Masters champion Rory McIlroy faces an uphill battle to claim back-to-back major titles after an error-strewn opening round in the 107th US PGA Championship.
McIlroy struggled to a three-over-par 74 to trail clubhouse leaders Luke Donald, Ryan Fox, Alex Smalley and Stephan Jaeger by seven shots, with England’s Matt Fitzpatrick and Scotland’s Robert MacIntyre on three under. McIlroy’s playing partners were world No 1 and world No 3 Scottie Scheffler and Xander Schauffele, and Scheffler finished with a birdie to record a battling 69, with Schauffele carding a 72.
Europe’s Ryder Cup captain Donald hit the opening tee shot at Quail Hollow. A further 66 shots and more than five hours later, the world No 871 was as surprised as anyone to find himself high on the leaderboard, a 7,626-yard course the short-hitting Donald had labelled “a brute”.
Follow all of the latest from round one at Quail Hollow with our live blog below.
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PGA Championship LIVE
- The 2025 PGA Championship gets underway with round one at Quail Hollow in North Carolina
- Masters champion Rory McIlroy cards three-over-par 74 after struggling off the tee
- World No 1 Scottie Scheffler birdies the last to card two-under 69
- European Ryder Cup captain Luke Donald rolls back the years with four-under 67
- American Ryan Gerard sets clubhouse lead with 66 on PGA Championship debut
- Live leaderboard: -5 Gerard (F); -4 Jaeger (F), Fox (F), Donald (F), Smalley (F)
- Feature group: -2 Scheffler, +1 Schauffele, +3 McIlroy (F)
- Feature group: -1 Johnson, +1 Morikawa, +3 Thomas (4)
Gerard sets new clubhouse lead with 66
19:39
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Lawrence Ostlere
Ryan Gerard cards 66 to set the new clubhouse lead at five under par, and the odd part is he’ll be frustrated with that score after giving up shots on 17 and 18 to muddy what was a stunning back nine.
The 25-year-old is making his PGA Championship debut, and that’s some start.
PGA Championship
19:26
,
Lawrence Ostlere
An entertaining group containing Bryson DeChambeau, Viktor Hovland and Gary Woodland are level through the first and on to the second, where DeChambeau just misses a curling birdie putt from 12 feet which stays high.
Up ahead, Dustin Johnson birdies the par-three fourth to move to one under, while his playing partner Justin Thomas has steadied the ship with a par, after dropping three shots through the second and third holes.
PGA Championship
19:16
Leader Ryan Gerard drops a shot at the 17th, cutting his advantage to two shots. Still, one last hole to close out one of the rounds of his life.
PGA Championship
18:57
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Lawrence Ostlere
So Rory McIlroy will likely begin day two at least 10 shots off the lead. It’s not insurmountable, but he will need to return with a totally different game tomorrow to shoot low and launch himself up the leaderboard.
McIlroy bogeys the last to card 74
18:39
,
Lawrence Ostlere
A disappointing end to a disappointing round for McIlroy, who finishes with a bogey to end the day on four over par. He was just too wayward off the tee to score well today.
Schauffele pars for a 72, so it’s Scottie Scheffler who wins among the star group with a birdie for 69 that leaves him on two under par overnight.
PGA Championship
18:36
,
Lawrence Ostlere
Stephan Jaeger bogeys the last to reach the clubhouse in 67, joining a bunch of players on four under. A good day for the German, despite that late blip.
Gerard eagles 15 to take solo lead!
18:34
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Lawrence Ostlere
Would you look at this – Ryan Gerard chips in from the fringe to eagle the par-five 15th hole and he’s way out in front now on seven under par! What a back nine: birdie, birdie, birdie, birdie, par, eagle.
Hojgaard home in 68
18:30
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Lawrence Ostlere
Rasmus Hojgaard is frustrated by a missed short putt at the last to finish with a bogey, but still cards a nice 68 to join a bunch of players on three under par, two shots off the pace.
PGA Championship
18:28
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Lawrence Ostlere
McIlroy gets his chip shot wrong on the eighth, underhitting it to 10 feet, and he can only make par from a very promising position. Schauffele makes birdie from a far trickier position.
Fitzpatrick cards a 68
18:26
,
Lawrence Ostlere
Matt Fitzpatrick finishes on three under par to complete an impressive first round.
US stars Thomas, Johnson and Morikawa tee off
18:24
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Lawrence Ostlere
The second marquee group of the day has just teed off: Justin Thomas, Collin Morikawa and Dustin Johnson have two major titles each, but none since Thomas’s PGA Championship win in 2022.
All three players find the fairway on the first.
