Alternate and World No. 135 Bud Cauley crafted a 4-under-par 33-33=66 in the first round of the 102nd PGA Championship to sit T2 on the leaderboard out of the morning wave.
The 30-year-old, seventh alternate into the field this week, is playing his third PGA with a best of T33 on last appearance in 2017 (Quail Hollow). Overall, this is his sixth major with no prior top 10s, and a best of T32 at the 2013 Open (Muirfield). The Alabama product checked in off a T51 at last week’s opposite-field Barracuda, and owns two top 10s on the season in 17 events, most recently a season-best T4 at the AmEx back in January. On seven (of 14) fairways and 11 greens in regulation, he gained 0.509 strokes approaching, 3.288 around, and 3.457 tee-to-green. The Floridian squared three bogeys at holes 2, 8 and 18 (failed scrambles), camouflaged by seven birdies at 1, 4, 5, 7, 10, 15 and 16, including two conventional from between 10 and 17 feet, and a 77'9" bomb from the fringe at 15. His other highlight was a hole-out par-saver at 9 from 49'8" as he made the turn.