Xander Schauffele Breaks PGA Championship 18-Hole Scoring Record, Takes First-Round Lead

Xander Schauffele Breaks PGA Championship 18-Hole Scoring Record

Xander Schauffele broke the PGA Championship 18-hole scoring record with a first-round 62 (-9) at Valhalla Golf Club on Thursday.

He also tied the record for lowest ever round in a major championship, with this being the fourth ever 62 in a major, while also setting the course record at Valhalla. As of 7:10 p.m. ET, Schauffele gained 9.256 strokes on the field (although his SG: Total number will change slightly as the round continues).

Schauffele surprisingly failed to take advantage of his opening hole as he made par on the 590-yard par-5 10th, which is one of only three par-5s on the course.

Nonetheless, he stepped onto the 11th tee and knocked his tee shot on the 216-yard par-3 to inside three feet and made birdie.

After a par at the 12th, Schauffele made birdie at the signature par-4 13th hole after hitting an approach to the island green from 76 yards to 13 feet. He rolled in that putt and added three more birdies on holes 15, 16 and 18 as he made the turn at five-under.

Schauffele then got off to a hot start on the front nine as he made birdies on three of his first five holes, including the short 372-yard par-4 fourth hole. He hit his drive 330 yards to the right fairway and knocked his 58-yard wedge to four inches for a kick-in birdie.

Schauffele took advantage of the only par-5 on the front nine as he birdied the seventh hole before making pars on the eighth and ninth holes — the only consecutive pars of his round. He shot a four-under par 31 on the front nine to shoot 62 and break the PGA Championship 18-hole scoring record.

His game was firing on all cylinders as he ranked among the top 10 in all four major Strokes Gained categories: Off the Tee (third, +1.445), Approach the Green (sixth, +2.640), Around the Green (ninth, +1.283) and Putting (first, 4.136).

His combination of length (sixth in Driving Distance at 301.1 yards) and accuracy (11th in Driving Accuracy with 11 of 13 fairways hit) gave him an edge off the tee that he took advantage of.

His short game was a perfect 4-for-4 in Scrambling, including two up-and-downs from the sand. The San Diego State Aztec only needed 24 putts as he made over 104 feet of putts.

As of 7:10 p.m. ET, the scoring average at Valhalla is 0.229 strokes over par, and Tony Finau and Sahith Theegala are the closest competitors at six-under par. Rory McIlroy is tied for third at five-under par with four others after carding a 66.

The prior scoring record of 63 at a PGA Championship was set in 1975 by Bruce Crampton in the second round at Firestone, and 18 rounds of 63 had been shot in a PGA Championship before Schauffele’s 62 today.

Schauffele likely will try to become only the second wire-to-wire winner at the PGA Championship since 1983. Brooks Koepka is the only golfer to go wire-to-wire at the PGA Championship this century as he accomplished the feat in 2019 at Bethpage Black.

The seven-time PGA Tour winner was priced at +1650 on bet365 prior to his round to win the PGA Championship outright and now sits at +275 as the betting favorite. McIlroy has the third-shortest outright odds at +550, and Scottie Scheffler is the only other golfer shorter than 10-1 as he sits at +350, with the second-shortest odds to win.

Scheffler was +460 to win before the tournament began and sits at four-under par with two holes left, including the par-5 18th hole.

Golfers to Shoot 62 in a Major

Schauffele now holds two of the four 62s ever shot in men's major championship competition after shooting a 62 just last year at the 2023 U.S. Open at Los Angeles Country Club. He shot his 62 about an hour after Rickie Fowler shot the first ever 62 at a U.S. Open.