windy, it was tough, the greens were so bumpy. I was just trying to make today as easy on myself and I did.

Thomas ended the front nine bogey-bogey, but made three birdies and no bogeys coming in for the 67, which put him two shots off Rory McIlroy's pace.

"I’d love to sign for three more 67s if I could," Thomas said.

Masters Champ Scheffler Opens with 71

Scottie Scheffler's red-hot play of recent months, good for four wins including a green jacket, didn't fully carry over to the first round at the PGA Championship.

The world No. 1 shot a back-nine 37 including four bogeys in a six-hole stretch to land on 1 over par — and it could have been even worse had he not saved par at 18 after driving into the creek. Scheffler battled his driver for much of the back nine.

Yet he was the low man out of the group of the world's top three players. Jon Rahm, No. 2 in the world, shot a 3 over 73 and Collin Morikawa, No. 3, bogeyed the last hole to shoot 2 over 72.

Herbert Chips In, Has Low Round on Course

Southern Hills has toughened up in the afternoon, keeping Rory McIlroy's 5 under score from the morning safely atop the leaderboard.

The best run at it at the moment is being made by Australian Lucas Herbert, who chipped in at the par-4 3rd to get to 3 under, the best round on the course in the afternoon wave.

Herbert won the Bermuda Championship on the PGA Tour in October but a T7 in March at the Arnold Palmer Invitational has been his only finish of note since. 

Threesome of World Top 3 Struggling

The marquee group of the afternoon wave in Round 1 is a threesome of the world's top three: Scottie Scheffler, Jon Rahm and Collin Morikawa.

None of them are under par through 13 holes.

Scheffler, after an electrifying eagle on the brawny par-5 fifth, has had a birdie and three bogeys since. On the 12th hole he blew his drive through the fairway, had to pitch out and eventually missed a 3-foot putt for par. On the par-5 13th, he hit his drive into a water hazard and had to grind for bogey to remain at even par.

On that same par 5, Rahm launched a 401-yard drive but flared his approach shot well right of the green. From there he hit a pitch shot well past the hole and three putts later had a bogey. He's at 2 over.

Morikawa was the only one in the group to not bogey the par-5 13th, making par at the easiest hole on the course. He's 1 over for his opening round.

Fowler Holes Out From Bunker for Birdie

Make that two bunker holeouts today from former Oklahoma State players, to the delight of the Southern Hills crowd.

Rickie Fowler's turn came at the par-4 seventh hole. The birdie offset an opening-hole bogey and had him at even par early in his first round.

Scheffler Overpowers 665-yard par 5

Between Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson and all things LIV Golf, Scottie Scheffler arrived at Southern Hills almost as an afterthought.

Well, the tournament is going on now and the world No. 1 is most definitely here, as shown on the massive 665-yard par-5 5th when he reached the green in two from 308 yards and holed a 10-footer for eagle. 

At 2 under through five holes, Scheffler was the low player on the course in the afternoon wave.

Oklahoma Native Jars One, Takes a Bow 

Oklahomans don't get annual home games in pro golf, which makes this week at Southern Hills all the more special for players like Talor Gooch.

Gooch is a native of Midwest City, Oklahoma, about 90 miles southwest of Tulsa. He went to Oklahoma State and has plenty of support this week.

He gave those fans a reason to cheer with "Gooooooch!" after this slam-dunked bunker shot for par at the 16th hole.

Gooch is enjoying a solid season on Tour, with one win (the RSM Classic) and a 10th-place position in the FedEx Cup standings.

PGA Professional Starts with Eagle

A group of 20 PGA of America professionals are a celebrated part of the PGA Championship, representing golf facilities all over the country. 

Jesse Mueller, the 39-year-old general manager at Grand Canyon University Golf Course in Phoenix, Arizona, won the PGA Professional championship last month to lead the 20 qualifiers for Southern Hills.

And how did Mueller start his first round today? Just with a holeout eagle on his first hole, the 10th.

Mueller parred his next four holes and is on the first page of the leaderboard at 2 under. 

Rory Shoots 65, Tiger Finishes with 74

The star-studded group of Rory McIlroy, Jordan Spieth and Tiger Woods is done for the day, with three distinct outcomes.

