PGA Championship 2023 live updates: Scott Scheffler joins top of leaderboard

After a brief weather delay, the 2023 PGA Championship is underway at Oak Hill Country Club in Rochester, New York, the fourth time the course has hosted the championship.

Although Tiger Woods is not in the field, some of golf’s biggest names are teeing off Thursday morning, including 16 players from LIV Golf. There are 156 players in the field, and they will play the first two rounds Thursday and Friday in groups of three.

USA TODAY Sports will provide the latest news, updates, analysis and more throughout the day. Follow along.

World No. 2 joins crowded top spot on the leaderboard

Scottie Scheffler closed out his first round in a tie for first place, joining Keegan Bradley, Bryson DeChambeau and Corey Conners.

Live Leaderboard: PGA Championship Tournament Scores, Schedules, Pairings and More

The World Golf Ranking No. 2 player maintained a bogey-free round, including a birdie on Nos. 5, 8 and 14. Scheffler had a chance to take sole position of the lead on his final hole, but his long birdie putt spun out, leaving him with a par to close out the day at 3-under.

“It was a grind today,” Scheffler said on ESPN.

The quartet for first place are followed by Ryan Fox and Viktor Hovland at 2-under.

Masters winner Jon Rahm in free fall; Scottie Scheffler adds another birdie

He was looking to be the first player to win the first two majors of the year since Jordan Spieth did so in 2015, but it’s looking like that simply won’t be the case for Masters winner Jon Rahm. Over his last nine holes, Rahm has bogeyed six of them. He has plummeted down the board and sits at 5-over par, in a tie for 71st.

Switching to the 2022 Masters winner, Scottie Scheffler has put himself in excellent position for the rest of the tournament. Scheffler is through 17 holes and remains bogey-free. He birdied No. 8 after his lovely approach shot softly found the green, about 6 feet away from the pin. He is sitting at 3-under and in a tie for first, joining Corey Conners, and Keegan Bradley. It has been a trademark Scheffler round, avoiding big mistakes and saving par chances when his shots have gone slightly off-target.

Revolving door atop leaderboard at Oak Hill welcomes two new members, but it doesn’t last long

For the first time today, Corey Conners and Viktor Hovland climbed up to grab a share of the lead. Hovland has birdied two of his last four holes to move into the tie for first at 3-under, joining Ryan Fox and Conners.

The problem for Hovland and Fox, though, is that Conners is on a torrid pace and has birdied six of his last 11 holes, including three in the last four. The most recent birdie came at No. 15 and moved him into sole possession of first place, at 4-under par.

Trouble, though, might be ahead as his tee shot on No. 16 landed well right in thick rough.

Five players — Fox, Sahith Theegala, Keegan Bradley, Scottie Scheffler and Bryson Dechambeau — are sitting at 2-under and a tie for fourth.

More movement at the top at Oak Hill

In what has been the theme of the day, tough pin placements and challenging holes have created parity at the top of the leaderboard at the PGA Championship. Ryan Fox has been the steadiest player of the day so far, with four birdies against one bogey through 16 holes. He sits at 3-under par and in sole position of the lead.

Corey Conners birdied No. 12 and Viktor Hovladnd birdied No. 2 to move into a tie for second place at 2-under.

Justin Thomas had a very makeable birdie at No. 4, but took a long time to assess an 8-foot putt, only to see him push it left. That kept him at 1-under.

Scottie Scheffler, though, hasn’t played the cleanest round, but he has scrambled exceptionally well and has avoided bogeys all day. His birdie on No. 5 moved him into that tie for second place at 2-under.

Long par putt save seems to fuel Rory McIlroy

Rory McIlroy’s day appeared as if it was going to get worse at No. 2, when his approach shot sailed the green and landed in a shelf below the pin. Then, he did this.

That saved par to keep him at 3-over par and still within striking distance. But it also seemed to settle him. Notoriously a slow starter, McIlroy then hit a beautiful tee shot on the par-3 third and converted his first birdie of the day.

His tee shot with the driver at the par-5 No. 4? He drilled it about 340 yards, finding only his second fairway of the day. His approach? A beautiful draw to land safely on the green for a long eagle putt. He tapped in for a birdie to move to 1-over par, just four strokes off the lead.

