Rory's the story after strong opening round

Four-time major champion has battled slow starts since last major win in 2014

After rolling in a 19foot putt on his final hole of the day, Rory McIlroy took a long, hard look at a nearby scoreboard. His eyes didn't leave the screen until his seventh birdie finally registered, moving him to solo first place at the PGA Championship at 5-under par for a one-shot lead at Southern Hills.

A round like this has been a long time coming for McIlroy. Not great rounds at majors, he's had plenty of those. In fact, the last major championship round he played was a Sunday 64 at Augusta National that propelled him to a runner-up finish. What Rory (and his legion of fans) has been waiting for was for him to shoot a round like this on a Thursday, before he's shot himself out of the tournament, something he's done far too much since winning his last major in 2014.

He was asked after his round if he was happy with his start.

“No, no, I'd rather shoot 74 and try to make the cut tomorrow,” McIlroy joked.

There haven't been many opportunities for jokes following early rounds at majors. His most famous false start was a crushing 79 that began with a quadruple bogey at the 2019 Open Championship at Royal Portrush in his home Northern Ireland.

Golf statistician Justin Ray tweeted Thursday that McIlroy is 35-over in first rounds at majors since 2015, but 68-under in Rounds 2 through 4.

Needless to say, there is reason for optimism for the four-time major champion this week in Tulsa.

McIlroy is one stroke clear of Will Zalatoris and Tom Hoge, who shot matching 66s. Zalatoris is known for elite ball-striking but found some magic in his putter, finishing Thursday ranked first in strokes-gained-putting.

“It's super fun whenever you have days like that,” Zalatoris said. “I think I either made four or five 25-footers. It was kind of a bizarre day.”

One shot further back at 3-under are Justin Thomas, Matt Kuchar and Abraham Ancer.

World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler bogeyed two of his final three holes to shoot a 1-over 71.

O NO CANADA

It wasn't a good day for Canadians at Southern Hills.

Of the three Canucks in the field, Adam Hadwin did the least damage to his week, shooting a 3-overpar 73 while playing in the windier afternoon wave.

The 34-year-old two-time Presidents Cup player has recently found his game after an off-year in 2021, posting three consecutive top-10 finishes beginning at the Players Championship.

“I did quite a lot of good things and the way things were going there I had a really good chance to play a good round in the afternoon,” Hadwin said after his round. “I just kind of let it slip away. ... It's a major championship, you get off a little bit and there is no coming back.”

Hadwin was even-par through 11 holes before bogeying three in a row. He chipped in for birdie at the monstrous 532-yard par-four 16th, but finished his round on a sour note, bogeying the last after a poor approach shot.

Corey Conners looked to be Canada's best bet heading into the week, but also playing in the afternoon, the world No. 32 shot a 6-over 76, not making a single birdie.

Mackenzie Hughes, playing in the morning, shot a 7-over 77.