Koepka seizes lead as Woods struggles

Tiger Woods endured two double-bogey disasters in the first eight holes Thursday while defending champion Brooks Koepka shared the early lead at 4-under par at the PGA Championship. Woods, who snapped an 11-year major win drought at last month’s Masters, opened with a double bogey at the par-4 10th hole and made another at the par-3 17th to reach the turn three-over par at the formidable, 7,549-yard, Bethpage Black.

Koepka, who played alongside Woods and British Open champion Francesco Molinari in the feature group, was spectacular, holing a 40-foot birdie putt at 10, sinking a 20-foot birdie putt at the par-3 14th and adding two more at 18 and one.

That left third-ranked Koepka sharing the lead with England’s Tommy Fleetwood, trying to become the first Englishman to win the event since Jim Barnes in 1919. Fleetwood opened with a bogey at 10, answered with birdies at 15 and 16 and birdied three of the first four holes after making the turn. Koepka, who seeks a third consecutive US Open title next month at Pebble Beach, faces similar hazards to those on offer at US Opens on a course that hosted that major twice.

With a victory, Koepka would become the first player to own back-to-back titles at two majors at the same time. “I like my chances this week,” he said.

“I’m playing good. If I do what I’m supposed to do, then I think I’d be tough to beat.”

Sixth-ranked Woods stumbled badly early alongside Koepka and Italy’s Molinari at the first PGA Championship played in May since 1949, the event moving from August this year in a revamp of the global golf schedule.

From one of Bethpage’s toughest tees, Woods missed the 10th fairway and found the rough, hit a layup then went over the green and chipped to six feet. But he lipped the right edge on his bogey putt to make double.

It was only the fourth time in 82 major starts that Woods began with a double bogey or worse, but the first time at a PGA. He opened with triple bogey at last year’s US Open and began with a double bogey on his way to winning the 2008 US Open. Woods made a 15-foot birdie putt at the par-4 15th, saved par at 16 with a 90-foot wedge shot to two feet but made double bogey at 17, finding a bunker and the fringe before three-putting. He answered with birdies at the first and second that pulled him to 1-over.

Molinari made bogeys on three of the first six holes but birdied two of the next three holes to make the turn on level par.