Rory McIlroy

Rory McIlroy is one step closer to the third PGA Championship title of his career.

McIlroy paced the field in Thursday's opening round of the 2022 edition of the major at Southern Hills Country Club in Tulsa, Oklahoma, with a five-under 65. He is one shot clear of Will Zalatoris and Tom Hoge on the leaderboard, which can be found in full at PGATour.com.

1. Rory McIlroy, -5

T2. Will Zalatoris, -4

T2. Tom Hoge, -4

T4. Justin Thomas, -3

T4. Matt Kuchar, -3

T4. Abraham Ancer, -3

The star-studded pairing of Tiger Woods, McIlroy and Jordan Spieth was the biggest storyline entering play. While Woods and Spieth would likely prefer to forget their opening rounds, McIlroy put on a show.

He started on the back nine with a blistering pace right out of the gates with four straight birdies on Nos. 12-15. Although he gave strokes back with bogeys on Nos. 6 and 8 during his second nine, he made up for it with birdies on Nos. 2, 5 and 9.

McIlroy ended his round with a lengthy birdie putt to move ahead of Zalatoris and Hoge in a fitting exclamation mark to cap a round that also saw him take advantage of scoring opportunities with birdies on both par fives.

"It was nice to get off to that good start and sorta keep it going," he told reporters. "I feel like this course, it lets you be pretty aggressive off the tee if you want to be, so I hit quite a lot of drivers out there and took advantage of my length and finished that off with some nice iron play and some nice putting."

The 33-year-old's impressive round was a continuation of the major championship momentum he built at April's Masters when he ended with a final-round 64 to finish in second place.

It also could mean trouble for the rest of the field, as golf insider Justin Ray noted the last three times McIlroy started a major with a 66 or better he won at the 2011 U.S. Open, 2014 Open Championship and 2014 PGA Championship.

Few golfers in history know more about parlaying a quick start into a title than Woods, but he will not be adding to his 15 major championships after posting a four-over 74 on Thursday even after tallying birdies on two of his first five holes.

This is just his second official PGA Tour event since he suffered serious leg injuries in a February 2021 car crash, and he told reporters: "My leg is not feeling as good as I would like it to be. We'll start the recovery process and get after it tomorrow."

He also said of his swing: "I just can't load it. Loading hurts. Pressing off it hurts. Walking hurts. Twisting hurts."

Woods found just seven of 18 greens in regulation, which left him scrambling to save strokes throughout the round. He will have to play better just to make the cut of top 70 and ties, and Spieth may as well after shooting a two-over 72 that included three bogeys in a four-hole stretch from Nos. 15-18.

While that pair of notable names will be worried about the cut line, McIlroy's primary focus will be holding the lead with a strong group of challengers waiting closely behind.

Zalatoris' four-under 66 ended with a long birdie putt on No. 9, and Hoge's mark was a testament to his steady consistency with five birdies spread throughout the round to go with just one bogey.

Yet nobody was as good as McIlroy, who will have the opportunity to build on his lead in Friday's second round.

Rory McIlroy called Phil Mickelson's absence from the 2022 PGA Championship "unfortunate" and said he wished the golf legend was on hand to celebrate his 2021 title in the event.

"This should be a celebration, right?" McIlroy told reporters. "He won a major championship at 50 years old. It was possibly his last big, big moment in the game of golf. I think he should be here this week and celebrating what a monumental achievement he achieved last year.

"It's unfortunate. It's sad. Yeah, I don't know what else I can say."

Mickelson has not played on the PGA Tour since missing the cut at January's Farmer's Insurance Open. He has not played any competitive golf since making controversial comments about the Saudi Arabia government and PGA Tour.

“They’re scary motherf--kers to get involved with,” Mickelson told Alan Shipnuck of the Fire Pit Collective. “We know they killed [U.S. citizen and journalist Jamal] Khashoggi and have a horrible record on human rights. They execute people over there for being gay. Knowing all of this, why would I even consider it? Because this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to reshape how the PGA Tour operates."

