PGA Championship update: Slow start for South Africans

Dean Burmester and Christiaan Bezuidenhout are on the cut line after round one of the PGA Championship at Oak Hill Country Club.

It wasn’t a great day for the South African charge at the year’s second Major. While darkness suspended the first round, all four had completed their rounds.

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SAFFAS STRUGGLE AT OAK HILL

+3 – Dean Burmester, Christiaan Bezuidenhout

+5 – Thriston Lawrence

+7 – Ockie Strydom

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RAHM BLOWN AWAY AT PGA CHAMPIONSHIP

Perhaps the most surprising development of the day was Jon Rahm’s struggles. The No. 1 player in the world carded his worst score relative to par this season, a 6-over 76.

It was even more startling considering Rahm was 1-under through six holes. But the round slowly began to get away from him on the par-4 16th, his seventh hole of the day. After he found the rough off the tee, Rahm failed to get up and down from the greenside rough to drop back to even par and proceeded to bogey four of his next six holes. He dropped another shot on No. 6, then made a double bogey on the par-4 seventh, missing a 4-foot bogey try.

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No part of Rahm’s game was working. He hit just five of 14 fairways, seven of 18 greens and was just 4-for-11 in scrambling opportunities. He lost more than two shots to the field on the greens. Rahm, a two-time major champion, has made the cut in his last 14 major appearances. He’ll have plenty of work to do Friday if he intends to keep the streak alive.

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This article was originally published by WADE PRETORIUS.