It’s a logjam atop of the board heading to the second round of the year’s second men’s major championship at the Aronimink Golf Club in Pennsylvania.
Seven players share the lead at three-under including defending PGA Championship champ Scottie Scheffler and also former Rodman Wanamaker trophy champ Martin Kaymer
In fact, it’s the biggest logjam in 57 years after the opening round of a PGA championship after nine players shared the lead on day one of the 1959 PGA Championship.
Not only is there seven tied atop of the board but there is only three shots covering the leading 33 players to have broken par on day one of the 108th hosting of the PGA Championship.
Scheffler took advantage of two long birdie putts and one big break on the 17th hole for a 3-under 67 to share the lead with six other players — 41-year-old Kaymer, perhaps the biggest surprise — on a tough day in the Philadelphia suburbs.
A @PGAChampionship FIRST IN 6⃣7⃣ YEARS ….
Seven players in a logjam tied atop of the board heading to round two at Aronimink ⛳️including defending champ @ScottieScheffle (Great pic )
Not since 1959 has there been so much tied at the top
Read: https://t.co/hwkieZlC4y… pic.twitter.com/aU1uD3oUjX
— Fatiha (@TOURMISS) May 15, 2026
First-Round Notes – Thursday, May 14, 2026
Weather: Mostly cloudy. High of 64. Wind NW 6-16 mph, with gusts up to 26 mph.
First-Round Leaderboard
| Pos. | Player | R1 |
| T1 | Aldrich Potgieter | 67 (-3) |
| T1 | Stephan Jaeger | 67 (-3) |
| T1 | Min Woo Lee | 67 (-3) |
| T1 | Ryo Hisatsune | 67 (-3) |
| T1 | Martin Kaymer | 67 (-3) |
| T1 | Scottie Scheffler | 67 (-3) |
| T1 | Alex Smalley | 67 (-3) |
| T8 | Seven players tied | 68 (-2) |
Most players tied for the lead after any round at the PGA Championship in the stroke-play era (since 1958):
- Nine players – 1959 Round One, 1969 Round One
- Seven players – 2026 Round One
- Six players – 2005 Round One
Scottie Scheffler (T1/-3)
- 2025 PGA Championship winner seeks to become the third player in the last 25 years to successfully defend, joining Tiger Woods (2006, 2007) and Brooks Koepka (2018, 2019)
- Players to lead/co-lead after 18 holes in their PGA Championship title defence:
- Tiger Woods (1999 winner, 18-hole co-leader in 2000 and went on to win)
- Brooks Koepka (2018 winner, 18-hole solo leader in 2019 and went on to win)
- Scottie Scheffler (2025 winner, 18-hole co-leader in 2026)
- Finished T8 or better in five of six PGA Championship starts: T4/2020, T8/2021, MC/2022, T2/2023, T8/2024, Won/2025
- Top-10 finishes in 16 of his last 20 starts in major championships (dating back to start of 2021 season), including each of his last six appearances
- Major championship record: 26 starts, 23 made cuts, 21 top-25 finishes, 17 top-10s, four wins (2022 Masters Tournament, 2024 Masters Tournament, 2025 PGA Championship, 2025 Open Championship
Aldrich Potgieter (T1/-3)
- Leads the field in Strokes Gained: Putting (5.185)
- Making his PGA Championship debut and sixth start in a major championship
- Major championship record: five starts, one made cut (64th/2023 U.S. Open)
- In 12 starts on TOUR this season, owns six made cuts and one top-10 finish (5th/The Genesis Invitational)
- Second 18-hole lead/co-lead on TOUR in his 39th start; first 18-hole lead/co-lead since the 2025 Rocket Classic where he earned his maiden PGA TOUR title
Stephan Jaeger (T1/-3)
- PGA Championship record: three starts, three made cuts; best finish, T50 (2023)
- Major championship record:12 starts, seven made cuts, one top-25 finish (T21/2024 U.S. Open)
- In 11 starts on TOUR this season, owns seven made cuts and two top-10s (T5/Farmers Insurance Open, T7/Valspar Championship)
- Fourth 18-hole lead/co-lead on TOUR in his 190th start; 0-for-3 converting to victory
- PGA TOUR wins (1): 2024 Texas Children’s Houston Open
Min Woo Lee (T1/-3)
- PGA Championship record: four starts, two made cuts, one top-25 finish (T18/2023)
- Major championship record: 18 starts, 10 made cuts, six top-25 finishes, one top-10 (T5/2023 U.S. Open)
- In 11 starts on TOUR this season, owns 10 made cuts and six top-10s, including two inside the top three (T2/AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, T3/Texas Children’s Houston Open)
