Rory McIlroy is setting his sights on an early charge as the 108th PGA Championship gets underway Thursday at Aronimink, but all eyes will be on his right foot as he battles a nagging toe issue.
The 37-year-old world number two, fresh off successfully defending his Masters title last month, is chasing a seventh major victory. However, a blister under the toenail of his right pinky toe forced him to cut short a practice round Tuesday after just three holes. After testing the back nine on Wednesday, McIlroy declared the problem under control. He's now using a cushioned toe separator and has switched to a half-size larger shoe with a wider toe box and softer leather to ease any discomfort.
McIlroy tees off at 8:40 a.m. from the 10th hole on the 7,394-yard, par-70 layout, alongside American Jordan Spieth and Spain's Jon Rahm. Spieth is chasing a career Grand Slam—a feat McIlroy accomplished with his Masters win last year. Rahm, meanwhile, aims to become the first Spaniard to capture the PGA Championship, the only major no Spanish player has ever won.
The stakes are high: no player has won back-to-back majors or the first two majors of a season since Spieth in 2015, and no one has claimed both the Masters and PGA Championship in the same year since Jack Nicklaus in 1975.
Other early starters include five-time major winner Brooks Koepka, alongside fellow Americans Bryson DeChambeau and Xander Schauffele, both two-time major champions. Top-ranked defending champion Scottie Scheffler begins his round at 2:05 p.m. from the first tee, paired with England's Justin Rose (2013 US Open winner) and Matt Fitzpatrick (2022 US Open champion), who has won three PGA Tour titles in the past two months. Fitzpatrick's recent hot streak includes wins at the Valspar Championship and Heritage, plus a team victory in New Orleans alongside his younger brother, Alex.
Alex Fitzpatrick, who won his first DP World Tour title at March's Indian Open and recently accepted US PGA Tour membership, adds a family flavor to the field. With so much talent on display, Thursday's opening round promises plenty of drama as the season's second major unfolds.