Woodland seizes PGA lead

ST LOUIS: Gary Woodland, who has never cracked the top-10 in 27 major starts, fired a six-under par 64 Thursday to grab a one-stroke lead over fellow American Rickie Fowler after the opening round of the 100th PGA Championship.

On a day when Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy grinded out level par, unlikely Woodland — who snapped a five-year PGA victory drought by winning in February at Phoenix — unleashed the best putting round of his career at Bellerive Country Club.

“When I see putts go in, that just gets me going,” Woodland said. “It’s really starting to click. I thought I was putting well. It was nice to see them go in.”

World number 44 Woodland, whose best major finishes have been shares of 12th at the 2011 PGA and 2016 British Open, sank seven birdie putts in 10 holes to pass Fowler, who matched the best major round of his career with a 65.

Ninth-ranked Fowler, twice a top-five finisher in every major, is without a win to show for it, having finished second at the Masters in April.

“I always have hope. It’s not something I necessarily worry about,” Fowler said. “Keep putting ourselves in position, get in contention. We’ll just keep beating down that door.”

Woodland, 34, opened with a bogey but closed the front nine with back-to-back birdies then sank a 44-foot birdie putt at the par-4 11th and added 23-foot birdie putts at 12 and the par-3 16th.

“You work so hard and you want to see results to back up the work you’ve done,” Woodland said. “Today was just a step in the right direction.”

At the par-5 17th, Woodland dropped his approach three feet from the cup and tapped in for a birdie to seize the lead, then closed with a par.

“It was nice to get the jitters over early,” Woodland said. “I really settled in. I played great all day.” Woods, a 14-time major champion making a comeback after spinal fusion surgery, battled back all day to overcome a bogey-double bogey start.