- Second 18-hole lead/co-lead on TOUR in his 80th start and second this season (The American Express/finished T38)
- PGA TOUR wins (1): 2025 Texas Children’s Houston Open
Ryo Hisatsune (T1/-3)
- Leads the field in Strokes Gained: Off the Tee (2.193)
- PGA Championship record: two starts, two made cuts, one top-25 finish (T18/2024)
- Major championship record: four starts, two made cuts; best finish, T18 (2024 PGA Championship)
- In 13 starts on TOUR this season, owns 12 made cuts and four top-10s (best: T2, Farmers Insurance Open)
- Third 18-hole lead/co-lead on TOUR in his 76th start and second of the season (AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am/finished T8)
Martin Kaymer (T1/-3)
- Ranks fifth in Strokes Gained: Approach the Green (3.120)
- PGA Championship record: 16 starts, seven made cuts, three top-10s (T7/2016, Won/2010, T6/2009)
- Major championship record: 56 starts, 11 top-25 finishes, six top-10s, including two wins (2010 PGA Championship, 2014 U.S. Open)
- PGA TOUR wins (3): 2010 PGA Championship, 2014 PLAYERS Championship, 2014 U.S. Ope
Alex Smalley (T1/-3)
- PGA Championship record: three starts, two made cuts (T23/2023, T28/2025)
- One additional major championship start: 2017 U.S. Open (MC)
- In 13 starts on TOUR this season, owns 12 made cuts, seven top-25 finishes and two top-10s (T2/Zurich Classic of New Orleans, T7/Cadillac Championship)
Additional notes
- 33 players are within two shots of the lead, topping the previous major championship record of 28 (1993 Open Championship/R1)
- 12 former major champions are within two shots of the lead (Martin Kaymer, Scottie Scheffler, Xander Schauffele, Patrick Reed, Shane Lowry, Jason Day, Cameron Smith, Brooks Koepka, Jordan Spieth, Jon Rahm, Justin Thomas, Collin Morikawa); sets a new record for any round at a major championship (previous: 11, 1999 Masters/R1)
- Since 2000, only five players have held the 18-hole lead/co-lead and gone on to win the PGA Championship: Xander Schauffele (2024), Brooks Koepka (2019), Jimmy Walker (2016), Phil Mickelson (2005), Tiger Woods (2000)
- In the last 10 years at the PGA Championship, the winner overcame a deficit of four-or-more strokes after 18 holes five times: 2025 Scottie Scheffler (five back/won by five), 2023 Brooks Koepka (six back/won by two), 2020 Collin Morikawa (four back/won by two), 2018 Brooks Koepka (five back/won by two), 2017 Justin Thomas (six back/won by two)
- Corey Conners (T8/-2) leads the field in Strokes Gained: Approach the Green (3.936)
- Patrick Reed (T8/2) cards the only bogey-free round and ranks second in Strokes Gained: Approach The Green (3.666)
- Dan Brown (T8/-2) and Jon Rahm (T15/-1) are the only players with eagles on par-4s (Rahm on No. 2, Brown on No. 11)
- Garrick Higgo (T15/-1) was assessed a two-stroke penalty for being late to the first tee ahead of his 7:18 a.m. tee time
- Jordan Spieth (T15/-1) matches his best first-round score in 14 career PGA Championship starts with a 69; also recorded first-round 69s in 2019 (finished T3) and 2024 (finished T43)
- Three-time PGA Championship winner Brooks Koepka (T15/-1) opens with a 1-under 69; Koepka’s first-round scores each year that he won the PGA Championship: 2018/69, 2019/63, 2023/72
- Rory McIlroy (T105/+4) hits five of 14 fairways and bogeys his final four holes (Nos. 6-9); cards a first-round 74 for the second consecutive year at the PGA Championship (finished T47 in 2025)
- 156-player field will see a 36-hole cut, with the low 70 players (and ties) advancing to the weekend
- No international player has won the PGA Championship since 2015 (Jason Day, Australia)
- Other notable first-round scores:
- 2024 PGA Championship winner Xander Schauffele (T8/-2)
- 2026 PLAYERS Championship winner and World No. 3 Cameron Young (T49/+1)
- World No. 4 Matt Fitzpatrick (T67/+2)
- Adam Scott (T67/+2) in his 99th consecutive major championship start
- 2011 PGA Championship winner Keegan Bradley (T105/+4); won the 2018 BMW Championship at Aronimink
- First-round course statistics:
- Scoring Average (Total): 72.261 (+2.261)
- Scoring Average (Front Nine): 35.807 (+0.807)
- Scoring Average (Back Nine): 36.454 (+1.454)
- Toughest Hole: No. 8, Par 3, 245 yards – 3.506 (+0.506)
- Easiest Hole: No. 9, Par 5, 609 yards – 4.795 (-0.205)
Statistics thanks to PGA Tour