Mickelson was among the golfers who were denied an exemption by the PGA Tour to play in the Saudi-backed LIV Golf league's event next month in London. He is one of several players who have been linked to the new tour, but his comments have done seemingly irreparable harm to his public reputation and put his playing status in doubt.

"It's crazy," golfer Kevin Kisner told Mark Schlabach and Kevin Van Valkenburg of ESPN. "It's a pretty big fall. I can't imagine what he's gone through mentally and emotionally through that whole year. But a little bit of humble pie never hurts anyone."

Mickelson, 51, became the oldest player in history to win a major at last year's PGA Championship, a moment that was widely celebrated as a once-in-a-lifetime achievement. His seeming disappearance from public life, which has included the loss of numerous sponsorship deals, shows how quickly someone can fall because of their words. 

Spectators looking for star power at the 2022 PGA Championship at Southern Hills Country Club in Tulsa, Oklahoma, will have the opportunity to find plenty of it in one place during the first two rounds.

That is because Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy and Jordan Spieth will all be part of the same group, per ESPN's Bob Harig.

The trio tee off at 9:11 a.m. ET during Thursday's first round and 2:36 p.m. ET during Friday's second round.

While McIlroy and Spieth are two of the biggest names in the sport, Woods will be the main storyline.

The 15-time major champion and winner of 82 PGA Tour events will play in just his second official tour event since November 2020 after serious leg injuries he suffered in a February 2021 car crash.

Woods underwent surgery and even said amputation was under consideration.        

His first official PGA Tour tournament appearance since the crash came in April's Masters when he impressed with a one-under 71 in the opening round and made the cut before fading into 47th place over the weekend.

That he was even able to walk the course and compete for four straight rounds was notable, and the time off since then may help him take strides during his second major of the year.

Woods is no stranger to success in this tournament and location, as he is a four-time PGA Championship victor and won the title at Southern Hills in 2007. That was his 13th career major championship, and he has since won the 2008 U.S. Open and 2019 Masters.

The 46-year-old is not the only multiple winner of this event in his star-studded group, as McIlroy won the 2012 and 2014 PGA Championship. Spieth is a three-time major champion but is still looking for his first PGA Championship title to complete a career Grand Slam.

Getting off to a quick start as part of the headline group will be imperative if he plans on accomplishing the feat.         

The 2022 Masters Tournament featured a record $15 million purse for the event. Of course, every golfer wants to win the event because of its prestige, but this year's winner also received $2.7 million.

It became clear early in the weekend that would be going to Scottie Scheffler. He got off to a strong start by shooting a 69 in the first round and a 67 in the second. And then he posted scores of 71 in each of the final two rounds to finish 10 under par to win the 2022 Masters.

Not only was it the 25-year-old's first Masters win, but it was also his first victory at a major tournament. He came into the event as the No. 1-ranked golfer in the world, as he ascended to the top spot last month after a strong start to the year that featured wins at the WM Phoenix Open and the Arnold Palmer Invitational.

Scheffler isn't the only golfer who left Augusta with a big payday, though. Here's how much each of the top-10 finishers received at Augusta National this year:

Winner: Scottie Scheffler, $2.7 million

Second: Rory McIlroy, $1.62 million

Third: Shane Lowry and Cameron Smith, $870,000 each

Fifth: Collin Morikawa, $600,000

Sixth: Will Zalatoris and Corey Conners, $521,250 each

Eighth: Justin Thomas and Sungjae Im, $450,000 each

10th: Cameron Champ and Charl Schwartzel, $390,000 each

Courtesy of Adam Woodard of Golfweek

Scheffler entered Saturday's third round with a five-stroke lead over the rest of the field. It was a great position to be in, but he couldn't coast through the final two rounds. He needed to play well throughout the weekend to hold off the rest of the field.

And there were golfers who kept things interesting. Cameron Smith shot a 68 in the third round and trailed Scheffler by only three strokes heading into Sunday. But the Australian wouldn't carry over that success, as he shot a 73 in the final round to end up tied for third.

Meanwhile, McIlroy made an impressive charge on the final day. He wasn't really a factor for the first three days, as he was tied for ninth at one over par entering the final round. Then, he shot a 64 to end up at seven under.