Changes at the top, all of a sudden, as several golfers drop strokes

Kazuki Higa had charged out to a lead and then played steady golf for most of his first round at Oak Hill. Then, he came to No. 6. where he made a mess off the tee box, landing far left and needing a layup just to get back on the fairway. Even that shot couldn’t find its mark, landing short and remaining in the thick grass.

Elsewhere, Keegan Bradley suffered his own double bogey to drop out of the co-lead. Bradley’s came at No. 15.

That left Sahith Theegala as the lone player atop the leaderboard at 3-under par, but then he bogeyed No. 12. That now puts him at 2-under and in a co-lead with Ryan Fox, who has one birdie and seven pars in his last eight holes.

That has opened the door for a logjam of nine players who are at 1-under par, including World Golf Ranking No. 2 player Scottie Scheffler, LIV Golf’s Bryson Dechambeau and Keegan Bradley. Of those, Scheffler has played the cleanest, and has maintained a bogey-free round with a single birdie on No. 14. He is through 11 holes.

Joel Dahmen hits fan during PGA Championship practice round, buys his beer for the day

It was quite the start for Joel Dahmen at the PGA Championship.

Ahead of the first round at Oak Hill Country Club, Dahmen was in the final practice round Wednesday when a shot went awry and hit a fan in the calf.

But instead of just apologizing and signing the ball and giving it to the fan, Dahmen went the extra mile. After meeting the fan he hit, Dahmen asked how much beer costs at the course, which he said is $17 and was widely criticized last year.

Dahmen then pulled out a $100 bill and told the fan “I got your beers today.” Dahmen, who was become a fan favorite after his appearance on the Netflix documentary “Full Swing,” apologized on Twitter and told the fan “hope you enjoyed the beers.”

— Jordan Mendoza

Leaderboard starting to crowd at the top

A three-way tie has formed atop the leaderboard at Oak Hill, with Kazuki Higa converting pars on six straight holes after he charged out to a score of 3-under. Keegan Bradley raced off to a hot start as well, birdying three of his first five holes. And Sahith Theegala has birdied three of his last four − Nos. 8, 9 and 11 − to join them.

That said, there are plenty of players within striking distance. Ryan Fox is the lone player at 2-under and in fourth place. But there are nine players sitting at 1-under par. One of them, Callum Tarren, bogeyed Nos. 5 and 6 to neutralize his hot start and brief hold of a co-lead with Higa. Tarren did, however, settle with pars on Nos. 7 and 8.

Rory McIlroy sliding, sliding down

As several players are capitalizing on soft greens and favorable conditions, Rory McIlroy is going in the opposite direction. He has posted bogeys in three of his last four holes, Nos. 15, 17 and 18 to move to 3-over par and a tie for 59th. It’s not just one part of his game that’s letting him down; he has misfired on some of his irons and has had to resort to two-putts at times throughout the round.

Several early groups have turned to their second nine

The conditions right now at Oak Hill are spectacular. It’s comfortably cool because the sun is shining, and there’s very little wind for the players to contend with.

Kazuki Higa has leveled off since his quick start and has made six pars and a bogey, so as he plays his 13th hole, he’s at 3-under-par. He also has company on that number atop the leaderboard as Keegan Bradley has opened his round on the back nine with birdies at Nos. 10, 12 and 13.

Bradley, who is the nephew of former LPGA great Pat Bradley, won the PGA the first time he played it back in 2011. He beat Jason Dufner in a playoff, the same Dufner who won the tournament two years later at Oak Hill.

But Bradley has struggled in recent years, though he did break a four-year victory drought when he won the Zozo Championship last October.

— Sal Maiorana, Rochester Democrat and Chronicle

Tiger texted Rory McIlroy about something in his swing after recent lackluster finish

A few weeks ago in Charlotte, Rory McIlroy tied for 47th, a substandard finish for a man who has dominated Quail Hollow and the Wells Fargo Championship for most of his career — McIlroy’s won the event three times.