PGA Championship
18:21
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Lawrence Ostlere
McIlroy drives all the way to the front of the green on the 342-yard eighth hole. It gives him a great opportunity for a much-needed birdie.
PGA Championship
17:55
,
Lawrence Ostlere
McIlroy hooks his approach to the 16th hole way left and he’s going to have to chip from the rough up a steep bank.
Gerard joins Jaeger at the top of the leaderboard
17:53
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Lawrence Ostlere
USA’s Ryan Gerard has birdied the par-three fourth hole (his 12th) to join Jaeger on five under. Ooof, that’s his fourth birdie in a row.
PGA Championship
17:40
,
Lawrence Ostlere
McIlroy scrambles par well with a controlled chip and short putt. Schauffele and Scheffler match him once more.
PGA Championship
17:35
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Lawrence Ostlere
McIlroy misses the green on the par-three sixth hole, slightly over-fading his tee shot, and he’ll have a testing chip to make par. Scheffler misses on the opposite side with a pull.
Luke Donald speaks after carding -4
17:33
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Lawrence Ostlere
“67 on a course that’s probably not suited to my game is pretty good. My putter felt good and the hole just seemed a little bigger today, which is a pretty nice feeling in golf.”
Jaeger takes outright lead
17:28
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Lawrence Ostlere
Stephan Jaeger hits back-to-back birdies to take the solo lead, and he still has three holes to extend that advantage.
No doubt Luke Donald will be paying attention to the German’s performance ahead September’s Ryder Cup here. Though on today’s form, Donald might fancy picking himself.
PGA Championship
17:26
,
Lawrence Ostlere
McIlroy manages to escape from his poor tee shot on the fifth hole to almost roll in a birdie, but it isn’t to be and he takes a par. So too do Scheffler and Schauffele, who are all still trying to locate their best golf.
Four holes to go for the feature group.
PGA Championship
17:22
,
Lawrence Ostlere
Luke Donald reaches the clubhouse in 67 with a brilliant bogey-free round.
McIlroy in trouble again
17:15
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Lawrence Ostlere
It’s another wild hook off the tee from McIlroy on the fifth, and he’s in more trouble. Scheffler is straighter but finds a fairway bunker.
Five-way tie at the top of the leaderboard
17:12
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Lawrence Ostlere
Ryan Fox bogeys the last to drop back to -4, still setting an impressive mark in the clubhouse. He’s level with Luke Donald, Alex Noren, JT Poston and Stephan Jaeger on the same score.
PGA Championship
17:07
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Lawrence Ostlere
McIlroy is missing fairways and greens today and he is wayward once again off the tee on the third. He manages to salvage par but he is going to lose a lot of ground playing this way.
Scheffler meanwhile misses his par putt from eight feet and drops back to level par.
Fox and Noren move to -5
16:48
,
Lawrence Ostlere
Ryan Fox and Alex Noren are out on their own now on five under par, with Luke Donald their closest challenger one shot back.
Bogey for McIlroy
16:39
,
Lawrence Ostlere
McIlroy misses the eight-foot putt for par and that is another disappointing dropped shot. His approach into the bunker was the sort of thing he barely did at all at the Masters last month. He slips back to +2.
PGA Championship
16:21
,
Lawrence Ostlere
Matt Fitzpatrick (-3), with his reverse-hand grip, pitches a beautiful little runner on to the second green and rolls it very close to the hole.
Back on the first green, where the world’s top three ranked players have begun their back nine, Scheffler and Schauffele find the green but McIlroy hangs his approach out to the right and it plunges into the bunker.
Donald and Jaeger join Fox at -4
16:15
,
Lawrence Ostlere
Luke Donald birdies 14 and he’s down to four under par, just as Stephan Jaeger birdies 10 to reach the same score. They sit atop the early leaderboard alongside Ryan Fox.
PGA Championship
16:05
,
Lawrence Ostlere
Up on the 18th green, Scheffler rolls a long birdie putt at least six feet past and he’ll have a testing one back up the hill for his par. Schauffele and McIlroy both miss their birdie efforts too, from more like 15 feet, and both tap in for their pars. Over to Scheffler, who holds his nerve to make three pars for the feature group.
Luke Donald joins Ryan Fox at -4
15:54
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Harry Latham-Coyle
Luke Donald is showing all of the value of experience here. A fourth birdie of an otherwise spotless round comes at the 14th for the English veteran, who’ll be hoping for a clean finish and the clubhouse lead having gone out in the opening group of the day.
PGA Championship
15:51
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Harry Latham-Coyle
Rory McIlroy’s driving hasn’t quite been where he needs it to be so far. Another errant tonk leaves him flirting with a creek on the 18th, his ninth hole of the round. Xander Schauffele finds the fairway.
