Wyndham Clark, maligned by the public following a club throw during the PGA Championship over the weekend, has apologized for his actions.

• "As professionals," Clark posted on X on Monday, "we are expected to remain professional even when frustrated and I unfortunately let my emotions get the best of me."

  Standing on the tee box of the 16th hole at Quail Hollow in Charlotte on Sunday, Clark flared a drive right into a fairway bunker. The 31-year-old former U.S. Open champion then flinged his club toward the back of the tee box, snapping the head off as it crashed into signage with a volunteer standing mere feet away.

  Clark went on to bogey the 16th -- his seventh of the day -- en route to a 3-over 74. He finished the championship in a tie for 50th place at 4 over.

  On Monday, Clark posted on X that he wanted to "sincerely apologize" for his behavior.

  "My actions were uncalled for and completely inappropriate, making it clear that I have things I need to work on," Clark said. "I hold myself to a high standard, trying to always play for something bigger than myself, and yeterday [sic] I fell short of those standards. For that I am truly sorry. I promise to better the way I handle my frustrations on the course going forward, and hope you all can forgive me in due time."

  Since tying for fifth at the Texas Children's Houston Open in early March, Clark has struggled, finishing no better than a tie for 27th over his past four tournaments.

  Clark has spoken publicly about his mental health and its impact on his career, including being transparent about his experiences with grief and anger management after his mother died of breast cancer just over 10 years ago.

  --Field Level Media

Scottie Scheffler is favored to knock off the third leg of his quest for the career grand slam at next month's U.S. Open.

• Fresh off claiming his first Wanamaker Trophy at the PGA Championship, which added to Scheffler's pair of Masters green jackets, he was installed as the consensus favorite to win the 2025 U.S. Open.

  That includes being offered at +350 at DraftKings, where Rory McIlroy has the second-shortest odds at +600 followed by Bryson DeChambeau at +1100. Xander Schauffele and Jon Rahm are both being offered at +1200.

  The U.S. Open will begin June 12 at Oakmont Country Club in Plum, Penn. That's a week before Scheffler's 29th birthday.

  The world's top-ranked player has won his past two starts, including the CJ Cup Byron Nelson. Scheffler has come close to claiming the U.S. Open before, tying for second in 2022 just a single shot behind champion Matt Fitzpatrick.

  Oakmont will play host to the U.S. Open for the 10th time but the first since 2016. That event was won by Dustin Johnson, with a 19-year-old Scheffler missing the cut by a stroke after bogeying his final hole.

  Scheffler will have far higher expectations this time around.

  He has again extended the distance between himself and world No. 2 McIlroy, who followed up his Masters triumph with an uninspired T47 at the PGA Championship. DeChambeau did battle to finish second for the second consecutive year, which followed a T5 at the Masters.

  The most recent LIV Golf player to win a major, DeChambeau will arrive at Oakmont as the defending U.S. Open champion, having outlasted McIlroy at Pinehurst.

  DeChambeau, who is already a two-time U.S. Open champion, also has the third-shortest odds at BetRivers to claim No. 3 next month. He is being offered at +900 behind Scheffler (+335) and McIlroy (+650). Rahm is +1100, followed by Schauffele at +1600.

  "I've got some tricks up my sleeve that I'm going to be working on and hopefully bring for the U.S. Open," DeChambeau said after Sunday's finish at Quail Hollow.

  --Field Level Media

Scottie Scheffler knew the issue would come up eventually, but the newly minted winner of the PGA Championship found himself answering questions on Sunday evening about non-conforming clubs.

• Scheffler confirmed that his driver had been tested in the past week and he had to make a change, which didn't prevent him from capturing his third major and first Wanamaker Trophy by five strokes at Quail Hollow Club.

  The World No. 1 player could even joke after the victory that the new driver didn't affect his accuracy on Sunday, when he was hitting to the left.

  "No. I think that was my fault," he said.

  PGA Tour players having their drivers tested came to the forefront on Friday, when SiriusXM PGA Tour Radio first reported that Rory McIlroy had been forced to switch to a different driver after his favorite TaylorMade weapon was deemed non-conforming in a test conducted on Tuesday.

  "So the driver testing is something that regularly happens on Tour," Scheffler said. "My driver did fail me this week. We had a feeling that it was going to be coming because I've used that driver for over a year. I was kind of fortunate for it to last that long, I felt like."

  The U.S. Golf Association routinely tests driver heads randomly at PGA Tour events and major championships to determine whether their spring-like effect is conforming.

  Spring-like effect refers to the elasticity of the clubface, which allows it to spring back upon impact with the ball, much like a trampoline.

  A driver that is conforming one week could be non-conforming the next, due to minute changes in the clubface as a result of the wear and tear of hitting balls.

  Scheffler noted that "with the amount of practice that I do, I felt like I was fortunate for it to last that long."

  He credited TaylorMade for having a new driver ready if needed for The CJ Cup Byron Nelson, which he also won on May 4 by tying the PGA Tour's all-time scoring record, and the PGA Championship. He hit 35 of 56 fairways in regulation at Quail Hollow and was fifth for four rounds in strokes gained off the tee.

  "... we were really prepared," Scheffler said. "So it wasn't that big of a deal."

  He does take the testing seriously and would like to see changes in the process.

  "I would argue that if we're going to test the drivers, we need to be even more robust in the way we test them," Scheffler said. "That was a conversation I had with one of the rules officials; if it's something we're going to take seriously, I feel like we're almost going halfway with it right now.

  "If we're going to test only a third of the field. If we're going to do it right, leave it up to us as players, like the rest of the rules in the game of golf are."

  He put it in the context of a new rule that "we haven't quite gotten right yet" and could be more strict.

  "You can test guys every week, if you want," Scheffler said. "I mean, there's no reason why we shouldn't."

  The PGA of America released a statement Saturday about the on-site testing process, which did not mention any player by name.

  "We can confirm that the USGA was invited to do club testing at the PGA Championship, at the PGA of America's request," wrote Chief Championships Officer Kerry Haigh. "That testing program is consistent with the same level of support that the USGA provides to the PGA TOUR and other championships, as part of their regular programs for driver testing. The standard process is for about a third of the field to be randomly tested under the program. That was the case at Quail Hollow this week.