McIlroy, a two-time PGA champion, finished with a 5-under 65, good for the early clubhouse lead. He was at 6 under through 14 holes, starting on No. 10, bogeyed Nos. 6 and 8 to fall back, then finished with a birdie on his last hole, the 9th.

Woods had Southern Hills buzzing with a 2 under start through five but was 6 over the rest of the way, including a second-nine 39, to shoot 74. 

"I got off to a good start. Hit a lot of bad iron shots in the middle part of the round and late, consequently never got the ball close for any birdie putts," Woods said immediately after the round. "Just put myself in bad spots."

He also winced after a couple of full shots late in the round, clearly favoring his surgically repaired right leg.

"It has felt better before," Woods said. "It's a little sore right now. We'll go back and start the process for tomorrow."

Spieth, chasing the last leg of the career Grand Slam, shot 72. He opened with 37 on his first nine, including three bogeys in a four-hole stretch, then steadied with an even-par second nine.

Matt Kuchar Surges

With three birdies in his last four holes, Matt Kuchar has surged into a group at 3 under, two shots behind Rory McIlroy.

For all of Kuchar's success on the PGA Tour (nine career wins, nearly $55 million in earnings), he has had few notable showing in major championships.

Kuchar's best major finish was a solo second at the 2017 British Open, three shots behind Jordan Spieth. His best since then is a T8 at the 2018 PGA Championship, and he missed the cut in every major in 2020 and 2021 (there was no British Open in 2020 due to the pandemic. This year, the 43-year-old missed qualifying for the Masters for the first time since 2009.

However, his game has come around in recent weeks. After missing the Masters he was T3 at the RBC Heritage, and T12 last week at the AT&T Byron Nelson.

Rory Gets to 5 Under

Rory McIlroy has continued his flawless first round at Southern Hills, pouring in a birdie at the par-4 second hole to get to 5 under through 11 holes and two ahead of the field.

On the broadcast, ESPN shared a stat that could prove ominous for the rest of the field: throughout McIlroy's major championship career, his first rounds are his worst with an average score of 71.31. 

In his group, McIlroy is six shots ahead of Tiger Woods (1 over after a bogey-bogey-birdie start to his second nine) and seven ahead of Jordan Spieth (2 over).

Marquee Group Through First Nine Holes

The most-followed group on the course has finished nine holes, with Rory McIlroy setting the pace for the threesome and the tournament.

McIlroy finished the back nine (the group started on No. 10) at 4 under, stringing four birdies from Nos. 12-15 without a bogey. He finished the side by holing a slippery par putt to a tough hole location at 18.

Tiger Woods is even par, having gotten off to a good start with birdies at the 10th and 14th but then giving them back at 15 and 18 when he failed to get up and down from greenside bunkers.

Jordan Spieth has the most work to do, sitting at 2 over going to the front nine. He birdied the par-3 12th but missed the green on three of the last four holes on the back nine and bogeyed all of them.  

Four In a Row for Rory

Might this be the drought-buster for Rory McIlroy?

As chronicled ad nauseum, the Ulsterman won four majors in a four-year burst from 2011-14, but none since. The 2014 PGA Championship at Valhalla in Louisville, Kentucky, was his last.

No need to get too carried away on a Thursday, but McIlroy poured in four birdies in a row on his first nine to take the early lead at Southern Hills.

He's also contradicting himself a bit. In a cute moment on Wednesday, McIlroy visited the media center with his daughter Poppy in tow. Upon entering, you walk down a long hallway lined with murals featuring past champions in their moment of glory. McIlroy stopped in front of his photo and quipped to his daughter: "That's when Daddy was good."

Morning Read's Gary Van Sickle captured the moment:

Rory McIlroy and his daughter look at his mural in the media center at the 2022 PGA Championship.
Gary Van Sickle/Morning Read

Max Homa Hot Early

With three consecutive birdies on the 12th, 13th and 14th holes, Max Homa has an early share of the lead in Round 1.

Homa may be the hottest player this side of Scottie Scheffler, with three wins in the last 15 months including the Wells Fargo Championship two weeks ago.

The Californian, currently ranked 28th in the world (his career high), has yet to contend in a major. In nine major starts he has six missed cuts and a best finish of T40.

