Martin Laird reeled off four consecutive birdies to grab the opening-round lead Thursday at the PGA Championship as Kiawah Island's wind and sand swatted aside contenders. Laird won in Las Vegas last October, his first US PGA triumph since 2013. Four-time major champion Rory McIlroy, the 2012 PGA winner at Kiawah, world number two Justin Thomas and reigning US Open champion Bryson DeChambeau were among those who struggled on the oceanside layout. Henrik Stenson, the 2016 British Open champion, birdied the par-3 fifth and par-5 seventh but fell back with a birdie at the par-3 14th. He begins off the first tee at 1:58 p.m. alongside fellow Americans Will Zalatoris, a runner-up at last month's Masters, and Webb Simpson, the 2012 US Open champion.

Source: News 24 May 20, 2021 13:59 UTC