Golfweek’s Eamon Lynch reported on Golf Channel Tuesday that Tiger Woods texted McIlroy after the event and told him he saw something in the four-time major champion’s swing.

And when Woods calls, you listen.

— Riley Hamel, Golfweek

Callum Tarren ties (then loses) share of lead; Rory McIlroy still unable to break through

Calum Tarren had been doing his best Kazuki Higa impression until it went awry on No. 5. Higa, who birdied four consecutive holes early in his round to race out to the lead, briefly had company atop the leaderboard after Tarren posted three consecutive birdies to briefly grab a share of the lead. Tarren’s tee shot on the par-3 No. 5, however, just rolled down the ridge of the green and set him up for a two-putt par that he mismanaged. Tarren’s bogey dropped him to 2-under and a tie for second with Ryan Fox, who birdied No. 9.

Higa, meanwhile, held steady and converted two challenging putts to par No. 1.

Elsewhere, Rory McIlroy, the No. 3 player in the World Golf Rankings, has been searching for his first birdie of the day but has been unable thus far to break into the red. He has parred each of his first five holes of his first round. In fact, McIlroy actually dropped a stroke on No. 15 after his nice shot out of the greenside bunker on No. 15 set up a makeable par putt that he pushed left. He tapped in for his first bogey of the day, moving him to 1-over par, in a tie for 33rd.

Kazuki Higa drops first stroke of his day; Callum Tarren starts hot

Sole leader Kazuki Higa, whose four consecutive birdies saw him race out to an early lead, dropped his first stroke of the day on his eighth hole, No. 17. His tee shot drifted left into the rough and then forced him to layup his second shot. His approach landed on the wrong side of the ridge on the green, which resulted in a two-putt and his first bogey of the day. The silver lining is that — thus far — No. 17 has been the most difficult hole on the course.

He remains at 3-under par, one stroke better than Callum Tarren in second place. Tarren, the 32-year-old British golfer, has started his round in excellent shape. He parred No. 1 and then posted consecutive birdies on Nos. 2 and 3 to shoot up the leaderboard.

Kazuki Higa does his best Tiger Woods impression on way to early lead

Kazuki Higa of Japan came out of the gates blazing with four consecutive birdies to take the early lead at the PGA Championship.

After just lipping out a birdie putt on No. 10, his first hole of the round, Higa rolled in an 11-footer to go into red figures.

Then, channeling Tiger Woods’ iconic shot at Augusta National, the 28-year-old Higa rolled in a long birdie putt on No. 12 that just hung on the lip of the cup for a split second before tumbling in.

The 5-2 Higa continued his hot streak with two more birdies on the 13th and 14th holes.

Higa, No. 99 in the world golf rankings, has played on the Japan Tour since 2017 and he has four career victories. He has made three starts on the PGA Tour this year and missed the cut in two, including the Masters. This is his first PGA Championship appearance.

The first eagle of PGA Championship has landed

Scott Stallings began his round on the 10th hole which, most golf analysts believe, will play as one of the easiest of the week on the East Course. Stallings proved that as he striped a drive down the middle at the 423-yard par-4. With 128 yards left to the flag, Stallings likely hit some type of wedge and he two-hopped it into the hole for an eagle-2.

The 38-year-old is a three-time winner on the PGA Tour, the last in 2014. He has said that if he wasn’t a professional golfer, he’d be a pediatrician. Stallings has struggled this season as he has no top-10 finishes in 16 starts.

— Sal Maiorana, Rochester Democrat and Chronicle

How to watch PGA Championship 2023

Here is the TV schedule:

Thursday, May 18 and Friday, May 19

7 a.m.-1 p.m.: ESPN+
1 p.m.-7 p.m.: ESPN

The tournament can be livestreamed on:

Is Justin Thomas playing today?

Yes. If he’s going to win a third PGA this week, Thomas has to play the way he did two weekends ago at Quail Hollow which, when it isn’t hosting majors, is the annual home of the Wells Fargo Championship.

Thomas hasn’t won since his victory at Southern Hills and has only four top 10 finishes in the 19 events he has teed it up. But despite a tie for 14th on a course he knows well and has succeeded on, he felt like things were starting to click. Now the trick will be to carry that forward when he begins his PGA defense Thursday.