  "Finding driver heads that have crept over the line of conformance is not an unusual occurrence, especially for clubs that are hit thousands of times over a long period of time. The results are kept confidential to protect players, who are unaware the club has fallen out of conformance and (are) not responsible for it falling out of conformance other than hitting the club thousands of times.

  "Players are simply asked to change heads if necessary, and all do without issue. To publicly identify players whose clubs did not conform can lead to that player being questioned unnecessarily. Neither the USGA nor the PGA of America have any concerns about player intent."

  --Field Level Media

A trio of the 16 LIV Golf players in the PGA Championship field posted top-10 results at Quail Hollow, but the breakaway league missed out on a potential major title winner with Jon Rahm's late implosion in Charlotte on Sunday.

• The most recent major triumph by a LIV player was Bryson DeChambeau's win at the 2024 U.S. Open, and he will aim for a third U.S. Open title at Oakmont next month. The 31-year-old has been LIV's most consistent force on the major stage the past two years.

  Here is a breakdown of how each of the 14 players fared at Quail Hollow:

  BRYSON DECHAMBEAU (-6)

  After tying for the lowest LIV Golf player at 3-under 139 through 36 holes, DeChambeau climbed into contention by reeling off five birdies through his first 15 holes on Saturday. However, he went 3 over through the closing "Green Mile" to fall six shots back entering the final round. DeChambeau drove the ball incredibly well most of Sunday but was unable to capitalize on the greens. Still, his 1-under 70 was good enough for his second consecutive runner-up at the PGA.

  JOAQUIN NIEMANN (-4)

  Niemann eagled his third to last hole on Friday to make the make the cut on the number, and parlayed that into his best career major finish. A hole-out eagle on the par-5 seventh was part of a 3-under 68 on Sunday that vaulted the Chilean into A T8 -- his first career top-10 in a major. Niemann's previous best major result had been a T16 at the 2023 Masters.

  JON RAHM (-4)

  The running joke that LIV players only compete for three days doesn't apply here. Rahm hit only three greens on the front nine Sunday but kept himself in contention with his putter. A pair of birdies to begin his back nine saw Rahm briefly pull even with leader Scottie Scheffler. He would later rue the inability to post a birdie on 14 or 15 to apply more pressure before Rahm came undone by going 5 over through the "Green Mile."

  RICHARD BLAND (+1)

  The 52-year-old Englishman equaled DeChambeau by reaching the weekend at 3 under. Bland fell out of contention with a third-round 76, but did battle back with a 70 that included an eagle.

  TOM MCKIBBIN (+4)

  LIV's newest addition reached the weekend at a very respectable 1 under. After moving backward with a 74 on Saturday, McKibbin worked his way back to 2 over before bogeying his final two holes of the tournament.

  TYRRELL HATTON (+6)

  The fiery Englishman was on the first page of the leaderboard before imploding on the 18th hole on Friday, which was his ninth hole of the day. A drive into the water was the start of a triple-bogey that included Hatton spitting at his ball while uttering some expletives. He went 72-77 over the weekend, including three consecutive double bogeys to close out the event.

  DAVID PUIG (+6)

  The young Spaniard made the cut on the number and then posted a very solid 68 to get under par at 2 under through 54 holes. That momentum evaporated with three bogeys through Puig's first five holes on Sunday, and Puig stumbled home with a 7-over 78 on Sunday.

  SERGIO GARCIA (+7)

  The Spaniard rebounded from an opening 75 to make the cut on the number. He might have wished he missed the weekend after carding a 79 on Saturday that was three strokes worse than any other player in the field.

  FAILED TO MAKE THE CUT

  John Catlin: 3-over 145

  Patrick Reed: 4-over 146

  Dean Burmester: 6-over 148

  Cameron Smith: 7-over 149

  Martin Kaymer: 8-over 150

  Phil Mickelson: 9-over 151

  Brooks Koepka: 9-over 151

  Dustin Johnson: 12-over 154

  --Field Level Media

CHARLOTTE -- Jon Rahm started the final round of the PGA Championship five strokes behind Scottie Scheffler and finished it seven shots adrift of the champion on Sunday at Quail Hollow Club.

• But the leaderboard hardly tells the full story, because it was Rahm who threatened to steal an unlikely victory when he made three birdies in a four-hole stretch around the turn to temporarily tie Scheffler for the lead.

  And though the Spaniard had a horrendous stretch along the Green Mile -- dropping five shots in the tough closing three holes, including a tee shot into the water at the 17th -- he at least gave the final round a much-needed shot of excitement.

  "It was really close. God, it's been a while since I had that much fun on a golf course," the LIV player said after shooting 2-over 73 to tie for eighth at 4-under par.

  As much as Rahm enjoyed contending in another major, he was bitterly disappointed with the way he finished, calling it a tough pill to swallow.

  "Pretty fresh wound right now," Rahm said. "But there's been a lot of good happening this week and a lot of positive feelings to take for the rest of the year."

  Like Scheffler, Rahm entered the week seeking his third career major title, having won the 2021 U.S. Open and the 2023 Masters.

  "I think it's the first time I've been in position to win a major that close and haven't done it," he said. "The only times I think I've been in the lead in a major on a Sunday, I've been able to close it out, and this is a very different situation."

  Rahm said he felt the Wanamaker Trophy slipping from his grasp when he failed to birdie either of the relatively easy 14th or 15th holes.

  "I think it was a bit of nerves," he said.

  --Andrew Both, Field Level Media

The PGA of America announced Saturday that the purse for the PGA Championship has been raised to a record $19 million.

• Last year's purse stood at $18.5 million, with champion Xander Schauffele taking home $3.33 million for the winner's share.

  Whoever wins Sunday at Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte will bring home a record $3.42 million. Scottie Scheffler began the day with a three-shot lead, but that advantage was down to one stroke halfway through his round.

  The PGA Championship still ranks third out of the four men's golf majors in the money department, with each major operated by a different governing body.

  The U.S. Open purse last year was $21.5 million and likely will exceed that next month at Oakmont Country Club. The Masters increased its purse last month to $21 million. The Open Championship, run by the R&A, paid out $17 million last July.