Although the Northern Irishman came up three strokes short of Scheffler, his impressive play made it so the eventual winner couldn't afford too many mistakes during the final round. And Scheffler mostly did that. Even though he had a double bogey on the 18th hole, it didn't matter.

"If you're going to choose a golf tournament to win, this would be the tournament," Scheffler said, per Doug Ferguson of the Associated Press. "You don't know how many chances you're going to get. And so having a chance—I had a five-shot lead on Friday and then a three-shot lead going into today—I don't know if you get better opportunities than that. You don't want to waste them."

McIlroy's second-place performance marked his best finish in 14 Masters appearances. However, he still hasn't won a major tournament since the 2014 PGA Championship, as he remains stuck at four major titles and a Masters short of a career Grand Slam.

Smith has finished in the top 10 at the Masters four times since 2018, and he's now been in the top three in two of the past three years. He's still looking for his first major title, but he clearly knows how to have success at Augusta.

Shane Lowry's third-place finish marked his best showing at a major since he won the 2019 Open Championship. And Collin Morikawa's fifth-place finish was his best performance in three career Masters appearances.

All of these golfers played well this weekend, but none as well as Scheffler. And with how quickly he has emerged as one of the top competitors on the PGA Tour, it may not be long before he wins another major. There are still three more to come in 2022, so he'll get more chances to do so soon enough.

Scottie Scheffler won the 86th Masters at Augusta National Golf Club on Sunday, finishing the fourth round one under par to bring his tournament total to 10 under and capture his first green jacket at 25 years old. 

The world No. 1 entered Sunday at nine under par through three rounds and continued his dominant performance into the fourth round to hold off a significant push from Rory McIlroy, who finished second. 

Before Sunday, Scheffler's best finish at the Masters came when he finished 18th in 2021. Since then, he has gone on to win the Phoenix Open, Arnold Palmer Invitational and the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play. 

Leaderboard

1. Scottie Scheffler: -10

2. Rory McIlroy: -7

T3. Shane Lowry: -5

T3. Cameron Smith: -5

5. Collin Morikawa: -4

For the full leaderboard, refer to Masters.com.

Scheffler had a brilliant fourth-round performance on Sunday afternoon at Augusta National, kicking things off with a par on the first and second holes before a birdie on the third hole to take a dominant four-stroke lead over Smith. 

Scheffler then parred on holes four through six before another birdie on the seventh hole to move to 11 under and hold on to his four-stroke lead over Smith. He parred on holes eight and nine before slipping up slightly on the 10th hole, where he recorded his first bogey of the day.

Scheffler rebounded on the remaining holes and birded on No. 14 and No. 15 to hold on to his lead. He parred on holes 16 and 17 and carded a double-bogey on hole 18 to close out the day. 

McIlroy arguably had the better performance in Sunday's fourth round. He entered at one over par and tied for ninth following a third round that saw him card for four birdies. His fourth round saw him record six birdies and an eagle as he climbed all the way to second place. 

The 32-year-old matched the lowest score ever at the Masters and finished seven under for the tournament. 

Smith, who entered Sunday at six under par, also made strides in the fourth round in an attempt to cut down Scheffler's lead. He birdied on the first two holes before adding two more birdies on the seventh and 11th holes to move to one under for the day.

However, he slipped up on the 12th hole, carding a triple-bogey, and faded fast, which essentially put him out of contention for the green jacket with the way Scheffler was playing. 

Meanwhile, Tiger Woods finished 47th after finishing six over par in the fourth round to bring his four-day total to 13 over par. Despite the disappointing result, it was an overall positive step forward for Woods, who was playing in his first major tournament since suffering significant leg injuries in a February 2021 car crash.

After finishing the final round, the 46-year-old received a standing ovation from the Augusta National crowd. He also confirmed he would be playing The Open Championship at St. Andrews this summer, but that he would not be playing a full schedule again. 

With the Masters now complete, players will begin preparing for RBC Heritage and a number of other events before the PGA Championship in May and U.S. Open in June.