Rory McIlroy ‘fighting something’ at US PGA as Bryson DeChambeau excels

Rory McIlroy battled illness and a poor start to remain in contention for a third US PGA title as Bryson DeChambeau set the clubhouse target at Oak Hill.

On a course which has drawn comparisons to Winged Foot, the venue for his US Open triumph in 2020, a slimmed-down DeChambeau still possessed enough power to post six birdies and two bogeys in an opening 66.

That gave DeChambeau a one-shot lead over world number two Scottie Scheffler and Corey Conners, with Viktor Hovland, Ryan Fox and Keegan Bradley on two under par.

Bryson DeChambeau sticks the landing ⛳️#PGAChamp pic.twitter.com/i6acbs3vnm

— PGA Championship (@PGAChampionship) May 18, 2023

McIlroy fought back from three over par after nine holes to return a 71, while Masters champion and world number one Jon Rahm surprisingly slumped to a six-over-par 76.

Following a delay of almost two hours due to overnight frost, Oak Hill member McIlroy had started from the 10th hole with five straight pars before badly mishitting his tee shot on the 15th to find a bunker 30 yards short of the pin.

McIlroy hit a good bunker shot to nine feet but was unable to convert the par putt and also failed to get up and down from sand on the 17th, before taking a swipe at the tee marker on the 18th following an errant drive.

The four-time major winner looked certain to drop another shot after firing his third to the second over the green, but holed from 35 feet up a steep slope for an unlikely par and then hit a brilliant tee shot to two feet on the next.

“It was massive,” McIlroy said. “I was sort of just hoping to get down in two and make bogey and go to the third hole at four over par.

“When you walk off the green three over and then you hit a tee shot like that, all of a sudden the