Ryan Fox takes the lead!
15:48
,
Harry Latham-Coyle
The tie is broken! Ryan Fox seizes the lead once more with a beautiful birdie putt on the fifth.
PGA Championship
15:46
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Harry Latham-Coyle
Scottie Scheffler finds the green on the 17th, though may as well be in South Carolina - it’s all of 65 feet for the world No 1, who gives it a good old stab yet can’t quite curl it in.
Rory McIlroy is rather closer, clipping up out of the rough to within a couple of inches and tapping it in with the side of his wedge.
Jon Rahm can’t make the birdie putt mentioned earlier. One back he remains.
Brooks Koepka slides to +3
15:41
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Harry Latham-Coyle
Brooks Koepka tries to slip a par putt in the side door at the first, but finds himself kicked out by the bouncers. A double bogey after a rough ejection - down he tumbles below messrs McIlroy (+1) and Schauffele (+2).
PGA Championship
15:36
,
Harry Latham-Coyle
A 10-way tie for the lead remains as Rasmus Hojgaard fails to find an elongated birdie putt. Can Keegan Bradley do any better on the 15th? He cannot.
Make that 11! Alex Smalley birdies the second, his 11th hole, to join the leaders - and Jon Rahm has a very makeable putt to also climb to -3. There are plenty of scoring chances out there, but no-one has yet managed to really string a statement round together.
PGA Championship
15:32
,
Harry Latham-Coyle
Doubles all round for McIlroy, Scheffler and Schauffele, like students blowing through their maintenance loan on a particularly boozy night out. An expensive hole for the illustrious trio.
PGA Championship
15:25
,
Harry Latham-Coyle
The Greyser erupts! Max Greyserman chips in from just off the 15th green to shimmy up to the top strata of the leaderboard with an eagle.
Meanwhile, Xander Schauffele and Scottie Scheffler are real strife. Each is faced with a devilishly difficult chip for their fourth shots on 16, and neither makes a particularly great fist of it. You’d think it’ll be two more (at least) from there.
PGA Championship
15:20
,
Harry Latham-Coyle
That group at -3 just keeps getting bigger, though. Talented Spaniard David Puig has birdied 10 and 11 to join them.
Rory McIlroy is all over the place on 16, rumbling through the rough - but not as all over the place as his partners, first Scottie Scheffler in the wet stuff and Xander Schauffele joining the pool party.
PGA Championship
15:12
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Harry Latham-Coyle
A shake of the head for Tommy Fleetwood with a shot gone at the 17th, running out the back of the 227-yard par three and then failing to get up and down. He slips back from the leading pack.
Scottie Scheffler drains another
15:06
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Harry Latham-Coyle
Ooh - Scottie Scheffler’s warming up. An eagle three on 15 as he do-si-dos up over an undulation with a perfectly-judged putt.
A birdie and a par for his playing partners as Rory McIlroy gets into the red numbers, one back from Scheffler.
PGA Championship
15:03
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Harry Latham-Coyle
A bit of fortune for Rory McIlroy from the 15th tee. His ball would have been bound for the water in any other year at Quail Hollow but not this with the groundskeepers letting the rough grow to provide a bit of extra protection. It snags to save the Northern Irishman from a watery grave.
PGA Championship
15:01
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Harry Latham-Coyle
That group on three-under are getting more and more crowded. Keegan Bradley has indeed converted another chance, while Nico Echavarria, the talented Colombian who won at the Zozo Championship late last year, has benefitted from a delicious approach at eight, finding the right slope to bring it back towards the flag.
PGA Championship
14:53
,
Harry Latham-Coyle
Fox and Fleetwood both miss out on the chance to take the outright lead as each man leaves a putt high out to the right.
Rory McIlroy pars the 14th
14:50
,
Harry Latham-Coyle
A birdie opportunity goes awry on 14 for Rory McIlroy, his putt spinning in and out and leaving him a nasty one for par. Safely tucked away.
The top of the leaderboard is starting to have a real English feel - Matt Fitzpatrick joins compatriots Tommy Fleetwood and Luke Donald up alongside Ryan Fox.
PGA Championship
14:45
,
Harry Latham-Coyle
The back nine looks to be playing a little easier than the front this morning - making the efforts of Luke Donald intriguing. Having been out in the day’s first group, he hustles through the ninth at -2 with the chance of a really good round if he can bring it home. Having expressed a goal simply of making the cut, this is a good little opening number from the 47-year-old.
And it gets better! A birdie at 10 for Europe’s skipper!
