Hot start has Fowler in mix at PGA Championship
Sits second after shooting 5-under 65
ST. LOUIS • Rickie Fowler took the first step toward celebrating his own major championship Thursday.
Three times a runner-up in golf ’s biggest events, Fowler ran off five birdies over his final 11 holes at Bellerive and opened with a 5-under 65, giving him a two-shot lead among the morning side of the draw in the PGA Championship. Gary Woodland topped him by a stroke at 6-under-64 before the afternoon rounds had finished.
Still only 29, Fowler already is considered among the best players without a major. It hasn’t been from of a lack of effort. He was runner-up at the Masters in April and had a chance at the PGA Championship last year at Quail Hollow.
“It’s not something I necessarily worry about,” Fowler said. “Keep putting ourselves in position, get in contention ... we have had plenty of runner-ups. Jack (Nicklaus) had a lot of runner-ups. We’ll just keep beating down that door.”
Bellerive was accessible in muggy, soft conditions, but still punishing for those who got out of position.
Tiger Woods salvaged his hopes with an important turnaround. He had to make an eight-foot bogey putt on the 10th hole to start his round, put a wedge into the water and made double bogey on his next hole and had a couple of par saves that kept it from being worse. But with a birdie at the turn, another to start the back nine and solid play the rest of the way, he scratched out a 70.
“A lot of things could happen. Not a lot them were positive,” Woods said. “But I hung in there and turned it around. Just happy to be within five right now.”
Brandon Stone shot a 66, while Ian Poulter, Jason Day, Dustin Johnson and Stewart Cink were among eight players at 67, while Hideki Matsuyama and Webb Simpson were part of the group at 68. Justin Thomas, trying to join Woods as the only back-toback winners of the PGA in stroke play, let a good start slip away. He was 3 under through six holes and didn’t see a putt go in the rest of the day, two of them for par. He had a 69.
Fowler has seen plenty of celebrations at majors, but only for his friends. He hung around to congratulate Thomas last year at Quail Hollow. Perhaps his time is coming.
He birdied each of the par 5s, one with a long bunker shot to eight feet on No. 8 toward the end of his round. He holed a few mediumlength putts for birdie and the bonus came at the par4 seventh when he holed a birdie from 30 feet away on the fringe.
More than anything, it was clean golf. Fowler missed only three greens and putted for birdie on all but two holes.
“I’ve always been a good mid-iron and long-iron player,” Fowler said. “So you get me in the fairway and with the soft greens I feel like we can pick apart the golf course as long as we continue to play smart and within ourselves. All you can do is get off to a good start Thursday and we did that.”
Fowler wasn’t convinced the lead would hold up, even as the wind began to increase at Bellerive for afternoon starters like Spieth and Johnson. The only other time Fowler had the lead to himself in a major was after the opening round of the U.S. Open last year at Erin Hills. He wound up tied for fifth, another close call.
With rain earlier in the week and the muggy heat requiring water on the green, low scoring was available. One-third of the morning starters broke par.
For others, it was a struggle.
Phil Mickelson made two double-bogeys, one by hitting into the water on the par-3 third hole, another by three-putting from 20 feet. He opened with a 73, still better than the 79 he started with last year at Quail Hollow. Ryder Cup hopeful Tony Finau played with U.S. captain Jim Furyk and shot 74.
Adam Hadwin of Abbotsford, B.C., the only Canadian in the field, shot a 1-over 71.