  --Field Level Media

CHARLOTTE -- Rory McIlroy left the PGA Championship without a single word to the media on Sunday, leaving the golf world none the wiser as to the details of the reported failure of his driver to pass a conforming test earlier in the week.

• It was the first time veteran British and Irish reporters could remember McIlroy remaining silent after all four rounds at a tournament.

  His body language did the talking as he trudged with apparent frustration around undulating Quail Hollow en route to a 1-over-par 72 on a sparkling, sun-splashed late morning and early afternoon.

  McIlroy departed the premises within minutes of signing for a 3-over 287 total, stopping only for a few quick words in the parking lot with his regular European Ryder Cup teammate Jon Rahm, who had yet to begin the final round.

  It was a far cry from the emotional scenes only five weeks ago when McIlroy secured the career grand slam by winning the Masters at Augusta National.

  SiriusXM PGA Tour Radio first reported on Friday that McIlroy had been forced to switch to a different driver after his favorite TaylorMade weapon was deemed non-conforming in a test conducted on Tuesday.

  The U.S. Golf Association routinely tests driver heads randomly at PGA Tour events and major championships to determine whether their spring-like effect is conforming.

  Spring-like effect refers to the elasticity of the clubface which allows it to spring back upon impact with the ball, much like a trampoline.

  A driver that is conforming one week could be non-conforming the next, due to minute changes in the clubface as a result of the wear and tear of hitting balls.

  McIlroy teed off at 9:50 a.m. on Sunday but never got out of first gear despite constant encouragement from the large galleries.

  After hooking his drive into a water hazard left of the green at the short par-four 14th, he took a penalty stroke, pitched up to five feet and missed the par putt.

  He walked wearily up the hill to the adjacent 15th tee, where a privileged group of spectators in a VIP stand only a few feet from the tee eagerly awaited the arrival of golf royalty.

  McIlroy was about to step over the ball for his drive when a westerly crosswind suddenly strengthened, causing the five flags fluttering atop the hospitality tent to stiffen.

  The Northern Irishman stepped away, waited a few seconds and then took his stance again before sending a booming drive down the middle of the fairway. He removed an energy bar from his bag and, suitably buoyed, proceeded to birdie the hole.

  Cries of "Rory" and "Go Rory" prompted McIlroy to perfunctorily raise his right arm to waist height in acknowledgment as he left the green, but that was the last thing his fans had to cheer about, as he sprayed his drive right at the 16th, and later bogeyed the 17th to cap off a week he would no doubt like to put behind him very quickly.

  --Andrew Both, Field Level Media

CHARLOTTE -- The PGA of America only indirectly addressed a report that Rory McIlroy's driver was found to be non-conforming before this week's PGA Championship.

• SiriusXM PGA Tour Radio first reported on Friday that McIlroy had been forced to switch to a different driver, but the Masters champion has not spoken with the media since the event began. He was publicly silent again after Saturday's third round, during which he shot a 1-over-par 72 that left him tied for 49th place.

  PGA of America chief championships officer Kerry Haigh was hardly more illuminating on Saturday, confirming only that driver tests had been conducted on about one-third of the field pre-championship at Quail Hollow.

  The U.S. Golf Association tests driver heads randomly at PGA Tour events and major championships to determine whether their spring-like effect is conforming.

  Spring-like effect refers to the elasticity of the clubface that allows it to spring back upon impact with the ball, much like a trampoline.

  A driver that conforms one week could be non-conforming the next due to minute changes in the clubface as a result of the wear and tear of hitting balls.

  "Finding driver heads that have crept over the line of conformance is not an unusual occurrence, especially for clubs that are hit thousands of times over a long period of time," Haigh said in a statement.

  "The results are kept confidential to protect players, who are unaware the club has fallen out of conformance and not responsible for it falling out of conformance other than hitting the club thousands of times.

  "Players are simply asked to change heads if necessary, and all do without issue. To publicly identify players whose club did not conform can lead to that player being questioned unnecessarily. Neither the USGA nor the PGA of America have any concerns about player intent."

  McIlroy, who plays with a TaylorMade driver, won the Masters in a playoff in April to become the sixth man to win the modern grand slam of all four majors -- joining Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods.

  But he has been out of sorts off the tee this week and languished 13 strokes behind leader Scottie Scheffler after Saturday's third round.

  Are his struggles related to the driver issue? Only he would know that.

  --Andrew Both, Field Level Media

Jerry Kelly sank seven birdies as part of a 7-under 65 round that put him in first place with a round to play at the Regions Tradition in Birmingham, Ala.

• Despite battling back issues earlier in the week, Kelly turned in his first unblemished card of the tournament in forging a one-shot lead at 15 under ahead of South Korea's Y.E. Yang.

  "Yeah, I goosed my back, either Sunday or Monday, and I went prone for a little while and did my breathing and exercises and the spasms subsided," Kelly said. "It's all come together nicely this week."

  After finishing with a flourish with three birdies over his final three holes at Greystone Golf & Country Club, the 58-year-old is in the pole position for his 14th Champions Tour victory.

  "I'm happy that I found something that was working really well with the swing and the putter in the end," Kelly said. "I really got back to my putting stroke and not worried about being too perfect and I putted better. It's just more of the same tomorrow, just got to keep the pedal down with these guys."

  Yang is hot on Kelly's heels after likewise avoiding any missteps with his five-birdie, 5-under 67 peformance Saturday. His fellow countryman, Charlie Wi (67), is a stroke back in a tie for third with New Zealand's Steven Alker (71).

  Richard Green, who led coming into the day, fell off the pace with his 3-over 75. That round featured a birdie, but also two bogeys and a double bogey, and it dropped him into a tie for 10th place, five strokes behind Kelly at 10 under.

  Three golfers are tied for fifth at 12 under: Boo Weekley (66), Chris DiMarco (69) and Argentina's Angel Cabrera (67).

  "I hit a lot of good shots, but I hit a lot of bad ones out there today, too," Weekley said. "It's kind of tough playing with these mud balls and stuff we've got going on."

  Tied for eighth at 11 under are Canada's Stephen Ames (67) and Stewart Cink (68).

