Joost Luiten, Phil Mickelson Author First-Day Shockers on Ocean Course

There are always surprises in the first round of a major championship.

Unknowns somehow find a way to insulate the nerves that are supposed to ruin their games. The best players in the world, players who have played on golf's grandest stage, inexplicably losing feeling in their hands and hit shots a 16-handicapper would be proud of.

The first round of the PGA Championship on Kiawah Island's Ocean Course, hard by the Atlantic Ocean near Charleston, South Carolina, was no different Thursday.

Even though the course measures 7,676 yards from the tips, it was soft from nearly six inches of rain the past week. The wind hardly blew and yet there were some absolutely inexplicable results.

Check out my top 10 shocking performances of the first round.

Joost Luiten Shocked the Golf World in the PGA Championship Thursday

There are always unknowns who make a big splash on the first day of a big tournament and Luiten was the guy on Thursday.

The 26-year-old from the Netherlands, playing in only his third major, was the subject of record-setting talk through the first three-quarters of his round as he got to eight-under-par. Whether it was a matter of realizing where he was or a collection of bad shots, Luiten finished his surprising round in a messy fashion, making bogeys on the final four holes.

He was a ski jumper until he broke his elbow, nose and bruised his knee when he was nine.

He’s been playing well on the European Tour this year, making 20 of 27 cuts. He has one victory as a professional, the 2011 Iskandar Johor Open.

He stands out as a player because he wears two gloves when he plays.

Phil Mickelson Had Trouble Finding Fairways and Greens Thursday

It’s not surprising that Phil Mickelson shoots one-over-par in a major championship.

And, in recent times, it’s not surprising that Mickelson hits the ball all over the planet during the course of a round.

But it is shocking when he does both in the same round, as he did Thursday. Mickelson, a winner of three major titles, was as erratic as he’s ever been from tee to green, hitting the ball in places usually only found by resort players at Kiawah Island.

He somehow found enough clutch shots to save pars and birdied two of the par-threes—and his three birdies almost negated the four bogeys.

A pretty incredible performance actually.

John Daly Played Something Like the Guy Who Won the PGA 21 Years Ago

Once the darling of golf fans worldwide, Daly has been to the depths but has shown signs of life again. He had a missed-cut, T81 and T48 prior to finishing T5 last week in the Reno-Tahoe Open. He posted a 68 Thursday, only the third time in his past 29 rounds at the PGA that he shot rounds in the 60s.

It’s been 21 years since Daly’s breakthrough victory in the 1991 PGA, but he hasn’t made a cut in the PGA since 2007.

Daly posted four birdies, an eagle and a pair of bogeys, and had the big crowds roaring for him once again.

Gary Woodland Had Good Driving, Scoring Day on Thursday

It’s been a tough year for the long-driving Woodland. He started the season strong on the West Coast, but a wrist injury has plagued him the rest of the season. He hasn’t had a top-10 finish all year, even though he’s second in driving distance on the PGA Tour.

He started working with Butch Harmon earlier in the year and injured that wrist beating balls in an effort to make those changes work.

Even more shocking will be if Woodland is able to put up another round like this one in round two.

Bud Cauley Laid an Egg on the Ocean Course Thursday

The three-time All-American from Alabama made a big entrance into professional golf a year ago, making seven cuts in eight tournaments, earning over $700,000 and getting his card for 2012.

And he’s had a great, full first season, earning over a million dollars, and came to Kiawah Island on the heels of a tie for fourth and a fourth-place finish. So what does he do in the first round? Shoot 80.

You know it’s a bad day when you look at a scorecard and see numbers ranging from two to eight. He triple-bogeyed the par-five second and double-bogeyed the par-five 16th. He also doubled the sixth and 18th.

Ugh.

Rusty Simpson Never Got the Rust Knocked off

The reigning U.S. Open champion, who hadn’t played in a month after the birth of his second child, figured to be a little rusty. But an opening-round 79 was a lot more than rusty.

His front nine included five bogeys, a double and a birdie for a 42.

It was a round most unbecoming of a major champions, especially on a day when the Ocean Course was basically there for the taking.

Little-Known Alex Noren Fires a 67 to Lurk Near Top After One Round

A three-time winner on the European Tour (all in 2009), the native of Sweden who resides in Monte Carlo is not much of a household name in the United States.

He’s played in a total of 11 PGA Tour events, made eight cuts and has a pair of top-10 finishes.

So how does he find himself tied for second after one round of the PGA Championship? His 67 featured four birdies, an eagle and only one bogey.

Adam Scott Deserves Credit for His Opening PGA Round

Only a few weeks after throwing away his best chance at winning a major championship at Royal Lytham & St. Annes, Scott posted a 68 and seemed very much in control of his game and his emotions.

He looks at the PGA Championship as a chance to redeem himself for those four bogeys in the closing holes that allowed Ernie Els to win the Open Championship. If he doesn’t perform well this week a very good year will have slipped away from him.

Scott played a very clean round on the Ocean Course Thursday, making birdies on his first two holes and finishing with five birdies and a single bogey.

While it’s somewhat surprising to see what Scott did Thursday, it won’t be surprising to see him play well the rest of the week.

Lee Westwood's 75 Makes It Doubtful This Will Be His First Major Title

How does the guy who’s been among the top three players in the World Golf Rankings continue to be such a non-factor in the majors? He shot 75 Thursday, making five bogeys and a pair of bogeys.

Yes, he tied for third at the Masters and tied for 10th at the U.S. Open, but he never made a serious push for the win on either occasion. He tied for 45th in the Open Championship, on his home soil.

It won’t be surprising to see him play well enough to make the weekend, but not really be a factor.

Brandt Snedeker Struggles to 77, Nearly Ending Title Dreams

He was one the United States' young gun hopefuls coming into this week, but only a third of the scores on his card were pars and that’s never a good thing. He also made seven bogeys and a double on the way to a 77.

He tied for third at the Masters and for 19th in the Open Championship and has a win this year (Farmers Insurance Open).

Bad days happen, but again, on a day when the Ocean Course was at its most vulnerable, a 77 by Snedeker is shocking.