LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Xander Schauffele picks up where he left off.
For the second time in less than a year, the world No. 3 tied the record for the lowest round in a major by shooting a first-round 62, this time in the first round of the PGA Championship.
A year after posting a US Open record 62 in the first round at Los Angeles Country Club, Schauffele’s 9-under round Thursday featured nine birdies and no bogeys and broke the Valhalla Country Club course record 63 set by José MarÃa Olazábal in 2000 , which was tied for the PGA Championship record.
“I can’t tell,” Schauffele said when asked to compare the two rounds. “I’ll take a 62 in any major any day.”
Schauffele, who started on No. 10, bogeyed five of his first nine holes and carded a 31 before turning on the front nine and continuing his run with a birdie. Over the final eight holes, Schauffele birdied four to open a 3-year lead in the morning wave.
Schauffele had a chance to tie the major with a birdie on No. 9, but his 33-footer missed the fairway. By the time he made par, playing alongside Louisville native Justin Thomas, it was clear that Schauffele had taken center stage.
“When you’re playing one of the easiest 9-unders you’ve ever seen, it makes you feel like you’re shooting a million shots,” said Thomas, who shot a 2-under 69. “Xander, he’s such a well-rounded player … He really plays, really great golf right now, so you feel like he’s one of those guys, every time he’s going to make it fight.”
Schauffele, a native of San Diego, is no stranger to first-round leads in major tournaments. He has the lowest career first-round batting average in the majors among players who have appeared in at least 25 majors. However, he is yet to come up with wins.
Last year, Schauffele’s first-round 62 at the US Open, which was tied by Rickie Fowler and tied for the first 62 by Branden Grace at the 2017 Open Championship, put him in the driver’s seat for the tournament. But over the next three days, Schauffele wilted and finished tied for 10th after a final-round 72.
Schauffele and the top-10 go hand in hand. He has eight of them this season but no wins. This trend extends to the major leagues. Of this year’s field, only Fowler (13) has more top-10 finishes on a winless senior team than Schauffele (12), who has finished inside the top 10 in three of the last five.
Asked if he’s playing the best golf of his career, Schauffele couldn’t help but oblige.
“I’d say it’s pretty close to it, if not,” he said. “I feel like there are bursts, moments in time where you feel like you can control the ball really well, you see the greens really well, you chip really well. But over an extended period, it’s hard to sustain a high performance.”
Last week at the Wells Fargo Championship, Schauffele picked up his first PGA Tour victory since the 2022 Scottish Open as he led Rory McIlroy by a stroke heading into the final round. But a final round of par against McIlroy at 6 under left Schauffele with another runner-up finish — the 14th of his career.
“I think not winning makes you want to win more, as weird as that is,” Schauffele said. “For me, at least, I react to it, and I want it more and more and it makes me want to work harder and harder.”
But few players are playing better golf than Schauffele right now. He ranks in the top 10 in strokes gained, with only his position (42nd this year) holding him back. Schauffele’s profile fits Valhalla. the 7,600-yard course requires players to be exceptional with their long irons, and Schauffele tops the PGA Tour this year in approach shots over 200 yards.
On Thursday, Schauffele continued his amazing approach game, going 2.5 strokes on the field. On the 498-yard, par-4 No. 6, Schauffele had 246 yards on the hole and hit it to the green where he calmly putt two for par.
His most impressive effort, however, might have been the par-3 eighth. After mailing the green, Schauffele hit a perfect, low putt that landed within inches for a tap-in par.
Schauffele’s record round separated him from the rest of the early wave by just 3 shots. Tony Finau, who has 10 top-10 finishes in a major without a win, and Sahith Theegala carded 65s, while McIlroy shot a first-round 66 to move to 5 under on the spot of his last major win in 2014.
“I felt like it was pretty scrappy for the most part. I don’t feel like I left a lot out there,” McIlroy said after his round, which included hitting balls into the water on Nos. 9 and 18. “I thought I got a lot of my game today the score.”
The result gives McIlroy his ninth opening round of 66 or better in a major, the most of any player.
Completing the best rounds in the early wave was European Ryder Cup member Robert MacIntyre (5 under), while defending champion Brooks Koepka finished at 4 under after making an eagle and a birdie on his last three holes.
With 54 holes to play and a lot of leaderboard changes, especially on a dramatic course like Valhalla, Schauffele is equally aware that what he does on Thursday won’t matter if he can’t carry on through Sunday.
“It’s only Thursday,” Schauffele said with a smile. “That’s what it’s all about.”