  Germany's Alex Cejka (71) and Paul Stankowski (66) are tied with Green in 10th.

  Australia's Michael Wright tied for the second-best round of the day with his 6-under 66, which included an eagle on the par-5 13th hole.

  --Field Level Media

The start of Saturday's third round of the PGA Championship has been delayed due to inclement weather in the Charlotte area.

• The round, which was slated to begin at 8:15 a.m. ET, was suspended because of lightning. It now is scheduled to begin at 11:43 a.m. at Quail Hollow Club.

  Second-round leader Jhonattan Vegas of Venezuela will tee off on hole No. 1 with Matthieu Pavon of France and Matt Fitzpatrick of England at 1:55 p.m. ET. Vegas recorded an 8-under-par 134 over the first two rounds to hold a two-stroke lead over Pavon, Fitzpatrick and South Korea's Si Woo Kim.

  Masters champion Rory McIlroy will start on No. 10 with defending PGA Championship winner Xander Schauffele and Chris Kirk at 1:38 p.m. ET. All three enter the round at 1-over-par 143 -- nine shots behind the leader.

  --Field Level Media

Rory McIlroy, off to a slow start in the PGA Championship at Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte, reportedly is using a different driver this week after the one he utilized during his recent Masters win was ruled "no longer permissible" by the USGA.

• The report from SiriusXM PGA Tour Radio on Friday indicated that the USGA deemed McIlroy's driver non-conforming earlier this week after routine testing.

  McIlroy has been less available to reporters than usual this week, declining to meet with the press following his 3-over-par 74 on Thursday and then again on Friday, despite his rally to make the cut with a 2-under 69.

  Those scores reflect poor results with the new driver, as McIlroy hit just four fairways on Thursday and six on Friday.

  His media unavailability has kept the nature of his non-conforming driver a mystery, and a myriad of factors could be responsible.

  Drivers have been known to pass inspection at one venue and not at the next, per media reports. More extreme examples include drivers conforming at a manufacturer's test and then failing a USGA test a week later.

  Damage to the driver can cause an issue, as can simple usage, which can gradually take a club from a place of conformance to something deemed unacceptable.

  The Masters victory, giving McIlroy a career Grand Slam, coupled with his silence this week will raise further speculation, but he already has his defenders.

  Fellow golfer Johnson Wagner provided additional context when questioned about it by SiriusXM.

  "This is something that happens week to week on the PGA Tour," Wagner said. "It's unfortunate that it happened the week of a major. ... He did nothing wrong."

  --Field Level Media

Patton Kizzire withdrew during Friday's second round of the PGA Championship due to an injury.

• The tour did not disclose the nature of the injury for Kizzire, 39, who was 6-over through 10 holes in Friday's round at Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte, N.C.

  Kizzire had a roller-coaster opening round of 3-over 74 on Thursday, mixing four birdies and seven bogeys.

  With the projected cut as of midday Friday at 1 over, Kizzire (9 over) was a serious long shot to continue into the weekend before pulling out.

  A three-time winner on the PGA Tour, Kizzire entered the season's second major with eight missed cuts in 2025. He also withdrew after eight holes at the Valspar Championship in March with a back injury. Before his day ended, he punted his putter across the green after missing a putt.

  Kizzire picked up his third win in September 2024 at the Procore Championship in Napa, Calif. His best finish so far this season is a T20 last week in Myrtle Beach, S.C.

  --Field Level Media

Shaun Micheel didn't seem fazed following an encounter with a sizable snake on Friday during the second round of the PGA Championship in Charlotte.

• Micheel, who lifted the Wanamaker Trophy in 2003, saw the reptile slithering its way across the fairway on the par-5 10th hole at Quail Hollow Club.

  A tournament volunteer bravely used his foot to usher the snake into the rough, which allowed Micheel enough calm to hit his next shot to within 12 feet of the hole. Micheel, 56, ultimately converted his birdie putt.

  "There was a guy following me and he goes, ‘Man, you need that snake on every hole,' " Micheel told the Charlotte Observer. "And I said, ‘Well, bring him along.' "

  Sadly, Micheel couldn't bring along the snake as a good-luck charm. He made just two other birdies to go along with six bogeys and a double bogey on his way to missing the cut.

  The snake wasn't the first uninvited reptile to crash this PGA Championship.

  On Thursday, a snapping turtle made his presence known as Ryan Gerard approached his ball near the 14th green. The turtle ultimately made itself comfortable in the sand trap near the water.

  Gerard shot a 5-under 66 on Thursday, but a 1-over 72 on a turtle-less Friday to drop into a tie for seventh after two days.

  --Field Level Media

CHARLOTTE -- There was a bit of mud-slinging from some of the top players in the world on Thursday after the PGA of America's ruling that balls must be played as they lie during the first round of the PGA Championship.

• With the Quail Hollow Club soaked following recent rains, even lies in the middle of the fairway left mud on golf balls that caused some stray shots.

  "It's one of those deals where it's frustrating to hit the ball in the middle of the fairway and get mud on it and have no idea where it's going to go," said Scottie Scheffler, the top-ranked player in the world. "I understand it's part of the game, but there's nothing more frustrating for a player.

  "You spend your whole life trying to learn how to control a golf ball, and due to a rules decision, all of a sudden you have absolutely no control over where that golf ball goes. But I don't make the rules. I just have to deal with the consequences of those rules."

  Scheffler still managed to fashion a 2-under-par 69 in the first round despite a double-bogey 6 on the 16th hole. His approach shot to the green, with a mud deposit on his ball, found water.

  Defending PGA Championship winner Xander Schauffele also found trouble at 16 because of mud on his ball. He also hit a shot into the water from the fairway while recording a double bogey before he finished at 1-over 72.

  "I'm not the only guy. I'm just in front of the camera," Schauffele said of his disappointment that players were not allowed to clean golf balls with mud on them. "I wouldn't want to go in the locker room because I'm sure a lot of guys aren't super happy with sort of the conditions there. I feel like the grass is so good, there is no real advantage to cleaning your ball in the fairway."

  A lift-clean-and-place rule is not uncommon during regular PGA Tour events. But the rule is not so easily granted at major tournaments.

