John Daly kickstarts the PGA Championship with an incredible shot

Fan favourite John Daly wound back the clock — albeit briefly — to thrill the crowd at the PGA Championship on Friday morning.

In case you needed a reminder, John Daly is still better at golf than most of the world.

Daly opened up the PGA Championship on Friday by holing out from the bunker for birdie to move him temporarily to the top of the leaderboard at 1-under par.

When he arrived at the brutal Kiawah Island course, the 55-year-old made headlines for his bushy beard.

The long South Carolina course, being played under windy conditions this week, is expected to take its toll on the field.

Daly, who primarily plays on the Champions Tour now but has an exemption into the major thanks to his stunning victory in the event in 1991, felt that on the third hole when the made a double bogey.

It was all downhill from there as he finished his opening round at 13-over — tied for the worst score in the 156-man field.

John Daly holes out from the bunker on the first hole. Picture: Patrick Smith/Getty Images

Another fine-looking COVID beard. Picture: Gregory Shamus/Getty Images

Corey Conners defied the hammering winds to fire a five-under par 67 and seize a two-stroke lead.

The 29-year-old Canadian overcame gusting breezes and sandy waste areas that played havoc with many of the world’s top golfers as second-ranked Justin Thomas and seventh-ranked Rory McIlroy struggled to 75s and Australia’s Adam Scott hit 78 on the formidable Ocean Course.

“It was fairly stress-free,” Conners said of his round. “I got a lot of putts to go in. Kept the ball in the fairway for the most part.”

Four-time major winner Brooks Koepka, 2011 PGA winner Keegan Bradley, fellow American Aaron Wise, Norway’s Viktor Hovland, Australia’s Cam Davis and England’s Sam Horsfield were in a second-place pack on 69.

Five-time major winner Phil Mickelson was in an eighth-place group on 70, the 50-year-old US left-hander turning back the clock after four bogeys in the first six holes with four of his six birdies on the back nine to share seventh.

“I was able to right the ship,” he said. “I putted really well.”

Three-time major winner Jordan Spieth, who can complete a career Grand Slam with a victory, opened on 73 while top-ranked Dustin Johnson opened on 76.

Four-time major champion McIlroy, the 2012 PGA winner at Kiawah, made six bogeys while Thomas had three bogeys and a double bogey, all involving the sandy waste areas that penalized off-target shots.

— New York Post, AFP

Originally published as John Daly kickstarts the PGA Championship with an incredible shot