McIlroy off to disastrous start at PGA Championship 2025

It’s called the “Green Mile” – one of the toughest endings in golf . That’s the name given to the final three nightmare holes at Quail Hollow in Charlotte, where the PGA Championship ( Par 71) – the second major of the season – is being held.

Scheffler made an acceptable start. Photo: PGA Championship

The 483-meter par-4 16th is protected by a lake; the 203-meter par-3 17th is set on a peninsula with a green; and the 451-meter par-4 18th has a stream on the left that acts as a magnetic trap that attracts the ball.

These three holes have historically averaged better than par, and the PGA Tour peppered its first-day telecast with grisly numbers: hundreds of balls swallowed in the water, dozens of double bogeys, triple bogeys and worse.

Scheffler with an eagle on hole 15. He made a double bogey on hole 16. Source: PGA Championship

The score on par was higher than the other 15 holes combined. A literal torture machine.

The famous Green Mile, or Bermuda Triangle, did not disappoint, showing no mercy to the world's top 3 golfers.

Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlroy and Xander Schauffele were part of a remarkable group, struggling between good shots and errors as they started from the 10th hole.

When they stepped on the tee of hole 16, all three were “burned” – each ending with a double bogey.

One of DeChambeau's best moments of round 1. Source: PGA Championship

Scheffler and Schauffele hit their balls into the water, while McIlroy missed the flag and slipped on a slope.

Three giants collapsed on a golf hole – that was the opening image of the 2025 PGA Championship, where Venezuelan Jhonattan Vegas temporarily led at -7, thanks to 5 birdies in the last six holes. Cam Davis (Australia) and Ryan Gerard (USA) followed with -5.

Another factor that affects is mud, which makes the ball dirty and many shots go astray.

McIlroy had a bad day. Photo: PGA Championship

The fairways – where balls are not allowed to be picked up and cleaned – are damp from recent rain, while the greens are dry and hard thanks to a hot air drying system.

Of the top three golfers in the world rankings, only Scheffler held his head high with a score of -2. That's right, he is the number 1 golfer and the leading candidate in the tournament that brings together 98/100 leaders in the rankings.

Meanwhile, Schauffele could not recover with a score of +1. McIlroy, the champion of The Masters , was even more miserable with the score.

McIlroy no longer had any image of a champion of 4 majors. Another candidate for the championship, Bryson DeChambeau, finished with an even par (0).

PGA Championship 2025 Rankings

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