  "When you think about the purest test of golf, I don't personally think that hitting the ball in the middle of the fairway you should get punished for," Scheffler said. "On a golf course as good of conditioned as this one is, this is probably a situation in which it would be the least likely difference in playing it up because most of the lies you get out here are all really good."

  Schauffele essentially asserted that a shot into the center of the fairway was akin to taking a penalty when mud clings to the ball.

  "It sucks that you're kind of 50/50 once you hit the fairway," Schauffele said.

  And as unfortunate as the 16th hole was for both Scheffler and Schauffele on Thursday, the mud issues are expected to get even worse, even if it doesn't rain. As the course dries, the mud will become clay-like clumps on the ball instead of the wet dirt deposits the players are dealing with now.

  "I don't know, maybe it hit it a little bit lower off the tee, but then unfortunately the problem with hitting it low off the tee is the ball doesn't carry or roll anywhere, so then you sacrifice distance," Schauffele said, while considering his options into the weekend. "It's a bit of a crapshoot."

  --Field Level Media

CHARLOTTE -- European Ryder Cup captain Luke Donald of England shot a first-round 4-under-par 67 to become among the early leaders in the PGA Championship on Thursday from golfers in the morning wave at Quail Hollow.

• Alex Smalley, New Zealand's Ryan Fox and Germany's Stephan Jaeger also checked in with 67s as the clubhouse co-leaders.

  Ryan Gerald, a Raleigh native who played collegiately for North Carolina, was at 7 under through 15 holes by the early afternoon and could potentially be the first-round leader if he maintains that clip.

  Donald held the clubhouse co-lead when he completed his bogey-free round before others joined him with 67s.

  Jaeger navigated the course with six birdies and two bogeys, including on the final hole that cost him the solo lead.

  World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler shot 69, while defending champion Xander Schauffele finished at 72 and Northern Ireland's Rory McIlroy, the recent Masters champion and four-time winner of the PGA Tour stop at Quail Hollow, recorded 74.

  Scheffler started on the backside and notched an eagle on No. 15. But on the next hole, the trio of Scheffler, Schauffele and McIlroy all took double-bogey 6s.

  Scheffler finished with birdies on two of the last three holes.

  Smalley, who lives about 90 minutes away in Greensboro and has additional in-state ties as a former Duke golfer, was added to the field Wednesday when Sahith Theegala withdrew because of a neck injury.

  J.T. Poston, also North Carolinian, finished at 3 under after a bogey on the final hole. Colombia's Nico Echavarria, Japan's Ryo Hisatsune and Sweden's Alex Noren also completed rounds at 3 under.

  As of early afternoon, more than half the field had yet to complete the first round, while others were waiting to begin with tee times that stretched to 2:42 p.m. ET.

  --Bob Sutton, Field Level Media

It has been eight years since Jordan Spieth has won a major tournament and three years since he has won an event of any type, but that hasn't deterred bettors who believe the 31-year-old is primed to complete the career grand slam this week.

• Spieth is the biggest liability in the entire PGA Championship field at BetRivers, where he has been backed by 4.2 percent of the total bets and 3.8 percent of the money wagered on this week's winner at Quail Hollow. His odds opened at +4000 but have lengthened to +6000.

  Rory McIlroy won his first major in 11 years at last month's major to complete his career grand slam. The "major" difference, however, is that McIlroy is ranked No. 2 in the world and had already won twice in 2025.

  Spieth's most recent victory came at the 2022 RBC Heritage. He is currently ranked 48th in the world and is coming off a tie for 34th at last week's Truist Championship. Spieth does have three top-10 finishes this year, but none of them have come at a major or signature event.

  Still, bettors have been drawn to his longshot odds.

  BetMGM's second biggest liability is world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, the co-favorite at +500 along with McIlroy. Scheffler leads the field with 27.8 percent of the money backing him to win this weekend, followed by McIlroy at 15.6 percent.

  The book's third biggest liability is LIV Golf's Bryson DeChambeau, who has drawn 13.0 percent of the money while seeing his odds shorten from +2200 to +800.

  "With Rory completing his grand slam in Augusta, bettors now turn to Jordan Spieth to do the same with a victory in the PGA Championship. Speith is the worst result for us, and not far behind is Scottie Scheffler fresh off a dominating performance at the Byron Nelson," BetMGM senior trader Matt Wall said.

  "Bettors are also rooting for Bryson DeChambeau, as his odds have shrank to +800 while the book is rooting for Rory to win, which is surprisingly a good result for us right now."

  Scheffler is the biggest liability to be the leader after Thursday's first round, followed by DeChambeau and McIlroy. McIlroy finishing in the top 5 this week has been the most popular prop bet of the event.

  --Field Level Media

By winning last week's Truist Championship, Austria's Sepp Straka earned a $3.6 million paycheck, jumped into the top 10 of the Official World Golf Ranking for the first time and all but clinched a spot on Team Europe for the upcoming Ryder Cup.

• One thing Straka did not do? Maintain his preference for staying below the radar.

  "I'm not very outgoing," Straka said Wednesday, one day before he tees off in the PGA Championship at Quail Hollow. "I'm not a big people person. I'm a little bit shy.

  "It makes it maybe a little bit easier to prepare for tournaments because you don't have all the eyeballs on you."

  But, little by little, the 32-year-old Straka continues to blow his cover. He won the 2022 Honda Classic and the 2023 John Deere Classic to help claim his spot on Team Europe's victorious 2023 roster. This year, Straka has doubled his PGA Tour wins to four as he also collected the American Express in January.

  His $8,228,709 in PGA Tour winnings this season are exceeded only by Masters champion Rory McIlroy ($13.9 million) and Justin Thomas ($8.6 million). Oh, and Straka has jumped into fifth place in Ryder Cup points for the European side. The top six earn automatic bids to play for captain Luke Donald in September at Bethpage Black.

  While it's too soon for anyone to be guaranteed a spot when Team Europe attempts to keep the Cup, Donald certainly sounded Wednesday like Straka should make some plans.

  "Well, I think he was picked for a reason in '23," Donald said. "I think he's sort of proven that he deserves to be thought of as one of the best European players. Just a cool, calm, collected (golfer). Doesn't get too bothered by things, very consistent game, great putter.

