PGA Championship 2019: Brooks Koepka Holds 1-Stroke Lead After Round 1

Brooks Koepka couldn't have scripted a better start to the 2019 PGA Championship. 

The defending champion holds a one-shot lead over Danny Lee after setting a new course record at Bethpage Black with a 63 on Thursday. 

When Koepka won the 2018 PGA Championship, he shot one under par in the first round. He made his move with a 63 in the second round, so Thursday certainly bodes well for him with 54 holes to go. 

Here's the rest of the PGA Championship leaderboard after one round, via PGATour.com:

1. Brooks Koepka (-7)

2. Danny Lee (-6)

3. Tommy Fleetwood (-3)

T4. Mike Lorenzo-Vera (-2)

T4. Chez Reavie (-2)

T4. Luke List (-2)

T4. Sung Kang (-2)

T4. Pat Perez (-2)

Having Koepka atop the leaderboard after one round would have been a reasonable assumption, but Lee's presence in the No. 2 spot came out of nowhere. The South Korea native missed the cut in his previous two events and has finished in the top 10 just once in 12 events this calendar year.

Lee's best finish at the PGA Championship was a tie for 43rd in 2015. He put himself in a great position with birdies on his last two holes, including this 15-footer on No. 18:

On the opposite end of the Koepka-Lee spectrum, Tiger Woods looked like a player who took four weeks off after winning the Masters. He finished the first round tied for 51st place at two over par, nine shots off the pace. 

Starting on the back nine, Woods immediately put himself in a bad position with a double bogey on No. 10 en route to finishing three over before making the turn. He appeared to find his momentum on the front nine with one eagle and two birdies in a four-hole stretch to briefly move into the red. 

Woods quickly gave three of those shots back with bogeys on five, seven and eight that moved him back over par and with a steep hill to climb to win his second straight major title. 

If nothing else, Woods can take comfort in knowing he is in the same position as Rory McIlroy. The two-time PGA Championship winner didn't make a birdie until the final hole en route to finishing with a two-over 72. 

This continues an alarming trend for McIlroy at this event. Since his 2014 victory, the 30-year-old hasn't finished in the top 10 with a missed cut in 2016 and a tie for 50th place last year. 

Coming on the heels of a 21st-place finish at the Masters—his worst at the event since 2013—McIlroy needs to correct his short game to have any hope of turning things around. He gave up 1.12 strokes on the green, per PGATour.com.

Three players still very much in the mix after Thursday are Dustin Johnson, Jordan Spieth and Phil Mickelson. They finished the opening round one under par, tied for ninth place. 

Johnson had a workmanlike effort with two birdies and one bogey to remain within shouting distance of Koepka. His first birdie came on No. 9 with this 29-foot putt:

Spieth looked like he could be in for a rough back nine with a double bogey on No. 10 and bogey on No. 12 that dropped him to one over par. He salvaged things with two birdies over his final three holes. 

Recent history bodes well for Spieth, Johnson and Mickelson being able to make some noise before the end of the tournament:

Mickelson's round was basically defined by a six-hole stretch from seven through 12. Lefty had two bogeys and three birdies during that span. He finished with 12 pars on the remaining holes. 

The good news for players chasing Koepka right now is the leader after the first round has only won the PGA Championship once in the previous 13 events (Jimmy Walker in 2016).