Xander Schauffele ties men's major scoring record at PGA Championship

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Xander Schauffele tied the lowest round in major-championship history Thursday at Valhalla Golf Club and holds the first-round lead at the PGA Championship by three shots. 

Schauffele’s 9-under 62 broke the single-round scoring record at the PGA Championship and set the course record at Valhalla in the process. 

The three-shot advantage ties the largest opening-round lead in PGA Championship history. 

Schauffele has eight top-10 results so far this season in 12 tournaments — including a runner-up last week at the Wells Fargo Championship — but he hasn’t won on the PGA Tour since 2022 despite earning a spot in the final group on Sunday four times this season. 

Still, Schauffele said, right now, he may be playing the best golf of his career. 

“I feel there's spurts, moments in time where you feel like you can control the ball really well; you're seeing the greens really well; you're chipping really well. But over a prolonged period, it's tough to upkeep high performance,” Schauffele said. “I'd say it's very close to (my best golf) if not it.”

With seven PGA Tour titles, Schauffele, the world No. 3, is one of — if not the — best current player not to have a major to his name. 

Schauffele owns the lowest all-time career first-round scoring average at majors (among those who have appeared in at least 25 major championships) and has 12 top-10s in majors in his career.

“I think not winning makes you want to win more, as weird as that is. For me, at least, I react to it, and I want it more and more and more, and it makes me want to work harder and harder and harder,” Schauffele said. 

“The top feels far away, and I feel like I have a lot of work to do. But just slowly chipping away at it.”

Tony Finau, Sahith Theegala and Mark Hubbard sit in second at 6 under, while Rory McIlroy — the 2014 PGA Championship winner at Valhalla — along with six others, are a shot further back at 5 under.

McIlroy, who has won his last two starts on the PGA Tour, filed for divorce from his wife of seven years on Monday and was curt when asked any questions that were personal-life adjacent. 

“Happy to be here,” McIlroy said when asked about how he is at compartmentalizing in his life. 

McIlroy was, however, pleased with how much he got out of his game on Thursday, calling his round “scrappy.” McIlroy was off with a few things, he admitted (he was 134th in strokes gained: off the tee — an incredible drop from fourth in the same stat this season) but was happy with his score. 

Also thrilled with his opening-round effort was Adam Hadwin, who leads the Canadian contingent in Louisville after a 3-under 68. He’s tied for 18th heading into Friday.

Hadwin’s opener featured a short-game masterclass and was highlighted by a final-hole eagle of nearly 40 feet. 

“I was trying to hit it directly behind the pin and chip it backwards, but I pull-heel-cut it perfectly up the opening on the left side of the green and it rolled up. Uphill left-to-right (putt) and I judged it perfectly,” Hadwin, of Abbotsford, B.C., explained. 

Hadwin, who was fifth in strokes gained: around the green and ninth in strokes gained: putting, said the conditions Thursday were ripe for scoring – with soft greens and fairways allowing even shorter-hitting guys to be able to take advantage. 

“It’s long-ish, but we’re seeing a little bit of run in the fairway today and with soft greens it’s very playable. Even long irons were stopping within 10 feet and whenever you have that, guys are going to go low. They’re going to take advantage,” Hadwin said. 

Hadwin was quick to heap praise on Schauffele’s opening-round score. 

“Nine under in a major, any major, regardless of conditions, is pretty damn good,” Hadwin said.  

Adam Svensson of Surrey, B.C. and Corey Conners of Listowel, Ont. finished at 1-under while Taylor Pendrith of Richmond Hill, Ont. and Nick Taylor, also of Abbotsford, shot 1-over 72s. Mackenzie Hughes of Dundas, Ont. struggled to a 3-over 74.

The biggest question mark of the week had to be how world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, who had won four of his last five starts on the PGA Tour — including two in a row heading into this week, one of which was the Masters — but became a father for the first time just eight days ago, would perform. 

Scheffler looked a little cold with the putter on Thursday — he was 111th in strokes gained: putting — but opened the day by dunking his approach shot on the par-4 1st for eagle from 167 yards away and ended with a 4-under 67. It was his 41st consecutive score of par or better. 

Scheffler is looking to become just the sixth golfer in the last 70 years to win the first two majors of the year but admitted there were a few things he wanted to “clean up” Thursday night. He went straight to the driving range after his round.

The No. 1 player in the world said he saw Schauffele’s incredible opener Thursday morning but was laser-like on his own day.  

“Xander went out and played a great round this morning and I'm not really going to worry about trying to shoot 9-under,” Scheffler said. “I'm just going to go out and try to hit good shots and play my own game.”