  "We saw that on Sunday (at Truist). He just sort of did what he knows he can do. Didn't seem to get too up, too down. Played extremely well. He's just a very, very consistent ball striker. He works hard on his game. There's not too many weaknesses in his game.

  "I think he was great to be around, as well, in that team room (in Rome). He's just fun and joking and just an easy, easy guy to be around."

  Straka doesn't want to assume anything.

  "What a great week, great group of guys," he said. "The group chat (is) still going from the last one. Hoping to be in the group chat for the next one."

  A good showing this week at Quail Hollow will go a long way toward ensuring that.

  --Field Level Media

Sahith Theegala withdrew on the eve of the PGA Championship on Wednesday due to a neck injury.

• Alex Smalley will replace Sheegala when the year's second major begins Thursday at Quail Hollow in Charlotte, N.C.

  Theegala, 27, had to pull out of last week's Truist Championship after three rounds due to the same ailment.

  Ranked No. 31 in the world, he has missed just one cut but also has only one top-20 finish in 12 individual events this year. Theegala finished T17 at The Genesis Invitational in February and T29 at The Masters last month.

  His lone victory to date on the PGA Tour came at the Fortinet Championship in September 2023.

  Smalley, 28, is competing in his third PGA Championship. He tied for 23rd in 2023 and missed the cut in 2024.

  Ranked No. 120 in the world, Smalley has not won on the PGA Tour but has two top-10 finishes in 14 events this year.

  --Field Level Media

CHARLOTTE -- There have been so many memorable moments for Northern Ireland's Rory McIlroy at Quail Hollow that some of those might be overshadowed by recent accomplishments.

• So adding to his credentials during this week's PGA Championship would come as a bonus.

  "It's been an amazing 2025," McIlroy said Wednesday. "There's been a lot of great golf played, but there's still a lot of golf left to play this year. I'm excited for the journey ahead."

  McIlroy clinched a career grand slam with last month's victory at the Masters. The longtime question of whether McIlroy ever would achieve the feat was silenced with the victory at Augusta National Golf Club.

  He said that shouldn't impact his outlook.

  "I turn up and try to have the same attitude and the same approach to each and every tournament and try to get the best out of myself," McIlroy said. "Some weeks that results in wins, and some weeks it doesn't."

  Yet in many ways, anything else that comes McIlroy's way might be seen as an extra.

  "I've done everything I've wanted to do in the game," he said. "I dreamed as a child of becoming the best player in the world and winning all the majors. I've done that. Everything beyond this, for however long I decide to play the game competitively, is a bonus."

  McIlroy, who turned 36 earlier this month, has won five total majors. The PGA Championships came in 2012 (Kiawah Island Resort) and 2014 (Valhalla Golf Club).

  McIlroy's achievements at Quail Hollow are more than notable. He has won four times at the venue as part of PGA Tour stops, including last year. The first time came in 2010.

  "First win on the PGA Tour 15 years ago," he said. "Winning last year, I probably played my best golf of the year last year here, especially at the weekend."

  While many golfers are expecting a different type of experience on the course this week than in past visits, McIlroy said he views most of it as familiar.

  "I thought it was going to feel different just because it was a major championship, and I got out on the golf course (Tuesday), and it felt no different than last year at the Wells Fargo," he said. "The rough is maybe a little juicier. But fairways are still the same cut lines and same visuals. It doesn't feel that much different."

  That first victory at Quail Hollow hasn't escaped McIlroy's memory. He said that's largely why he has continued to have success in Charlotte.

  "It feels like such a long time ago, but at the same time I can remember that," he said. "... Those good feelings get rekindled. It's been a good place for me."

  --Bob Sutton, Field Level Media

CHARLOTTE -- Luke Donald likes what he sees from European golfers entering this week's PGA Championship.

• He'll be the captain of the European team at the Ryder Cup in September.

  "It's always nice when potential guys on your team are up there each and every week playing against the strongest fields in golf and doing extremely well," Donald said Wednesday, the day before the beginning of the PGA Championship at Quail Hollow.

  Donald said he knows the construction of his Ryder Cup team will come from various factors, some stemming from statistics. But he said there's also figuring out potential pairings for matches and how certain golfers might fare at the Bethpage Black Course in Farmingdale, N.Y.

  With several months before the Ryder Cup, Donald said he doesn't want to jump to conclusions in terms of the roster.

  "It's a little too early yet," he said. "We still have three majors, a bunch of elevated events."

  There's also evaluating golfers on the LIV Tour because they won't naturally rank high in the points systems used. Donald said there's so much data available that it's relatively simple to determine how certain golfers are playing.

  But with the majors, such as the PGA Championship, there's a chance for another level of assessment.

  "Obviously the majors are important," Donald said. "I think that's the time when everyone gets together on good golf courses and you have stacked fields. Just to see how they're playing in those is another point that we take into consideration quite a lot."

  The European captain also said with this year's Ryder Cup taking place on U.S. soil, that experience rates as a higher priority.

  "People who have been able to handle those big moments under the most scrutiny, those major championships," he said. "It will be something that could give someone an edge if they're on a very similar playing field in terms of statistics."

  For instance, Donald said that he would expect that Spain's Jon Rahm -- a member of the LIV circuit -- would be on the team, but there have been no assurances expressed about such a decision.

  "He still needs to keep going and playing just like everyone else," Donald said.

  Rahm said there's respect for the position that Donald is in. Rahm would like to become an automatic qualifier, so it's not left up to a decision.

  "It's his team," Rahm said of Donald. "Hopefully I can qualify, and we don't have to question it."

  Meanwhile, the 47-year-old Donald doesn't want to totally dismiss his role as an entrant in this week's event.

  "I like to work on my game, keep working at it and playing majors is always fun," he said. "The atmosphere, playing on world-class golf courses against world-class field, testing your game. It's going to be a test for me this week."

  --Bob Sutton, Field Level Media

World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler puts all of his success behind him and starts each tournament with a clean slate at even par.

• But even the consistently even-keeled Scheffler admitted Tuesday that he has momentum going into the PGA Championship this week at Quail Hollow. To say otherwise "would be silly."

