LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Xander Schauffele is picking up right where he left off.
For the second time in a less than a year, the third-ranked player in the world tied the record for the lowest round at a major championship by shooting an opening-round 62, this time in the first round of the PGA Championship.
A year after he shot a U.S. Open-record 62 in the first round at the Los Angeles Country Club, Schauffele's 9-under round Thursday featured nine birdies and no bogeys and broke the Valhalla Country Club course record of 63 set by José María Olazábal in 2000, which had been tied for the PGA Championship record.
«I can't nitpick,» Schauffele said when asked to compare the two rounds. «I'll take a 62 in any major any day.»
Schauffele, who started on No. 10, birdied five of his first nine holes and carded a 31 before turning over to the front nine and continuing his birdie march. Over the final eight holes, Schauffele made four birdies to open a 3-stroke lead on the morning wave.
Schauffele had a chance to set the major record with a birdie putt on No. 9, but his 33-footer missed to the right. By the time he putted for par, playing alongside Louisville native Justin Thomas, it was clear Schauffele had taken center stage.
«When you're playing with one of the easiest 9 unders you've ever seen, it makes you feel like you're shooting a million,» said Thomas, who shot a 2-under 69. «Xander, he's such a complete player.… He's playing really, really great golf right now. So you feel like he's one of those guys, every time he tees it up right now, he's going to be in contention.»
Schauffele, a San Diego native, is no stranger to first-round leads at major tournaments. He has the lowest career first-round scoring average in majors among
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