PGA Championship
14:42
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Harry Latham-Coyle
It’s now, somehow, 14 years since Keegan Bradley won his only major in Atlanta - but the 2011 PGA champion is looking in fine form here, flicking the flag on the hop as he tattoos the pin at 13. Knock that short birdie putt home and he’ll be up alongside the flying Fox and Fleetwood...
PGA Championship
14:38
,
Harry Latham-Coyle
Luke Donald will like the look of the top of the leaderboard. Not only is the European Ryder Cup captain still up there, he’s been joined at -2 by Matt Fitzpatrick, Stephan Jaeger, Alex Noren and Rasmus Hojgaard - though American counterpart Keegan Bradley (who is bidding to become a rare playing captain at Bethpage Black) has also begun brightly.
Tommy Fleetwood into a share of the lead!
14:36
,
Harry Latham-Coyle
Three on the spin from Tommy Fleetwood! Into a share of the lead the Englishman goes having bounced beautifully through 13, 14, 15.
PGA Championship
14:34
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Harry Latham-Coyle
The 14th is only playing a little over 310 yards, but you have to be careful - and Xander Schauffele shows why! The defending champion tries to draw a drive wood into the green but starts it too straight. A discouraging plop reveals its fate.
Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy are both safely in play.
PGA Championship
14:30
,
Harry Latham-Coyle
Another solid shot from Ryan Fox, finding the heart of the green as he prepares to take the “turn” at 18 having begun on the tenth hole.
Scottie Scheffler rattles in a solid par save on 13.
PGA Championship tee times for rounds one and two
14:26
,
Harry Latham-Coyle
Need a reminder of when they are all off today and tomorrow? We’ve got you covered with all the tee times you need to know:
Scottie Scheffler chips in!
14:16
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Harry Latham-Coyle
In it goes! Scottie Scheffler rather needed that, you’d say, his chip disappearing to get the shot back he’d lost.
Tommy Fleetwood, meanwhile, is now just one back from our Kiwi leader after birdies at 13 and 14. A par five to come - though the 15th can be tricky.
PGA Championship
14:11
,
Harry Latham-Coyle
Nearly perfect from Rory McIlroy, flying to within about 15 feet of the flag on his third hole of the day, the 12th, before the ball bites, screwing back to the fringe down the hill. Xander Schauffele has left himself in a similar position off the tee but flies a little further, his approach nestling in the thicker stuff beyond the green.
It’ll be a bogey for Phil Mick, who nearly holes out from the sand having bashed out onto the beach after finding the water off the tee.
PGA Championship
14:11
,
Harry Latham-Coyle
Nearly perfect from Rory McIlroy, flying to within about 15 feet of the flag on his third hole of the day, the 12th, before the ball bites, screwing back to the fringe down the hill. Xander Schauffele has left himself in a similar position off the tee but flies a little further, his approach nestling in the thicker stuff beyond the green.
It’ll be a bogey for Phil Mick, who nearly holes out from the sand having bashed out onto the beach after finding the water off the tee.
PGA Championship
14:06
,
Harry Latham-Coyle
Trouble for Phil Mickelson - after passing up an excellent chance at birdie on the 13th, he’s in the drink on 14, a nasty slice leaving his drive sleeping with the fishes.
PGA Championship
14:02
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Harry Latham-Coyle
“Luuuke”, the patrons cry at eight as captain Donald moves to within of Ryan Fox’s lead. Good work from the skipper.
PGA Championship
13:59
,
Harry Latham-Coyle
Scottie Scheffler has got the burnt orange colours of his college on today, the Texas alum hoping for a rather smoother PGA Championship than last year. He comes up shy with his little pitch, his game not quite getting going this morning.
Can he salvage a par? Nope, sliding by to leave a little nibbler back the other way. Scheffler makes it.
And a dropped shot for Rory McIlroy, too! A pacey putt pootles past.
PGA Championship
13:50
,
Harry Latham-Coyle
A bit of bother for Scottie Scheffler, having to bend it out from behind a tree. He contorts the club around effectively but can’t get the distance to make it to the green.
Rory McIlroy has found the sandy stuff. He’s a little short with his approach, too, spinning back to leave himself with work to do - though on the green nonetheless.
PGA Championship
13:48
,
Harry Latham-Coyle
A first chance of the day not taken by Ryan Fox, not getting the weight at all right. Still, a two-shot lead at this stage is not to be sniffed at - though there is a gathering group of goliaths at -1 including McIlroy, Schauffele and Jon Rahm.
Rory McIlroy birdies the 10th!
