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| - Four-time major winner Brooks Koepka and 2011 champion Keegan Bradley grinded out three-under par 69s to share the early lead in Thursday's first round of the PGA Championship. Norway's Viktor Hovland and American Aaron Wise, chasing their first major titles, were also in the clubhouse on 69 at Kiawah Island while South African Branden Grace was on the course at 3-under. Gusting winds and sandy waste areas played havoc with the world's top golfers as seventh-ranked Rory McIlroy and second-ranked Justin Thomas struggled to 75s on the formidable Ocean Course. "It's diabolical," said reigning US Open champion Bryson DeChambeau, who shot 72 despite four bogeys in a row. "You've got to be consistent and persistent and stay patient." Three-time major winner Jordan Spieth, who can complete a career Grand Slam with a victory, and top-ranked Dustin Johnson, a home-state hero, were among the afternoon starters in a field of 156 hunting a $1.98 million (1.6 million euros) top prize. Koepka, seeking his third PGA title in four years, rallied after opening with a double bogey at the 10th hole. "Got off to a bad start," Koepka said. "It helped get the round going, got me focused, got me into a rhythm." Koepka dropped his approach inside three feet and birdied the par-5 11th, sank a nine-footer for birdie at 13, answered a bogey at 15 with a tap-in birdie at the par-5 16th. The world number 12 sank birdie putts of 24 feet at the fourth and 16 feet at the par-3 third and landed his approach inches from the cup to birdie the par-5 seventh. "Six birdies in any round is pretty good," Koepka said. Koepka, a 31-year-old American who won the 2017 and 2018 US Open and 2018 and 2019 PGAs, is still fighting pain from right knee surgery in March. "I don't need to be 100% to play good," Koepka said. "I'm ready to play." Back-nine starters like Koepka, Wise and Hovland played nine consecutive holes into the wind. "You're just trying to hang on for dear life those nine holes," Koepka said. Bradley, who hasn't won in almost three years, had tap-in birdies on three par-5s and rolled in a 35-footer to birdie the ninth. "When you go out there and perform, it feels good, especially on a course like this," Bradley said. "It's a little more pressure. The atmosphere is different." Hovland, a 23-year-old seeking his first major triumph, won his first two US PGA titles last year at the Puerto Rico Open and Mayakoba Classic in Mexico. "I can't remember the last time I felt as good as I did today on the golf course," Hovland said. "I really felt comfortable off the tee. I hit a bunch of fairways and I was able to hit a bunch of greens as well." Wise, a South African-born American, birdied four of the last nine holes in his first major start since 2019. "Happy with the way I played," Wise said. "I did an amazing job of staying patient and then was able to scramble really well and save pars, which is huge around here." Defending champion Collin Morikawa, fellow American Cameron Tringale and Scotsman Martin Laird fired 70, with Laird reeling off four consecutive birdies from 13-16 only to close with back-to-back bogeys. Four-time major champion Rory McIlroy, the 2012 PGA winner at Kiawah, made six bogeys while Thomas had three bogeys and a double bogey, all involving the sandy waste areas that penalized off-target shots. Masters champion Hideki Matsuyama of Japan, another back-nine starter, opened with a 73, as did England's Lee Westwood and fourth-ranked Xander Schauffele. js/bb
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