Stroud goes from first tour victory to 68 in PGA
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Chris Stroud opened with a 68 in the PGA Championship, not bad for someone still walking around in a fog.
Four days ago, Stroud was in Nevada playing the final round of the Barracuda Championship and looking forward to a week at home in Houston with his family. Then he hit a 5-wood to 5 feet on the final hole and made eagle, got into a playoff and made birdie on the second extra hole to win for the first time on the PGA Tour.
That put him into the PGA Championship for the first time in three years, and he kept right on rolling.
“Now I’ve got a two-year exemption. I’m in Kapalua. Just working my way up,” Stroud said. “Just going to keep living this foggy dream I’m in right now and ride it as long as I can.”
Just getting to Quail Hollow was a rush.
He drove two hours to Sacramento, California, for an overnight flight to Atlanta, and then on to Charlotte. He was so tired he didn’t wake up until late morning on Tuesday. His wife brought extra clothes from their home in Houston.
Stroud still found time to reply to what he estimated at 1,400 text messages, 55 voicemails and 100 emails.
If all that wasn’t enough, Stroud’s parents came to the PGA Championship to surprise him. They all had dinner Wednesday to celebrate his first PGA Tour victory.