PGA Championship Leaderboard 2013: Top Day 1 Storylines and Live Updates

With the Masters, U.S. Open and Open Championship in the rearview mirror, there is just one major remaining on the PGA Tour calendar. That major will be contested at Oak Hill Country Club in Rochester, N.Y., this week in the form of the PGA Championship.

As is always the case with major championships, the field is star-studded, and any number of golfers could prevail. With There is no question that much of the focus will be on the likes of Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy and Phil Mickelson. Those players tend to grab headlines on a regular basis and they are all expected to contend to some degree at Oak Hill.

Here are the top storylines to watch as you track the first round of the 95th PGA Championship from Oak Hill Country Club on Thursday

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Tiger Woods Searching for 15th Major

It is no secret that Tiger Woods has had his issues at major championships in recent years, as he hasn't won a major title since capturing the 2008 U.S. Open. Injuries and personal problems derailed Tiger's career for a short time, but he has looked as good as ever this season. Woods has five wins, including a dominant showing at the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational last week.

In fact, the only thing missing from Woods' resume this season is a major championship.

Woods was in the mix at both The Masters and the Open Championship, but was unable to seal the deal. Tiger has easily been the world's best player this year, though, and it only seems like a matter of time before he ends his major drought.

Woods is chasing Jack Nicklaus' record of 18 major championships, and ESPN Stats & Info points out that he is right on track.

It's easy to think that Tiger's chances of breaking Nicklaus' record have gone up in smoke due to his major slump, but he won so many majors early in his career that he is still in an ideal position.

Based on the way Woods has been playing, one major championship could very well open the floodgates. Tiger won't be able to waltz into Oak Hill and take the title with ease, but he has a better chance than anyone else.

Rory McIlroy Looks to Get Back on Track

At this time last year, Rory McIlroy was being heralded as the future—and even the present—of professional golf. The Northern Irish youngster had surpassed Woods in the rankings and seemed poised to become the face of the game.

McIlroy has struggled mightily since then, though, and he has endured a nightmarish 2013 campaign. Although McIlroy did win the PGA Championship last year at Kiawah Island, his recent major performances have been otherwise awful, according to ESPN Stats & Info.

Despite that, along with the notion that his confidence is shot, there is reason to keep an eye on McIlroy.

He has been so bad this year that it hasn't gotten to the point that he has no expectations.

Perhaps the pressure of taking the torch from Woods got into his head as he quickly relinquished that torch and went into a shell. Now that he is viewed as just another guy out on the course, he should be able to play more freely.

That hasn't been the case yet, though, as McIlroy has largely been a non-factor. He was particularly bad at the Open Championships where he missed the cut and looked lost. If anything can get McIlroy back on track, maybe the memory of winning the PGA Championship last year will do the trick. It's a bit of a shot in the dark at this point, but McIlroy needs something to energize him.

Phil Mickelson Hopes to Maintain Momentum

Fresh off one of the most impressive final-round comebacks in golf history at the Open Championship, Phil Mickelson is looking to win his second major of the year and the sixth of his career.

Mickelson needed to have an absolutely huge fourth round at Muirfield in order to get in the mix, and that is precisely what he did as he shot a 66 and won the tournament fairly comfortably at 3-under par.

Lefty has always been one of the streakiest players on tour. He looks like the best golfer of all-time when he is on, but he can be equally bad when things aren't exactly clicking on all cylinders.

That was apparent last week in Mickelson's performance at the Bridgestone Invitational, which did not mirror his British Open showing. Mickelson opened that tournament with a 2-over round, prompting GolfChannel.com's Jason Sobel to joke about his drop-off in play.

Even though Mickelson's momentum didn't carry over to the Bridgestone, it might be a different story at the PGA Championship.

Mickelson was due for a letdown last week when the stakes weren't nearly as high. The PGA Championship is a huge deal, though, so perhaps Mickelson will be able to draw from what he did at Muirfield.

If he can, then he could very well have his second career PGA Championship in the bag.

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