PGA Championship 2015 Leaderboard: Latest Scores and Standings from Thursday

Pride, prestige and a $1.8 million purse are all on the line at the 2015 PGA Championship, the golf season's fourth and final major. 

Thursday has seen golf's best and brightest take to the Whistling Straits Golf Course in Kohler, Wisconsin, for the opening round of the tournament.

World No. 1 Rory McIlroy, golfer-of-the-moment Jordan Spieth and 2015 British Open winner Zach Johnson are just three of the names to watch in Wisconsin. The trio comprises the most alluring three-way pairing of the opening salvo.

McIlroy is back in action after tearing ligaments in his ankle playing soccer in early July and expects to perform despite the recent setback.

"I expect to play well. I don’t see any reason why I can’t bring the sort of form that I’ve shown in practice rounds and on the range to the tee on Thursday afternoon," said the Northern Irishman, per Karen Crouse of the New York Times.

Here's a look at the latest scores from Round 1, followed by the top performances from the morning golfers.

Early Risers

Dustin Johnson

Ahh, Dustin Johnson. Will he ever break his streak of major futility? He finished sixth at this year's Masters, a fine performance but rendered moot by Spieth's historic dominance of the field. He had a brilliant chance at the U.S. Open, but a disastrous three-putt choke job on the No. 18 hole on the final day handed the tournament over to Spieth.

There was hope for him again at the British Open after a two-round score of 134, but he crashed and burned on the weekend at St. Andrews and finished tied for 49th.

Here he is again, however, at the top of the leaderboard after shooting an opening-round 66. He made history in the process with that lovely score, per ESPN Stats & Info: 

PGA Championship showed off a nice, long eagle putt on the No. 16 hole: 

Johnson is in the driver's seat yet again, but fans will be wondering if he can finally keep his nerve and pull off the elusive major win. His best finish at this tournament was a fifth-place performance back in 2010, a finish that could have been much more were it not for a crucial mistake. ESPN's Jason Sobel has more: 

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On the 72nd hole at Whistling Straits, Dustin Johnson hit a wayward drive into a dirt-laden bunker that was also filled with spectators.

The rest has been forever immortalized as one of golf's all-time blunders. Failing to recall those locker room notices -- yes, they existed then, too -- Johnson grounded his club before hitting his approach shot. Both he and the organizing committee shared blame, but it was Johnson who reaped the misfortune. He was forced to assess himself a 2-stroke penalty, keeping him from being included in that playoff.

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Johnson has more than his fair share of golf-major baggage to overcome at Whistling Straits. Whether or not he can finally hold steady for four rounds and win the big one will be a question on everyone's mind, a question made all the more prominent by yet another hot start from one of the game's best.

Anirban Lahiri

A gaggle of golfers finished the opening round at four under, many of them guys you expect to see at the top of the leaderboard. Matt Kuchar knocked in six birdies, J.B. Holmes notched seven, and Jason Day hit an eagle on the No. 2 hole and played the damage-control game well with just one bogey.

A name casual golf fans might not recognize sitting at such a lofty position after 18 holes is Anirban Lahiri. The Indian golfer was steady as can be on Thursday, knocking in three birdies on his first nine and three more on the back.

Strength appears to be a weapon for the No. 53-ranked golfer, per ESPN's Jason Sobel: 

PGA.com provided a look at the blast, via Twitter: 

Lahiri does most of his work on the European Tour and hasn't participated in golf's majors very much at this point in his career. The 28-year-old's best performance at any major came at this year's British Open, where he finished tied for 30th. Lahiri was calm and collected on Thursday, so perhaps there's a surprise run in him somewhere.

Danny Lee

Danny Lee had a chance to separate himself from the crush of players shooting first-round 68s. He went into Thursday's final hole at five under and a chance at first or second place, but a bogey relegated him to pack status.

Still, it's yet another encouraging performance for the 25-year-old, who's had one fine summer of golf on the PGA Tour. 

Date	Tournament	Finish	To Par
June 28	Travelers Championshp	T25	-7
July 5	The Greenbrier Classic	P1	-13
July 12	John Deere Classic	T3	-19
July 19	The Open Championship	CUT	3
August 2	Quicken Loans National	T4	-12
August 9	WGC-Bridgestone Invitational	T6	-5

That win at the Greenbrier Classic was his first-ever on the PGA Tour, a victory that has clearly boosted Lee's confidence and sent him on a torrid run. ESPN's John Buccigross is counting on the New Zealander to come through in Wisconsin:

Lee has yet to make the cut at a major in his short career, but expect him to break up that streak with ease at Whistling Straits.

Considering the form that he's in, it wouldn't be a surprise if Lee challenged all the way for a PGA Championship title and threw his name in the mix as one of the Tour's brightest young stars.