PGA Championship 2013: Day 1 Leaderboard Analysis, Highlights and More

After Day 1 of the 2013 PGA Championship, Jim Furyk and Masters winner Adam Scott are tied for first place with a five-under-par 65.

To put Furyk and Scott's performances into perspective, the course record at Oak Hill Country Club for a round is a six-under 64, accomplished by one Ben Hogan and Curtis Strange.

But Furyk and Scott still have plenty of golfers on their heels. Lee Westwood continues to look for his first career major, as does world No. 6 Matt Kuchar.

What about Tiger Woods?

Read on.

Day 1 Leaderboard

Position	Player	Score
T1	Jim Furyk	-5
T1	Adam Scott	-5
T3	Lee Westwood	-4
T3	David Hearn	-4
T5	Matt Kuchar	-3
T5	Marcus Fraser	-3
T5	Scott Piercy	-3
T5	Jason Day	-3
T5	Paul Casey	-3
T5	Robert Garrigus	-3

Top Storylines

Jim Furyk Off to Strong Start

The 2003 U.S. Open champion is off to a strong start at the 2013 PGA Championship, finishing with a five-under-par 65 on Thursday. 

The 43-year-old notched six birdies to one bogey on the day. His bogey came on his final hole after starting on the back nine.

Brian Wacker of PGATour.com highlighted just how brilliant Furyk's round was historically:

ESPN Stats & Info added:

Furyk hasn't placed in the top 10 at the PGA Championship since 2002. He placed 18th when the PGA Championship was held at Oak Hill in 2003.

Furyk finished 25th at the Masters this year, but then he missed the cut at both the U.S. Open and the British Open.

The veteran had posted consecutive top-10 finishes before this year's PGA Championship, though. 

If there's one thing we know about Furyk, it's that he can be a threat at a major. He's compiled 19 career top-10 finishes in majors.

Tiger Woods Struggles on Front Nine

Starting on the back nine on Thursday, Tiger Woods notched two birdies in his first six holes. 

But things began to unravel for Woods at hole No. 4, where he posted a bogey. On his final hole of the day on No. 9, he posted an ugly double bogey.

After starting out well on Thursday, Tiger didn't close the way he wanted. He is already several strokes back from the leader, but there's still time to catch up. He has to play much better in the final three rounds, though.

On the other hand, Woods entered the day with a career average score of 70.9 in the first round of majors, and that didn't stop him from capturing 14 majors, as Justin Ray of ESPN Golf noted:

Woods is still searching for his first major championship since the 2008 U.S. Open. He has nine top-10 finishes in majors since then, but hasn't been able to seal the deal down the stretch. With eight wins and 16 top-10 finishes on tour since 2011, some are beginning to wonder if the pressure is getting to Tiger when he competes for a major championship.

Will Matt Kuchar Capture His First Career Major?

Matt Kuchar debuted on the PGA Tour in 1998, but he didn't start showing results in majors until 2010.

Since 2009, Kuchar has posted five top-10 finishes in majors. By the way, he never had a top-10 finish in a major before that.

Kuchar has two victories this year, tied for second on tour. He also boasts seven top-10 finishes, tied for third on tour. He placed second at the Canadian Open in late July.

The 35-year-old has gotten off to a fine start at the 2013 PGA Championship, notching a three-under par 67 on Thursday. That included three birdies and no bogeys. If he continues to play at such a consistent level, it will only be a matter of time before he captures his first major. I wouldn't rule out this year's PGA Championship, either.

Of course, Bill Beckner of the Valley News Dispatch was focused on other things:

Highlights

Tiger's third shot on hole No. 13 was a beauty.

Keegan Bradley, who won the PGA Championship in his first year on tour in 2011, made a splendid long putt for birdie on hole No. 15.

Phil Mickelson made a great second shot on hole No. 9. He eventually knocked down the putt for birdie.

Martin Kaymer had the shot of the day, knocking down a shot from 153 yards out for eagle on hole No. 13.

Adam Scott, who knocked down five birdies in a row on Thursday, notched his third in a row on hole No. 6 with a nice putt.