US PGA Championship Golf, Day One - Koepka leads on seven under

Brooks Koepka began his defence of the US PGA Championship with a bogey-free 63 to take the lead in Long Island.

Photo from cbssports.com

The seven-under was a course record at Bethpage Black, and equalled the lowest round in the history of the tournament. 

The three-time major champion said earlier in the week that he is aiming for double-digits in major titles. 

The American hit seven birdies, and ends the day one shot ahead of Danny Lee - ranked 119th in the world.

The former US Amateur champion was born in South Korea but represents New Zealand having moved there when he was eight.

Lee bettered his previous best round at a major by four shots to go second after the first day. 

The 28-year old hit two bogeys and eight birdies, including a 14-footer at the last to go six under. 

Tommy Fleetwood is the leading European and bidding to win his first major, the Englishman sits in third on three under.

The Southport man was runner-up to Koepka at Shinnecock Hills - also in Long Island - at last year's US Open. 

15-time major winner Tiger Woods finished on two over. 

The American is playing for the first time since his historic comeback after an 11-year wait for another major, winning fifth Masters title at Augusta last month.

Woods started with a double bogey at the 10th, and had another on the par-three 17th.

But he had birdies at one and two, before an eagle on the fourth thanks to a 25-foot putt moving him to one under. 

But three further bogeys meant he finished the day nine shots off the leader. 

Rory McIlroy matched Woods after the first round, though the Northern Irishman holed his only birdie at the 18th to equal the 43-year-old's score.

But the 30-year-old had an otherwise frustrating day, looking to win his third PGA Championship title.

France's Mike Lorenzo-Vera is one of five players on two under after carding a 68.

Fresh from narrowly missing out on a win at the British Masters last week, Matt Wallace is in good company one under alongside Dustin Johnson, Phil Mickelson, Jason Day, Rickie Fowler and Jordan Spieth, who is bidding for a career Grand Slam with a win in this tournament.

The 25-year-old carded two birdies on the front nine, but carded a double bogey on the 10th at the start of the back nine. 

He bogeyed the 12th, but finished in the red with birdies at 16 and 18 - the last of which was achieved with a 20-foot putt.

World number one Johnson bogeyed the first, and hit all pars apart from at the ninth and 15th to finish on 69.

England's Justin Rose and Northern Ireland's Graeme McDowell, both former US Open winners, finished on level par alongside England's Paul Casey, who birdied the last with a 14-foot putt, while Open champion Franceso Molinari finished on two over.

Day One Leaderboard
-7 B Koepka (USA)
-6 D Lee (NZ)
-3 T Fleetwood (ENG)
-2 M Lorenzo-Vela (FRA), C Reavie (USA), L List (USA), S Kang (SK), P Perez (USA)
-1 M Wallace (ENG), R Fowler (USA), D Johnson (USA), J Spieth (USA), P Mickelson (USA)
Level J Rose (ENG), G McDowell (NIR), P Casey (ENG)
+2 F Molinari (ITA), T Woods (USA), R McIlroy (NIR), I Poulter (ENG)

MASTERS
Day One Report
Day Two Report
Day Three Report
Day Four Report

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