When the dust settled on the morning wave Thursday at the PGA Championship, the flags at the top of the leaderboard might have fooled a passerby into thinking he'd accidentally stumbled into a meeting of the Charlotte chapter of the European Union.

That news came down at 3:55 p.m. ET on Wednesday. By 1 p.m. ET on Thursday, Smalley had completed his first round with a four-under-par 67, tying the clubhouse lead with Ryan Fox — who is experiencing his own miraculous run over the last week.

Rory McIlroy, of Northern Ireland, reacts after missing a putt on the 14th hole during the first round of the PGA Championship golf tournament at the Quail Hollow Club, Thursday, May 15, 2025, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Matt York) AP

Luke Donald and Keegan Bradley turned the opening round of the PGA Championship into their own little Ryder Cup competition Thursday. Shortly after Donald carded a surprising 4-under-par 67 — his best opening round at a major in 21 years — Bradley checked in with a 68,

Five-time major champion Brooks Koepka turned in another poor scorecard at Quail Hollow, the site of this week's PGA Championship.

Utah's Tony Finau is off to a solid start in the PGA Championship, while the same can't be said of former BYU golfer Patrick Fishburn

The second major of 2025 is underway. Here's when the biggest names in golf are teeing off for the second round of the PGA Championship.

The first round of the PGA Championship provided plenty of surprises as the favorites underperformed and some unsuspecting players took over at the top.