“I’ve preached this to myself, I’m sure I’ve said it to y’all or I’ve said it to younger guys that ask, but how you learn is failure and negatives, and I feel like I’ve had a great opportunity for a lot of learning the past, whatever, six months, couple months, this year,” he said. “I said it in Charlotte a little bit, I’m starting to see a little bit of a light at the end of the tunnel.”

Thomas got off to an excellent start with a birdie on his first hole of the day.

— Sal Maiorana, Rochester Democrat and Chronicle

Opening of practice facilities, golf course pushed back due to frost

All practice facilities and the golf course at Oak Hill Country Club were temporarily closed Thursday morning because of frost. To protect playing surfaces, everyone on-site was required to stay off any grass.

The practice range opened at 7:35 a.m. and the putting green at 7:45, pushing starting times back by a total of one hour and 50 minutes.

Round 1 tee times begin at 8:50 a.m. on the first tee and 8:55 a.m. on the 10th tee.

Temperatures are supposed to rise into the mid-60s by early afternoon under sunny skies and light winds.

GALLERY: 10 beautiful photos of frost-covered Oak Hill

Jordan Spieth injury update

“How are you feeling, Jordan?” a spectator shouted with genuine concern to Jordan Spieth from behind the rope lining the right side of the 13th fairway at Oak Hill on Tuesday as Spieth sauntered to his ball.

“I feel good,” Spieth said imitating the deep baritone of James Brown.

But does Spieth, who withdrew from last week’s AT&T Byron Nelson, his hometown event, citing a left wrist injury, really feel so good, as the soul singer Brown would say? That we don’t know because when a reporter asked to speak to him about his injury, he declined and said, “But thanks for your concern.”

Spieth, ranked No. 10 in the world, is bidding to complete the career Grand Slam this week by winning the PGA Championship. It marks his seventh attempt since winning the 2017 British Open for his third major title.

— Adam Schupak, Golfweek

Map of Oak Hill Country Club

Oak Hill Country Club’s East Course is regarded as one of top golf courses in America. It’s also one of the most challenging. The East Course is built around part of Allen Creek, which weaves a hazard through half of the holes. The par-70 course plays 7.394 yards. Here’s a hole-by-hole bird’s-eye view.

Hole by hole distances and par

No. 1, 460 yards, par 4
No. 2, 405 yards, par 4
No. 3, 230 yards, par 3
No. 4, 615 yards, par 5
No. 5, 180 yards, par 3
No. 6, 503 yards, par 4
No. 7, 461 yards, par 4
No. 8, 429 yards, par 4
No. 9, 482 yards, par 4
No. 10, 430 yards, par 4
No. 11, 245 yards, par 3
No. 12, 399 yards, par 4
No. 13, 623 yards, par 5
No. 14, 320 yards, par 4
No. 15, 155 yards, par 3
No. 16, 458 yards, par 4
No. 17, 502 yards, par 4
No. 18, 497 yards, par 4

— Ryan Miller, Rochester Democrat and Chronicle

Who are the PGA Championship announcers?

ESPN: Scott Van Pelt will anchor live coverage on ESPN and ESPN+ and will be joined for analysis by former world No. 1 golfer David Duvall. Hole announcers are Curtis Strange, Bob Wischusen and David Fleming. On-course reporters will be Andy North, Billy Kratzert, Suzy Whaley, Ken Brown and John Maginnes.

CBS: Jim Nantz will host the network’s coverage from the 18th tower for the 33rd straight year and will be joined by analyst Trevor Immelman. Hole announcers are Ian Baker-Finch and Frank Nobilo. On-course reporters will be Dottie Pepper, Colt Knost and Mark Immelman. Amanda Renner will provide reports and conduct interviews.

— Ryan Miller, Rochester Democrat and Chronicle

Updated PGA Championship tee times, groupings for Thursday

Half the field will start at No. 1, the other half on No. 10, and they will switch for the second round. The morning tee times were scheduled to begin at 7 a.m., but play was delayed for an hour and 50 minutes due to early-morning frost.

