The opening day of the 2025 PGA Championship at Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte was marked by unexpected struggles from the tournament's highest-ranked trio.
Much of the pre-tournament buzz centred around the pairing of World No 1 Scottie Scheffler, No 2 Rory McIlroy and No 3 Xander Schauffele.
However, the star-studded trio failed to live up to expectations as they battled through a challenging first round on Thursday.
Meanwhile, Venezuelan Jhonattan Vegas seized the spotlight with a scorching seven-under 64 to take the first-round lead.
Jhonattan Vegas birdied five of his last six holes to grab a two-shot lead at the PGA Championship
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McIlroy, who has won at Quail Hollow four times in his career, endured a particularly disappointing day, carding a 3-over par round that marked his worst performance at the course since 2011.
The 35-year-old, fresh from completing his career grand slam at the Masters, was uncharacteristically wayward from the tee and did not speak to the media following his round.
Reigning champion Schauffele also struggled to find his rhythm, finishing the day at one-over par.
The group's collective struggles were evident throughout the round, with each player failing to generate any meaningful momentum as they navigated the challenging Charlotte layout.
Scottie Scheffler opened with a two-under 69 and Masters champion Rory McIlroy struggled to three-over 74
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Despite their high world rankings, the trio found themselves looking up at the leaderboard rather than dominating it.
Scheffler, however, managed to salvage his round despite the challenging conditions, grinding out a two-under par finish in his characteristic resilient fashion.
The group's struggles were perhaps best exemplified by their collective disaster at the tricky 16th hole, where all three players recorded double bogeys.
Both Scheffler and Schauffele had found the middle of the fairway with near-perfect drives, only to watch their second shots splash into the water hazard beside the green.
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This misfortune effectively halted any momentum they had built heading toward the clubhouse.
Despite the difficult day, Scheffler remained positive about the experience of playing alongside his elite competitors.
"It's always a ton of fun to get paired with those two guys," the two-time major winner said after his round.
"I think what excites us the most as players is getting to play against the best competition, and having the top three guys in the world all playing together is a tremendous amount of fun.
"Hopefully tomorrow it will play a little bit better. This morning was a bit of a struggle."
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Scheffler claimed the morning was a 'struggle' for the top three
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All three golfers will be hoping for improved performances in Friday's second round as they tee off at 1.47pm ET (6.47pm BST), looking to make up ground on the leaders.
While Jhonattan Vegas claimed the spotlight with his impressive seven-under 64, he sits two strokes ahead of Ryan Gerard and Cam Davis, who share second place.
Five players are tied for fourth, including European Ryder Cup team captain Luke Donald and Alex Smalley, who only learned he would be playing 24 hours before Thursday's finish.
Smalley, a North Carolina native, entered as an alternate after Sahith Theegala withdrew with a neck injury.
Smalley told reporters: "It was nice to get an opportunity to play. I played the Wells Fargo here two years ago. Didn't really play here before that. So I really only have a few rounds under my belt."
Several pre-tournament favourites struggled, with Bryson DeChambeau finishing at even-par.
The day's most unusual disruption came in the form of turtles that emerged from the water hazards to take up residence in a bunker on the 14th hole.
Brad Gregory of the PGA of America rules committee confirmed to ESPN that play was delayed due to the turtle invasion.
One of the leaders, Ryan Gerard, was affected when his chip shot landed near a particularly relaxed turtle on the 14th.
American golfer Tyler Collet faced an extended wait as groundskeepers worked to restore the bunker after the turtles had disturbed the sand.
The delay didn't faze Collet, who went on to make a birdie after the unusual stoppage.
Organisers will be hoping for fewer reptilian interruptions as the second round begins with Keith Mitchell, Bob Sowards, and Adam Hadwin teeing off at 7am ET (12pm BST) on Friday.
