2024 PGA Championship Round 1: Top Scary, Unexpected & Bizarre Moments Right Out of Valhalla

The first day of the PGA Championship was, no doubt, a bagful of unforgettable moments and lacked no fire through the Thursday round. Although there was a fair share of an amazing display of golf on the greens by both the PGA Tour Pros as well as the LIV golfers, one can’t deny the presence of certain unforeseen instances that couldn’t help but stand out apart from others.

The defending champion of the event, Brooks Koepka fought tooth and nail to place himself at T12, tied with six others on the scoreboard. Even so, his showmanship was overshadowed by many peculiar happenings on the Valhalla Golf Course. What, then, could have beaten the LIV Golf Pro and topped the day’s headlines as the first round of the second major of the 2024 calendar came to a close?

Standout moments of the first round at The PGA Championship

1. Cameron Smith’s odd yet magical creek shot: Tom Kim did it in 2023, and Cameron Smith followed his lead in 2024. The South Korean pro had, unfortunately, slipped into a marsh at Oak Hill last year and muddied his clothes in search of the ball he teed off at the par-4, 6th. Fast forward to this year’s major, the Australian also found the stream between the two fairways present at the par-5, 7th hole in Valhalla. But that didn’t stop him. The golfer rolled up his pants and waded into the waterbody in the hope of wedging in the ball that was still visible despite being submerged.

The result? Well, he shot the spheroid back to the fairway on the right in what No Laying Up’s Neil Schuster dubbed a “great execution” on the ESPN2 alternate stream coverage. Meanwhile, after getting himself back into play, the 30-year-old hit it over the green, after which he pitched it to seven feet and went for the par putt. It truly was an odd occurrence but that helped him finish T18 with a 3-under 68.

2. The Scary Dad Scottie Scheffler: Bennet’s father made his 2024 PGA Championship start with a bang. He scored an eagle on the very first hole he played at the par-4 1st and marked his return to the sport after almost a month. The 27-year-old had been taking a break from the game to be with his wife and celebrate the birth of his firstborn. But when he came back, the pro made sure to let everyone in the field know why he is the top athlete on OWGR by holding out his second shot from a distance of 167 yards with a 9-iron in hand.

But the scary part is not his feat but the fact that he was calm after the same. He dapped up his caddie, Ted Scott, and gave the club back to him with a smile on his face before walking off amidst the roar of cheers. Just another day, another major, another eagle for the 2024 Masters Tournament champ.

3. Xander Schauffele’s unexpected World Record: This was the second time he did it in a major. Back at the 2023 U.S. Open, he had managed to card a similar 62 on the first day’s play, along with Rickie Fowler earning the Guinness World Record for the same. Come 2024, the 30-year-old pro shot a flawless round with a figure of 9-under-62, all the while scoring the lowest round in the PGA Championship’s history as well as in any majors.

The golfer dished out a total of nine birdies at the par-71 Valhalla Golf Course. This helped him top the scoreboard over the likes of Tony Finau and Rory McIlroy, who are currently placed at T2 and T5, respectively. An unexpected, albeit scintillating, display of golf to beat the previous record of 63 that was shot by various athletes over a total of 18 times.

4. Jon Rahm’s on-course tantrum: A meltdown seemed imminent for the Spaniard after the outburst he had on the grounds in Valhalla. Fortunately, nothing of the sort happened. The LIV golfer, at the par-4, 16th, had misjudged the shot he took and ended up throwing his 7-iron straight to the turf in a fit of temper. However, he was able to make par on the hole as well as birdie the next two in the process of registering a score of 1-under 70.

Seeing Rahm hot on the course is not surprising. Back in the Friday round of the 2022 Memorial Tournament, the golfer had chucked the club after he was left displeased with the shot he made at the par-5, 11th. As a result, he almost took out a woman holding a microphone, following which he quickly apologized. Although such a situation didn’t happen this time around, it does leave a bitter aftertaste in the mouths of the fans.

These are but some of the unique instances that caught the eyes of the golfing world. There will, undoubtedly, be many more such moments that will take place at the Valhalla Golf Course over the next three days. For those of you eager to catch them, tune into the second round of the major that is set to tee off at 7:15 A.M. on Friday.