The afternoon tee times that were supposed to start at 12:30 p.m. are being pushed back as well. Here are the updated tee times for Thursday’s opening round:

1st tee
- 8:50 a.m.: Shaun Micheel, Braden Shattuck, Steven Alker
- 9:01 a.m.: Ben Griffin, Chris French, Joel Dahmen
- 9:12 a.m.: Wyatt Worthington II, Nico Echavarria, Wyndham Clark
- 9:23 a.m.: Tom Hoge, Ryan Fox, K.H. Lee
- 9:34 a.m.: Paul Casey, Adam Svensson, Beau Hossler
- 9:45 a.m.: Zach Johnson, Kurt Kitayama, Sahith Theegala
- 9:56 a.m.: Corey Conners, Ockie Strydom, Joaquin Niemann
- 10:07 a.m.: Kevin Kisner, Jimmy Walker, Padraig Harrington
- 10:18 a.m.: Alex Noren, J.T. Poston, Mackenzie Hughes
- 10:29 a.m.: Lee Hodges, Callum Tarren, David Lingmerth
- 10:40 a.m.: Taylor Moore, Denny McCarthy, Brendan Steele
- 10:51 a.m.: Jeremy Wells, Justin Suh, Adri Arnaus
- 11:02 a.m.: Anthony Cordes, Mark Hubbard, Dean Burmester
- 2:20 p.m.: Matt Cahill, Taylor Montgomery, Cam Davis
- 2:31 p.m.: Michael Block, Hayden Buckley, Taylor Pendrith
- 2:42 p.m.: Alex Beach, Brendon Todd, Sihwan Kim
- 2:53 p.m.: Patrick Reed, Rasmus Hojgaard, Nick Taylor
- 3:04 p.m.: Christiaan Bezuidenhout, John Somers, Chez Reavie
- 3:15 p.m.: Tommy Fleetwood, Cameron Young, Hideki Matsuyama
- 3:26 p.m.: Adam Scott, Max Homa, Tony Finau
- 3:37 p.m.: Xander Schauffele, Tyrrell Hatton, Dustin Johnson
- 3:48 p.m.: Patrick Cantlay, Rickie Fowler, Phil Mickelson
- 3:59 p.m.: Alex Smalley, Russell Henley, Mito Pereira
- 4:10 p.m.: Adam Hadwin, Matt Kuchar, Talor Gooch
- 4:21 p.m.: Justin Rose, Billy Horschel, Francesco Molinari
- 4:32 p.m.: Russell Grove, Patrick Rodgers, Ben Taylor
10th tee
- 8:55 a.m.: Trey Mullinax, Josh Speight, Kazuki Higa
- 9:06 a.m.: Adam Schenk, Colin Inglis, Thriston Lawrence
- 9:17 a.m.: Min Woo Lee, Andrew Putnam, Emiliano Grillo
- 9:28 a.m.: Harold Varner III, Scott Stallings, Nicolai Hojgaard
- 9:39 a.m.: Steve Holmes, Adrian Otaegui, Davis Riley
- 9:50 a.m.: Scottie Scheffler, Brooks Koepka, Gary Woodland
- 10:01 a.m.: Rory McIlroy, Justin Thomas, Collin Morikawa
- 10:12 a.m.: Shane Lowry, Jordan Spieth, Viktor Hovland
- 10:23 a.m.: Matthew Fitzpatrick, Cameron Smith, Jon Rahm
- 10:34 a.m.: Luke Donald, Adrian Meronk, Yannik Paul
- 10:45 a.m.: Kenny Pigman, Davis Thompson, Maverick McNealy
- 10:56 a.m.: Keegan Bradley, Jason Day, Bryson DeChambeau
- 11:07 a.m.: Jesse Droemer, Matt NeSmith, Rikuya Hoshino
- 2:15 p.m.: Sam Ryder, Gabe Reynolds, Brandon Wu
- 2:26 p.m.: Sadom Kaewkanjana, Ben Kern, Thorbjorn Olesen
- 2:37 p.m.: Webb Simpson, Y.E. Yang, Danny Willett
- 2:48 p.m.: Sepp Straka, Harris English, Robert Macintyre
- 2:59 p.m.: Thomas Pieters, Keith Mitchell, Pablo Larrazabal
- 3:10 p.m.: Lucas Herbert, Brian Harman, Callum Shinkwin
- 3:21 p.m.: Tom Kim, Sam Burns, Abraham Ancer
- 3:32 p.m.: Sungjae Im, Chris Kirk. Seamus Power
- 3:43 p.m.: Si Woo Kim, Stephan Jaeger, Anirban Lahiri
- 3:54 p.m.: Victor Perez, Aaron Wise, Jordan Smith
- 4:05 p.m.: Chris Sanger, J.J. Spaun, David Micheluzzi
- 4:16 p.m.: Thomas Detry, J.J. Killeen, Matt Wallace
- 4:27 p.m.: Nick Hardy, Greg Koch, Eric Cole