  "When I got my first win in 2022, I won some tournaments pretty quickly after that," said Scheffler, 28. "So it would be silly to say that I don't ride some of that momentum. But I do try to do my best to treat each week as their own tournament, but it's silly to not ride positive momentum."

  Scheffler captured his 14th career title on the PGA Tour, and his first in more than eight months, in dominant fashion at the CJ Cup Byron Nelson on May 4 in McKinney, Texas.

  The Dallas native won by eight strokes and tied the PGA Tour record for lowest 72-hole score at 31-under 253.

  "I think there's definitely a balance there," he said of transitioning from one tournament to the next. "It would be silly to say that I can't ride the positive momentum from a good week like that. To finish off that tournament the way I did and have it not really be too close on the back nine, I played some really nice golf.

  "I talked a little bit about how I felt like my game was trending, so it was nice to see some results from a lot of hard work to start the year, and I feel like my game is in a good spot. I think it would be silly to say I can't ride a little bit of that momentum going into this tournament."

  He called his ability to "stay in the present" during a round of golf a skill that he honed playing for the University of Texas team, and it applies to his entire life, whether when he was a student or as a husband and father.

  "We have certain time throughout the day," he said, "and I think when you're in the present, you're able to make the most of those situations, whether it be enjoying them to the fullest or getting the most out of the work that I put in when I'm at the golf course.

  "I think it's a constant battle."

  After a hand injury requiring surgery slowed his 2025 start, Scheffler has six top-10 finishes and is fourth in the FedEx Cup standings.

  He has two majors to his credit -- the 2022 and 2024 Masters -- and won seven official PGA Tour events in 2024, as well as the FedEx Cup championship and a gold medal at the Paris Olympics. As much as the spotlight is on him now, Scheffler reflected on a lower-profile start to his career.

  "I didn't really have that great of an amateur career," Scheffler said. "When I first came out, the guys that were being looked at -- I came out about the same time as Viktor Hovland and Collin Morikawa and Matthew Wolff at the time was a really good prospect as well. I kind of flew under the radar when I first came out.

  "Every time you win out here, there's definitely a feeling of that burden being lifted just because it's such a great accomplishment. It's not easy to win out here on any level, and every time you win a tournament, it's a pretty cool feeling."

  --Field Level Media

Phil Mickelson and Brooks Koepka are the LIV Golf members who've had the most major success in their careers, with six and five titles, respectively. But these days, the best bet from that league to win a major is Bryson DeChambeau.

• DeChambeau returned to the winner's circle and captured his second U.S. Open last year when he outlasted Rory McIlroy down the stretch. Besides that, he's been in contention more consistently than ever, with a tie for fifth at the Masters last month and a runner-up finish to Xander Schauffele at the 2024 PGA Championship.

  Only McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler have shorter odds than DeChambeau at most major sportsbooks to win the PGA Championship this week at Quail Hollow.

  "This is exciting times," DeChambeau told reporters Tuesday. "I'm playing some good golf. Hopefully that continues this week. Figured a couple things out with my golf swing. Putting really well. Love the golf course this week."

  The 31-year-old has finished in the top six at four of the past five majors, the lone exception coming at the Open Championship last July.

  "I feel like I've always had the capacity to play well in major championships and contend consistently," DeChambeau said. "A lot of things have to go right in majors for you to play well. Your whole game has to be on."

  At Valhalla Golf Club in 2024, DeChambeau went toe to toe with Schauffele and posted a 64 on Sunday to get to 20 under. However, Schauffele did him one better with a birdie at the par-5 18th to win the major.

  "A little bit of luck and one or two shots going your way, you making a putt from 7, 8 feet," DeChambeau said. "There's going to be numerous players that are playing well this week that are going to have a chance. ... A little bit of fortune but also paired with a lot of skill over 72 holes of golf.

  "You have to combine all that together to have a chance to win. That's what Xander did so well last year. I didn't get the job done because of one or two shots. Just is what it is."

  DeChambeau, who has slimmed down since chasing longer drives by adding muscle mass in 2020 and 2021, also has a better handle on the mental side of the game these days.

  Amid his victories and his close calls, he said he has worked on how he reacts to pressure to "set that back to straight and square" for next time.

  "All those emotions that I have and all the misses that I have and all the things that I'm thinking about, I layer it on over the course of time," he explained. "‘Is this gone or is it still there? How do I fix it if it's not fixed?' Then if it's fixed, let's move on to the next thing I need to tackle."

  DeChambeau was in the final group with McIlroy on Sunday at the Masters and grabbed the lead away from him after two holes. But DeChambeau faded in a final-round 75, and the Northern Irishman rallied to win his fifth major and complete the career Grand Slam.

  Earlier this month, DeChambeau picked up his third individual LIV Golf win in South Korea by going 65-66-66, including a back-nine 30 on Sunday to emerge from the pack.

  "It was very important for me to get the job done, and finishing off shooting 30 on the back nine gave me some confidence to know I can get it done under pressure," DeChambeau said. "Struggling on the front nine was not the right way for me to feel going into that last round, but that back nine kind of shored things up for me and kept me pretty comfortable. Very positive."

  --Field Level Media

The three best golfers in the world will play the first half of the PGA Championship together, as Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlroy and defending champion Xander Schauffele make up the biggest marquee grouping for Thursday and Friday at Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte.

• Tee times for the first two rounds of the second major of the season were revealed Tuesday afternoon. Scheffler, McIlroy and Schauffele -- Nos. 1, 2 and 3 in the Official World Golf Rankings, respectively -- will start on the 10th tee on Thursday at 8:22 a.m. local time, then begin Friday's round on the first tee at 1:47 p.m.

  The trio is responsible for winning four of the last five major championships. Scheffler won the 2024 Masters, the Northern Irishman McIlroy grabbed his long-awaited green jacket last month and Schauffele won the PGA and Open Championship last year.

  The fourth- and fifth-ranked players in the Official World Golf Ranking, Collin Morikawa and Justin Thomas, were paired with two-time major champion and LIV Golf member Dustin Johnson. They'll start at 1:14 p.m. on the first hole Thursday and at 7:49 a.m. on No. 10 Friday.

