Bryson DeChambeau Inches from Ace at PGA Championship, Fails to Close

Bryson DeChambeau signed for an even par 71 on Thursday at the PGA Championship.

He rallied to get to 1-under on the day, but a disastrous 18th hole kept him out of red figures.

DeChambeau started the day slowly with a bogey on the par-4 3rd and eight pars on the front nine. The two-time U.S. Open champ got back to even par on the par-5 10th.

Another bogey went on the scorecard at the 13th to drop to par on the day. DeChambeau made two birdies, including the incredible tee shot on 17 that rolled to three inches from the hole.

He was three inches away from making an ace on one of the toughest par-3s that the PGA Tour plays.

He hit a 7-iron 220-plus yards, which feels like a cheat code. The LIV Golf captain made the putt to secure his third birdie.

That put him under par with the daunting 496-yard par-4 18th remaining. So many players had their rounds ruined because of that hole, and DeChambeau was no stranger to it.

His tee shot went wide right, and his second shot landed right before the greenside bunker. Shot three stopped with about 10 feet left for par. DeChambeau unfortunately hit the ball past the hole and had to settle for a tap-in bogey.

Even-par is not a bad score for Thursday at Quail Hollow. The course played a lot tougher than many thought it would. Without preferred lies in place, many of the best players in the world hit wayward shots.

Rory McIlroy, Scottie Scheffler, and Xander Schauffele all made double bogeys on 16 on Thursday. DeChambeau battled, but could not get his part of his short game going. He lost -1.962 strokes around the green, and it is hard to go low if you can’t hit it close to the hole.

DeChambeau sits just seven shots back of the first-round leader, Jhonattan Vegas. He will have a short turnaround to redeem that bogey on 18 as he, Viktor Hovland, and Gary Woodland are at 8:22 a.m. off the 10th tee Friday.

More Golf: Bryson DeChambeau Has Shot Taken at Him, LIV Golf at PGA Championship