It's a piece of cake for MacIntyre at US PGA as Scot opens with fine 66

There are times when Robert MacIntyre’s post-round musings should come with a warning from the Food Standards Agency.

The Oban lefty made his five-under 66 on day one of US PGA Championship look like a piece of cake. In fact, it could’ve been the entire sweet trolley.

“I’m having too many cakes and desserts this week but we’re having a good time,” beamed MacIntyre after finishing four behind the early clubhouse leader, Xander Schauffele, who equalled the lowest major score in a men’s major for the second time in 11 months with a tremendous nine-under 62.

The presence of MacIntyre’s mum, Carol, for this week’s showpiece has certainly bolstered his morale and level of contentment while the addition of some good honest fare, home baking and treats has helped to fuel the assault on Valhalla. “She’s doing the cooking for the whole team,” added the 27-year-old of his mother’s vital role in the war effort.

This was a fine effort, meanwhile, from her boy. A neatly assembled, five-birdie round in the company of former champion John Daly had him moving along quite the thing as he found his pace and precision with the putter and rattled in a number of nicely executed strokes that found the centre of the cup.

This is MacIntyre’s 13th appearance in a major championship. He’s only missed one cut in that haul of showpiece occasions and that came in the US PGA Championship last year. In the 2024 edition, though, he’s off to a flyer.

“Today, I had zero expectation,” added MacIntyre, who arrived in Kentucky on the back of a sturdy 13th place finish in the Myrtle Beach Classic last weekend and made the most of his early tee-time.

“It's nice to get off reasonably early in a golf tournament. And you get fresh greens; you've got no one to chase. You're going out there just trying to post a score as good as you can.

“Overall, it was just a solid, solid round of golf. I managed to stay disciplined, had better acceptance of the poorer shots and just managed it around a tough golf course really well. I managed to pick a shot that I trusted, and I got comfortable to hit that shot. Then I tried to bring it alive.”

Schauffele certain did that. The 106th staging of the PGA of America’s flagship event had already featured plenty of fireworks in the build-up.

Off course developments, such as the announcement of Rory McIlroy’s divorce and the resignation of Jimmy Dunne, a key figure in the high-powered talks involving the PGA Tour, DP World Tour and the Saudi Public Investment Fund, had grabbed the limelight.

The PGA Championship, then, needed a sizzling start on the course and, my goodness, Schauffele produced the kind of explosive opening that was akin to a malfunction at a munitions depot.

His brilliant 62 matched the major record mark set by Branden Grace in the 2017 Open and equalled by Rickie Fowler and Schauffele himself in the opening round of last year’s US Open.

Starting from the 10th, Schauffele made birdies at the 11th, 13th, 15th, 16th and 18th to reach the turn in 31 and he picked up further shots on the second, fourth and fifth.

A two-putt birdie on the par-five seventh took the Olympic champion to nine-under-par and he safely parred the final two holes to break the course record of 63 set by Jose Maria Olazabal in 2000.

“It feels great,” Schauffele said. “It’s just day one but if someone had said I was going to shoot nine under I would certainly have taken it.

“I’ve been playing some really good golf, having a lot of close calls, so me and my team say why not keep chugging along?”

As for McIlroy? Well, all the hoopla surrounding his private life didn’t seem to affect his professional duties as he opened his title challenge with a 66.

That was the same score he opened with in the US PGA Championship at Valhalla back in 2014. And what happened there? That’s right. He went on to win as he racked up a fourth major title. McIlroy has not won another since but the omens look good.

It didn’t look for McIlroy around the turn, mind you. He’s started on the 10th and bogeyed the 17th before finding water on the 18th. The world No 2 salvaged his par, though, with a fine approach and rallied on his back nine.

“That was huge,” McIlroy admitted of that escape on his ninth hole. “I could have easily bogeyed 18 and been back to even par."

Brooks Koepka, the defending champion, picked up three shots on his closing three holes in a 67 while Tiger Woods, the PGA champion at Valhalla, back in 2000, three-putted his final two holes in a one-over 72.