  Club professional Michael Block is back after tying for 15th at the 2023 PGA Championship, where he made a hole-in-one. He qualified via the PGA Professional Championship and will make his fourth straight start at the major after missing the cut in 2022 and 2024.

  Block will play with South African Erik van Rooyen and Canadian Mackenzie Hughes for the first two rounds.

  Other notable groups and their Thursday tee times:

  --Brooks Koepka, Rickie Fowler, Shane Lowry -- 7:38 a.m., hole 10

  --Phil Mickelson, Tommy Fleetwood, Jason Day -- 7:49 a.m., hole 10

  --Jon Rahm, Patrick Cantlay, Matt Fitzpatrick -- 8 a.m., hole 10

  --Rory McIlroy, Xander Schauffele, Scottie Scheffler -- 8:22 a.m., hole 10

  --Erik van Rooyen, Michael Block, Mackenzie Hughes -- 12:41 p.m., hole 1

  --Lucas Glover, Max Homa, Joaquin Niemann -- 12:52 p.m., hole 1

  --Tyrrell Hatton, Will Zalatoris, Adam Scott -- 1:03 p.m., hole 1

  --Justin Thomas, Dustin Johnson, Collin Morikawa -- 1:14 p.m., hole 1

  --Jordan Spieth, Patrick Reed, Ludvig Aberg -- 1:25 p.m., hole 1

  --Hideki Matsuyama, Wyndham Clark, Tom Kim -- 1:36 p.m., hole 1

  --Bryson DeChambeau, Viktor Hovland, Gary Woodland -- 1:47 p.m., hole 1

  --Justin Rose, Cameron Smith, Brian Harman -- 2:09 p.m., hole 1

  --Field Level Media

CHARLOTTE -- Xander Schauffele counted on having the right mindset a year ago when he won a major for the first time at the PGA Championship.

• He'll try to replicate that approach this week as the tournament's defending champion.

  "When you're in the moment, I think you don't nitpick," Schauffele said Tuesday at Quail Hollow. "You're just on a mission. You're on a mission to do one thing, and that's to win. It's sort of a whatever-it-takes mentality, and you're not sitting there nitpicking yourself on the small things."

  The ability to do that was what he considers to be the foundation that allowed him to win the tournament last year at Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville.

  Now the venue has changed, but he'll seek to recreate the same level of success. Both of Schauffele's major championships came last year, also winning the 152nd Open Championship last summer in Scotland.

  He's no longer dogged by speculation that he might never claim a major championship, a major difference entering the tournament this week.

  "It would have been that conversation that would have haunted me until I was done playing probably," Schauffele said. "That's just how the game goes. Luckily, I was able to rattle that one off, my first one at Valhalla, the PGA, which was awesome. ... I feel like I've done it before, but at the same time, I feel I'm still trying to prove myself as well.

  "I don't look at it too different or feel too different as a whole."

  He said he senses he's moving in the right direction with his game after missing several events during the winter because of a rib injury.

  Schauffele's first PGA Championship appearance came at Quail Hollow in 2017, when he missed the cut. Since then, he has produced five top-20 finishes in the PGA Championship, including last year's title.

  In his last five majors, he has finished no worse than eighth.

  Schauffele said there will be certain challenges throughout tournament week. Some of those already surfaced with Tuesday's practice round suspended for a couple of hours in the afternoon because of a storm.

  "It's already been off to an interesting week with the weather," he said. "It's definitely one of the hurdles everyone's going to have to overcome this week."

  It will be a matter for all the golfers in the field to adjust to what could be evolving course conditions. Schauffele understands how that could work.

  "Fortunately, I've been here a few times," he said. "Delays and rain and things of that nature, they can kind of fool you a little bit on this property just because they haven't been able to get the mowers out on the fairways, and the greens are exceptionally firm for getting a few inches of rain the last three or four days."

  --Bob Sutton, Field Level Media

PGA of America officials defended their decision to extend invitations to several members of LIV Golf to compete in this week's PGA Championship, with the governing body's CEO Derek Sprague saying "it's about having the strongest field in golf."

• Sprague, PGA of America president Don Rea and chief championships officer Kerry Haigh fielded questions Tuesday at their annual press conference before the major championship they administer. The PGA Championship will be played Thursday through Sunday at Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte, N.C.

  This year's field includes 16 LIV golfers, with 15 of them full-time members along with reserve player John Catlin.

  Brooks Koepka, the PGA champion in 2018, 2019 and 2023, was an automatic invitee, as was German Martin Kaymer (2010). Other recent major winners who play on the LIV circuit -- Bryson DeChambeau, Australian Cameron Smith and Spaniard Jon Rahm -- were also invited as is custom.

  But some selections were more controversial. Sergio Garcia, the former Masters winner from Spain who has not played in the PGA Championship since 2022, was extended an invitation, as was two-time major winner Dustin Johnson, who has not performed well in recent years.

  Sprague, Rea and Haigh all at some point used the phrase "the strongest field in golf," long the motto of the PGA Championship.

  "Just as we have for many years, we look at every tour that's playing worldwide golf and try and identify the best players from those respective tours," Haigh said Tuesday. "When we do that, we certainly look at points list or money lists or rankings and identify who we think are the better players. The committee meets and talks about whether or not we should offer them invites, which is why I think through that process we were able to get worldwide players from various tours.

  "It's a worldwide field. That's why we feel it's the strongest field in golf because of that process where we look at all the different tours and try and include and invite those best players."

  The PGA of America's system stops short of the USGA's decision in February to establish a direct pathway for LIV Golf members to qualify for the U.S. Open, the first of the four men's majors to do so.

  There is little movement on the long-discussed merger between the PGA Tour and Saudi Arabia's golf holdings. At the start of 2025, LIV Golf introduced a new CEO, Scott O'Neil, and the league is once again interested in applying for Official World Golf Ranking recognition.

  Sprague did not share much on his initial meetings with O'Neil.

  "Those were just more of an introduction to meet him," Sprague said. "I had heard and read about him from many of you folks in this room. So I met with him for the first time at (the Masters) just to introduce myself.

  "Certainly he's still looking, it's been reported lately, in Official World Golf Rankings. I sit on that board. He's encouraged to submit an application for the board to review. Other than that, I have nothing else to report."

  --Field Level Media