13:41
,
Harry Latham-Coyle
In she goes! A wonderful start for Rory McIlroy, a slight hiccup off the tee but then good thereafter. Xander Schauffele also rolls his home, but Scottie Scheffler can’t join them on -1.
PGA Championship
13:37
,
Harry Latham-Coyle
Scottie Scheffler finds the sand adjacent to the 10th green, though safely escapes his predicament. Rory McIlroy is down below the flag, though makes an excellent fist of his chip, leaving himself a kind birdie putt. Xander Schauffele goes even closer, lovely control as he flips up over a little hump on to the dancefloor.
PGA Championship
13:31
,
Harry Latham-Coyle
McIlroy’s playing partners Xander Schauffele and Scottie Scheffler smoke their opening tee shots on to the pleasant stuff.
Up ahead, it’s back-to-back birdies for Ryan Fox! He gains a shot at the friendly 344-yard 14th and takes the solo lead again.
Rory McIlroy in the rough
13:27
,
Harry Latham-Coyle
A booming drive to start from Rory McIlroy, though it leaks away to the right into the first cut of rough. Not the worst. The Northern Irishman was apparently gripping and ripping them nearly 350 yards on the range this morning. It really is a different sport at the elite level.
Alex Noren joins Ryan Fox
13:25
,
Harry Latham-Coyle
Ryan Fox, meanwhile, has company at -2 - Ryan Noren’s fast start has continued at No 4 with birdie No 2 of the day.
Rory McIlroy set to get underway
13:21
,
Harry Latham-Coyle
It’s time. Rory McIlroy is stepping out towards the course alongside Xander Schauffele and Scottie Scheffler - what chance one of this trio is hoisting the trophy come the end of the weekend? How will McIlroy play, now free from the burden of chasing a major that had long eluded him? This could be very fun indeed.
Luke Donald into the red
13:16
,
Harry Latham-Coyle
Luke Donald has also made an early birdie, his coming at the fourth after leaving himself four feet or so off the tee. Good stuff from the visored one
Ryan Fox extends strong start
13:13
,
Harry Latham-Coyle
A lovely tee shot on the par-three 13th keeps Ryan Fox moving, a little bit of left to right shape to take it over the bunker and then the flag, and a tidy putt to convert the birdie chance.
Brooks Kopeka opens with a bogey
13:05
,
Harry Latham-Coyle
With no Tiger Woods in the field, Brooks Koepka is the most successful PGA Championship player at Quail Hollow. The American will be hoping that three titles become four come Sunday to match the tally of the absent Woods and leave him one short of the record of Walter Hagen and Jack Nicklaus - though it’s not the best of starts for the LIV rebel, starting off with a bogey six at the par-five 10th.
PGA Championship
12:57
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Harry Latham-Coyle
A double bogey at 11 is not what Seamus Power would have wanted after a positive start, the Irishman slipping back from a leading trio of Ryan Fox, Alex Noren and Max McGreevy.
PGA Championship
12:39
,
Harry Latham-Coyle
Well, Fox’s was the only birdie. Seamus Power is also off to an excellent start with a birdie at the 10th with the field split today in getting underway on the front or back nines.
Back on that tee, another Irishman is about to begin - Shane Lowry looked in lovely touch at the Truist Championship last week before fading from Sepp Straka late on. Can he mount a charge? Brooks Koepka and Rickie Fowler are his playing partners in a fun little three-ball.
PGA Championship - a flying Fox?
12:35
,
Harry Latham-Coyle
The only birdie of the day so far, incidentally, has gone to another of last week’s winners. Ryan Fox booked his spot here thanks to a play-off victory at the secondary Myrtle Beach Classic event on the PGA Tour. Having started with a birdie on the back nine, perhaps it was little surprise that the son of great All Blacks fly half Grant Fox liked No 10.
Sepp Straka gets underway
12:30
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Harry Latham-Coyle
Sepp Straka looks a safe bet to be heading for New York in September, the Austrian adding a second PGA Tour title of the year to his collection at the Truist Championship last year. Could a major breakthrough be on the cards? Straka missed the cut at the Masters and has largely failed to figure at the top of leaderboards in golf’s biggest events since tying for second at the Open at Royal Liverpool in 2023.
Ryder Cup 2025: Predicting Team Europe
12:20
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Harry Latham-Coyle
This could be a big week for some of the fringe Ryder Cup hopefuls, someone like Niklas Norgaard (who really gives it a whack) the type of player that might go well on a course that favours the crushers. The Dane is not currently on our list of European contenders for Bethpage - find out who Jack Rathborn and Luke Baker, The Independent’s own Ballesteros and Olazabal-esque dynamic duo, currently have making the team.