Who will win the PGA Championship 2023?

Justin Thomas is the defending champion, but Jon Rahm enters the week as one of the betting favorites (+750). The Spaniard has amassed four wins already this season including the Masters in April — his second major championship victory.

However, it’s Scottie Scheffler on top of the betting odds list, sitting at +700. He tied for fifth at last week’s AT&T Byron Nelson and grabbed a T-10 finish at Augusta National.

At double Scheffler’s odds is McIlroy (+1400), who is going through a bit of a funk. In his last three stroke-play events, the Northern Irishman has missed the cut at the Players and Masters, and tied for 47th at the Wells Fargo Championship.

— Sal Maiorana, Rochester Democrat and Chronicle

PGA Championship dark horse picks 2023

Although the field is littered with stars from both the PGA Tour and LIV Golf League, there are several names further down the odds list worth keeping an eye on.

Here are five sleeper picks for the PGA Championship at Oak Hill: Tommy Fleetwood (60/1), Rickie Fowler (60/1), Adam Scott (80/1), Shane Lowry (90/1), Gary Woodland (90/1).

— Riley Hamel, Golfweek

Rory McIlroy at Oak Hill in Rochester

Rory McIlroy stopped short of saying he has the home course advantage this week for the PGA Championship at Oak Hill Country Club, especially when you consider he actually hasn’t played the East Course since its renovation.

“It’s not as if I have a ton of local knowledge here compared to everyone else,” McIlroy said Tuesday before heading out to play a practice round to get familiarized with the changes. “The last two days are the most I’ve really seen of this golf course over the last couple years.”

He may not have much of an advantage regarding the subtleties of the course or the best way to negotiate the daunting challenge of the East Course, but McIlroy will likely be the darling of the massive galleries.

— Sal Maiorana, Rochester Democrat and Chronicle

Oak Hill Country Club designer

A voluminous renovation has been ongoing for several years at Oak Hill, and the goal of renowned golf course architect Andrew Green was to restore the East Course as close as possible to the original design Donald Ross created nearly a century ago.

— Sal Maiorana, Rochester Democrat and Chronicle

Purse for PGA Championship 2023

There will be $15 million in prize money awarded. The winner will take home $2.7 million.

— Sal Maiorana, Rochester Democrat and Chronicle

Who’s missing at the PGA Championship at Oak Hill?

Will Zalatoris, who is ranked No. 9 in the world, is the only player in the top 100 not at Oak Hill as his season ended due to back surgery.

Jordan Spieth, No. 10 in the world, is battling a wrist injury which forced him to withdraw last week from the AT&T Byron Nelson. He practiced Tuesday, but it’s possible he might have to pull out. If he plays, he’ll start Thursday at 8:22 a.m. on No. 10 with Viktor Hovland and Shane Lowry.

— Sal Maiorana, Rochester Democrat and Chronicle

LIV Golfers at the PGA Championship

The LIV Golf contingent has a stout record in the PGA. The 17 players in the field have combined for 32 top-10 finishes and have made 100 of 131 cuts (76.3 percent).

Englishman Paul Casey announced Wednesday that he’s withdrawing from the tournament due to injury, leaving 16 LIV golfers in the field. Previously, fellow LIV golfer Martin Kaymer pulled out as well.