Luke Donald was happy to joke about his recent form after posting his best first round at a major since 2004 at the PGA Championship.
Europe’s Ryder Cup captain shot four-under-par 67 on the opening day at Quail Hollow to put himself among the early leaders, despite heading into the competition in less than ideal circumstances.
Donald went into the second major of the year having failed to make the cut in his last five tournaments he has played in.
But none of his recent struggles were on show on Thursday, as the 47-year-old carded a bogey-free round, his first in a major since 2015.
Better still, Donald’s impressive start was his lowest career opening round in 21 years, as he matched the score he recorded at the 2004 PGA Championship.
His remarkable run leaves him tied-fourth in the leaderboard, three behind early leader Jhonattan Vegas, who surged ahead with a seven-under-par 67.
And Donald, who received a special invitation to Quail Hollow on account of being Europe’s Ryder Cup captain, admitted even he was surprised with just how well things had gone.
Speaking after his strong start, he joked: “Obviously I’ve been trending with all the missed cuts coming into this week!
“But no, it was a pleasant surprise,” before later adding: “Golf’s a crazy game!”
On his personal milestone, he then said: “Obviously very pleased with the score – bogey-free in a major.
“Someone just told me it was the lowest first round in a major I’ve had since 2004 or something.”
Donald’s fine form came on a day where many of golf’s biggest named struggled, including Masters champion Rory McIlroy, who opened with an error-strewn three-over 74.
GettyLuke Donald may fancy his chances of winning a first ever major after an impressive start at Quail Hollow[/caption] GettyThe Englishman was in a jovial mood after reaching a personal milestone[/caption] GettyRory McIlroy’s bid for a third PGA Championship title got off to a rocky start[/caption]Three-time major winner Jordan Spieth was another to get off to a tricky start, recording a five-over 76, while defending champion Xander Schauffele also found himself off the pace after posting one-over 72.
But Donald had no such trouble, with the former world number one rolling back the years in just his eighth major appearance since the start of 2016.
He reflected: “I got off to a really nice, steady start. I hit a bunch of fairways on the front nine which always makes me feel good about my game.
“I didn’t hit a ton of greens today but my putter was really good. The greens were infinitely quicker this morning, first group out, than they were the last few days.
“But I adjusted very well to them, and I made a lot of good, solid putts out there.”
And it wasn’t just Donald who was among the surprise early leaders, with US Ryder Cup captain Keegan Bradley coming in just behind him on three-under-par at the end of the opening round.
GettyDonald and his US counterpart Keegan Bradley were both in the top ten on the leaderboard after day one of the PGA Championship[/caption]While Bradley is ranked within the world’s top 20 players, making his performance less of a shock, he was quick to comment on the rarity of both players finding themselves in a strong position.
The 2011 PGA Championship winner said: “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 pressure and everything that comes with that.
“So for him to go out there and shoot that round, it’s impressive. It makes me happy.”
Donald will be hoping he can sustain his hugely impressive start, as he targets what could be a surprise first ever major victory.
The Englishman’s best-ever finishes at a major came at the 2005 Masters and 2006 PGA Championship, where he came tied-third on both occasions.
Despite this, he has tasted other huge wins in his career, most recently captaining Europe to Ryder Cup glory in 2023.
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