PGA Championship brings taste of Ryder Cup

CHARLOTTE, North Carolina :The Ryder Cup between Europe and the United States may be months away but Luke Donald and Keegan Bradley offered a preview of the showdown as the two captains played themselves into contention at the PGA Championship on Thursday.

European captain and former world number one Donald turned back the clock as the 47-year-old Englishman enjoyed a bogey-free trip around Quail Hollow and carded a four-under-par 67 that left him three shots back of leader Jhonattan Vegas.

World number 19 Bradley was level with his Ryder Cup counterpart until a closing bogey, the only blemish on the American's scorecard.

After the round, Donald was asked if he and Bradley were trying to turn the year's second major into a preview of the September 26-28 at Bethpage Black in New York.

"If it's tied 14-14, are you talking a playoff? I'll grab the trophy and go back to Europe," said Donald, who captained Europe to victory at the 2023 Ryder Cup in Italy.

"Keegan is top 20 in the world. He can have one good week out here, win, which he's very capable of, and he's absolutely in the conversation of being a playing captain.

"I don't think that's quite in my future."

Prior to the first round, only five sitting Ryder Cup captains had opened a PGA Championship with a round in the 60s during a Ryder Cup year, according to Elias Sports Bureau.

This is also just the second time that both sitting Ryder Cup captains were among the top 10 at the conclusion of a major championship round during a Ryder Cup year, the first coming at the midway point of the 1937 British Open.

"It's unique. You know, one of the interesting things about becoming captain, only other captains can understand what you're going through, and the day-to-day process and the