“I just feel like I’m coming into my own. I’m starting to believe in myself a lot and that’s all I can ask for,” Homa said after winning at TPC Potomac.

Birdies, and Interesting Intersections

Jordan Spieth and Rory McIlroy birdied the 456-yard, par-4 12th hole at a spot on the property that will be interesting to watch all week.

The par-5 13th hole, stretched to 632 yards, tees off directly over the 12th green. So on Thursday, the group of Will Zalatoris, Viktor Hovland and Cameron Smith waited on the tee until the group of Tiger Woods, Spieth and McIlroy approached the front of the 12th after hitting their approach shots. Perhaps as a result of the awkward wait Zalatoris, hitting first, sailed his drive right of the fairway.

Such bottlenecks can make already long rounds at major championships even longer, especially with 156 players in the first two rounds this week. Another traffic jam-in-waiting at Southern Hills is the green at the par-4 2nd hole, tee box at the par-4 3rd, green at the par-5 5th, tee box and green of the par-3 6th and tee box of the par-4 seventh – all of which are in the same corner of the golf course.

"Major championships’ first two rounds play pretty slow," Spieth said Wednesday in his pre-tournament press conference. "I'm assuming the PGA of America will set up the golf course where you have pins more on the front of the green when the tees are back to hit over part of the green just for pace of play purposes.

Tiger Woods Opens With a Birdie

The marquee group is off in the first round of the 104th PGA Championship, and the headliner didn’t disappoint.

Tiger Woods hit the longest drive of the threesome at the 441-yard, par-4 10th, playing alongside Jordan Spieth and Rory McIlroy, and the 339-yard drive left him a 95-yard wedge from the fairway – which he stuffed to three feet and rolled in the birdie.

Spieth and McIlroy also landed their opening tee shots in the fairway, hit the green and then completed two-putt pars.

Woods is wearing a dark-colored shirt with light stripes, dark pants and white FootJoy Premiere shoes. The 10th hole at Southern Hills features a 55-foot drop from the tee to the fairway, and Woods gingerly took the staircase down from the tee box, given his surgically repaired right leg. As he continued down the fairway he occasionally used his wood as a walking stick.

For what it’s worth, when Woods won the 2007 PGA at Southern Hills, he also opened with a birdie at the 10th hole. 

The 💨 Could Be a Big Factor This Week

Here's a look at the forecast from Tulsa. First couple rounds look breezy, which could lead to some big numbers on a firm, fast golf course.

Tulsa-Weather-Final

Notable Thursday Morning Tee Times

It should be an eventful Thursday morning, as several high-wattage groupings will start early. Here are a few we'll be tracking (all times central):

7:38 a.m. – Hideki Matsuyama, Xander Schauffele, Tony Finau
8:00 a.m. – Viktor Hovland, Will Zalatoris, Cameron Smith
8:11 a.m. – Jordan Spieth, Rory McIlroy, Tiger Woods

The opening shots from the group of past champions at 7 a.m. local should also be worth tuning in for. Here's the group:

7:00 a.m. – John Daly, Shaun Micheel, Y.E. Yang

2022 PGA Championship Latest Betting Odds

We're T-minus 13 hours until the opening shots are struck in the 2022 PGA Championship. Bryson DeChambeau has withdrawn from the event, in perhaps the biggest news item of Wednesday. That hasn't had a huge impact on the odds board, but there's been some movement over the past day. Here's a quick look at the favorites at 40/1 or better, according to the SI Sportsbook:

Scottie Scheffler: 11/1
Jon Rahm: 12/1
Justin Thomas: 14/1
Rory McIlroy: 14/1
Jordan Spieth: 16/1
Collin Morikawa: 18/1
Patrick Cantlay: 18/1
Cameron Smith: 20/1
Hideki Matsuyama: 22/1
Xander Schauffele: 22/1
Dustin Johnson: 25/1
Viktor Hovland: 25/1
Shane Lowry: 30/1
Will Zalatoris: 33/1
Brooks Koepka: 35/1
Joaquin Niemann: 40/1
Matthew Fitzpatrick: 40/1
Sam Burns: 40/1 

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