MARTIN LAIRD

Rory McIlroy fought off a sinus bug to shoot an 8-under 62 on Thursday for a share of the first-round lead with J.

Scottie Scheffler outlasted Ryder Cup teammate Patrick Cantlay on the third hole of a playoff in the WM Phoenix Open for his first PGA Tour victory, making a 25-foot birdie putt that had just enough momentum to tumble in.

Sam Ryder brought down the house with a hole-in-one on the stadium 16th hole Saturday in the WM Phoenix Open, where newcomer Sahith Theegala topped a leaderboard as crowded as the course.

One of the longest days in golf just got a little longer.

It led to a double bogey, and the toughest part of the Ocean Course was still to come. I deserved every bit of that double bogey," Koepka said. McIlroy made bogey on three of the par 5s for a 75, his worst start ever in a PGA Championship. He has built a reputation for playing his best in the majors, with back-to-back titles in the U.S. Open and the PGA Championship over the last five years. Despite a double bogey to start on one of the more difficult courses in the PGA rotation, he didn't flinch.

Corey Conners made it look stress-free amid the wind and havoc of Kiawah Island.

___4 p.m.Sebastian Munoz found the trash at the PGA Championship. ___2:45 p.m.Brooks Koepka is off to a strong start in his chase for a third PGA Championship title. ___1:20 p.m.Martin Laird is looking to surprise at the PGA Championship the way he has this season on the PGA Tour. ___10:45 a.m.Bryson DeChambeau is heading in the wrong direction early on at the PGA Championship. If no one else withdraws, the PGA Championship will have 99 of the top 100, matching the record for most players from the top 100.

___2:45 p.m.Brooks Koepka is off to a strong start in his chase for a third PGA Championship title. ___1:20 p.m.Martin Laird is looking to surprise at the PGA Championship the way he has this season on the PGA Tour. Right behind is a group that includes two-time PGA Championship winner Brooks Koepka. ___10:45 a.m.Bryson DeChambeau is heading in the wrong direction early on at the PGA Championship. If no one else withdraws, the PGA Championship will have 99 of the top 100, matching the record for most players from the top 100.

___2:45 p.m.Brooks Koepka is off to a strong start in his chase for a third PGA Championship title. Those teeing off in the afternoon are expected to face even stiffer winds at the Ocean Course than the early starters. ___1:20 p.m.Martin Laird is looking to surprise at the PGA Championship the way he has this season on the PGA Tour. ___10:45 a.m.Bryson DeChambeau is heading in the wrong direction early on at the PGA Championship. It was a gorgeous morning on the Ocean Course at Kiawah Island with a little trepidation in the air.

Right behind is a group that includes two-time PGA Championship winner Brooks Koepka. ___10:45 a.m.Bryson DeChambeau is heading in the wrong direction early on at the PGA Championship. The reigning U.S. Open champion made bogey on four straight holes in the opening round at the Ocean Course at Kiawah Island. If no one else withdraws, the PGA Championship will have 99 of the top 100, matching the record for most players from the top 100. McIlroy won at 13-under 275 in 2012 the other time the PGA Championship was at Kiawah.

Conners surged into the lead with a 25-foot eagle putt on the par-5 16th hole — his second eagle on that hole in two days — for a 3-under 69 and a one-shot advantage over former Bay Hill winner Martin Laird (67). He was two shots behind, along with Viktor Hovland and Lanto Griffin, who each had a 68. The forecast featured plenty of rain Saturday, which figures to make Bay Hill play longer and tougher, while also keeping the greens from getting as crusty as they were last year when Tyrrell Hatton won with a closing 74. He won at Bay Hill in 2011 on a final round so tough a 75 was enough to get the job done. He played in the morning, had a pair of birdies and came to the 16th, the easiest at Bay Hill.

The fans were limited in numbers but they all wanted the same dose of entertainment provided by Rory McIlroy and Bryson DeChambeau. Defending champion Tyrrell Hatton shot a 77, while past Bay Hill winner Francesco Molinari took a step back from his progress with a 78. He made three of his birdies on par 3s, the strength of Bay Hill. Through it all, it was the activity outside the ropes at Bay Hill that stood out. The tournament is allowing 25% of capacity — roughly 5,000 fans a day — and when most are watching some of golf's bigger draws such as McIlroy, DeChambeau and Spieth, it feels even larger.

Hagy took the first-round lead Thursday with an 8-under 64 on the Nicklaus course, staying one shot ahead of South Korea's Byeong Hun An in the opening tournament of the PGA Tour's West Coast swing. Hagy racked up 10 birdies, including three streaks of three in a row. But the tournament kept its tradition of providing every opportunity for low scores: the once-feared Stadium Course and the Nicklaus Tournament Course at PGA West are among the most generous in the sport, with birdie opportunities abounding. Hagy started with a bogey on the first hole of the Nicklaus course, but then the birdies came in bunches. After making eight cuts last year, Hagy is back at full health after a solid offseason of preparation.

He had to return to the par-3 17th in a three-man playoff to finish the job with a birdie. “It's been a while since my last one, and you have some doubts at times whether you're going to get another one,” Laird said. To see that putt go in, it was pretty special.”It was the third time Laird has been in a playoff in Las Vegas, all of them involving three players. He still had status that carried over because of the shutdown, but fell so far down the list that he needed as sponsor exemption for Las Vegas. Laird needed a pair of top-10 finishes in opposite-field events at the end of the 2019 season just to keep his card.