Rory McIlroy is 10 shots off the pace after round one of the PGA Championship, where Jhonattan Vegas is the early leader.
After an opening round 64 at Quail Hollow Club, Vegas holds a two-shot lead over Ryan Gerard and Cam Davis.
He sits on seven-under after day one of the PGA Championship, with McIlroy back in T98 after his three-over 74.
The Masters champion has helped form the marquee group for Thursday and Friday in North Carolina, where the heavy rainfall earlier in the week has produced challenging conditions.
McIlroy is playing his early rounds alongside Scottie Scheffler and Xander Schauffele, who are in T20 and T60 respectively going into Friday.
Rory McIlroy must emulate Harry Vardon feat to win the PGA Championship
And the task facing the Northern Irishman has now emerged, with Justin Ray detailing a somewhat bittersweet tactic that directly involves McIlroy.
Ray noted on X that a player has been 10 back after round one of a major championship and gone on to lift the trophy.
But he added the important note that it was Harry Vardon who achieved the feat when he was 11 back at The Open Championship in 1896.
Why Rory McIlroy can be quietly confident of PGA Championship recovery
McIlroy does, of course, have very recent history of coming from behind to triumph at a major championship.
He was T27 after his even-par first round at The Masters last month, with Justin Rose leading the way on seven-under.
But back-to-back rounds of 66 shot him up the leaderboard, with the Northern Irishman later defeating the Englishman in a dramatic playoff.
McIlroy had many difficult moments in Georgia, but they were outweighed by his moments of magic, particularly when it really mattered.
| Year | Tournament | 54 holes | Score | Margin |
| 2011 | U.S. Open | 8 shot lead | −16 (65-66-68-69=268) | 8 strokes |
| 2012 | PGA Championship | 3 shot lead | −13 (67-75-67-66=275) | 8 strokes |
| 2014 | The Open Championship | 6 shot lead | −17 (66-66-68-71=271) | 2 strokes |
| 2014 | PGA Championship | 1 shot lead | −16 (66-67-67-68=268) | 1 stroke |
| 2025 | The Masters | 2 shot lead | −11 (72-66-66-73=277) | Playoff |
Similar magic will now be required to clinch a third PGA Championship win and sixth major championship win overall, and it mustn’t be ruled out given his form and that stunning recovery at The Masters.
But even after only one round, the gap may be too big to close, particularly with the very tricky conditions playing out at Quail Hollow.
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