McIlroy targets strong start as PGA Championship begins

Rory McIlroy was hoping for an early morning charge and is set for an initial test of his right foot concerns as the 108th PGA Championship teed off on Thursday at Aronimink, News.Az reports, citing AFP.

The 37-year-old is aiming for a seventh major title after successfully defending his crown at the Masters last month.

World number two Rory McIlroy has, however, been dealing with a persistent issue involving his right pinky toe, which forced him to cut short a practice round on Tuesday after only three holes.

McIlroy had developed a blister beneath the toenail of his smallest right toe, but after completing the back nine on Wednesday, he said the issue was manageable and fine to continue.

To cope with the discomfort, McIlroy has padded and separated the affected toe and also switched to a shoe half a size larger, featuring a wider toe box and softer leather material.

Those adjustments are expected to reduce concerns as he takes on the 7,394-yard, par-70 Aronimink layout, starting his round from the 10th tee at 8:40 a.m. (1240 GMT) alongside American Jordan Spieth and Spain’s Jon Rahm.

Spieth has the chance to complete a career Grand Slam with a victory this week, a feat McIlroy achieved last year with his Masters triumph.

Rahm, meanwhile, could become the first Spanish player to win this championship, as it remains the only major tournament no Spaniard has ever captured.

It has been a decade since a player last won back-to-back majors or claimed the first two majors of the same season, with the last instance occurring when Jordan Spieth achieved the feat in 2015.

Even further back, the last golfer to win both the Masters and PGA Championship in the same year was Jack Nicklaus in 1975.

The early starters also include five-time major winner Brooks Koepka along with fellow Americans Bryson DeChambeau and Xander Schauffele, both of whom are two-time major champions.

Top-ranked defending champion Scottie Scheffler is scheduled to begin from the first tee at 2:05 p.m., playing alongside England’s Justin Rose, who won the 2013 US Open at nearby Merion, and Matt Fitzpatrick, winner of the 2022 US Open and a player who has collected three PGA Tour titles over the past two months.

Scheffler has finished as runner-up in his last three appearances, including at the Masters.

Fitzpatrick has captured victories at the Valspar Championship and The Heritage, and alongside his younger brother Alex won the PGA Tour pairs event in New Orleans.

Alex Fitzpatrick claimed his first DP World Tour title at the Indian Open in March, later earning PGA Tour membership after the pairs win, and in the past two weeks finished ninth at Doral and fourth at Quail Hollow.

Alex Fitzpatrick also started early on Thursday at Aronimink, going off the first tee alongside Americans Ben Griffin and Braden Shattuck.

Another late-afternoon starter is third-ranked American Cameron Young, who won The Players Championship in March and also secured victory at Doral two weeks earlier.

News.Az 

By Nijat Babayev