The China Mail - Fox, Conners, Hovland share PGA lead as Higa stumbles back

Fox, Hovland and Conners were on 2-under with Higa tumbling back to level at par-70 Oak Hill.

World number 99 Higa, making his PGA Championship debut as a back-nine starter, reeled off four consecutive birdies starting at the par-3 11th hole, but a bogey at 17 and a double bogey at the par-4 sixth dropped him from atop the leaderboard.

Higa, last year's Japan Tour money leader, delivered clutch par putts from eight feet at the first hole and 12 feet at the par-5 fourth but pulled his tee shot way left at six, needed two more to reach the fairway and three from there to finish. He then made bogey at the seventh to reach level par.

No one else pulled away from the early pack.

Hovland back at the 10th hole and had two bogeys in three holes then birdied three in a row starting at the par-5 13th. Another birdie at the second gave him a share of the lead.

Fox, a three-time winner on the DP World Tour, birdied the par-4 second and par-5 fourth, stumbled with a bogey at the par-3 fifth but birdied the ninth from 11 feet.

Conners answered a bogey at the second with birdies on the fifth, sixth and eighth holes. He began the back nine with a bogey but birdied 12 to share the lead.

Frost delayed the start of the round by one hour and 50 minutes, leaving a group of reigning major champions starting off the 10th tee in warmer than expected weather.

World number one Jon Rahm, the reigning Masters champion, started with a birdie at the 10th hole but was 1-over after closing the back nine with three straight bogeys.

Reigning British Open champion Cameron Smith of Australia was level after the back nine.

Reigning US Open champion Matthew Fitzpatrick of England made bogeys at the par-5 13th and par-4 14th and 18th.

Spaniard Rahm, who has taken four PGA Tour titles this year, would be halfway to a calendar-year Grand Slam with a victory at Oak Hill and needing only a British Open to complete the career Slam.

World number 10 Jordan Spieth would complete a career Slam with a triumph at Oak Hill. He only decided to play on the eve of the event after testing his injured left wrist for two days at Oak Hill.

Spieth was 2-over after a double bogey at the first, his 10th hole of the round, as he tries to join a list of those to win all four majors that includes Tiger Woods, Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player, Ben Hogan and Gene Sarazen.

World number two Scottie Scheffler, who if he wins would overtake Rahm as world number one, birdied the 14th to join a 1-under pack.

Also on 1-under were defending champion Justin Thomas, who opened with a birdie at the 10th, and Keegan Bradley, the 2011 PGA Championship winner who shared the lead before a double bogey at the par-3 15th.

- McIlroy struggles early -

Four-time major winner Rory McIlroy, chasing his first major title since the 2014 PGA, was 3-over through 11 holes after bogeys at 15, 17 and 18.

There are 16 players from the Saudi-financed LIV Golf League in the lineup, including six major winners.

Bryson DeChambeau, the 2020 US Open champion, had the low early score among LIV players at 1-under through seven holes with four-time major winner Brooks Koepka level after 12 holes.

LIV began last June and lured some big names from the PGA Tour with record $25 million purses. The tour banned LIV players from its events and a court fight between them is due for trial in a year.

In the meantime, majors have allowed LIV players who meet qualifying standards to play, making them the only events where stars from the breakaway series can compete with the PGA Tour's top talent.

P.Ho--ThChM