His best finish anywhere in the world over the last 24 months is a tie for 19th place. He shot 67 Thursday at Aronimink and is tied for the lead, which seems like it came from out of nowhere.

Well, here’s where it came from, which is a classic story that Kaymer dropped on reporters as it was getting dark in Philly.

“I’ll tell you a funny story,” said the man ranked 1,160th in the world. “On Tuesday evening we had the champions’ dinner, and there was a gentleman sitting next to me from the PGA of America, and he asked me if I would be, if I still play. And I said, ‘what do you mean?’ He said, ‘well, are you playing this week?’ And I said, ‘yeah, that's why I'm here. I'm not flying from Europe to here to have a New York strip with you guys, you know, of course I'm playing.’ And that really motivated me.”

Martin Kaymer flew from Europe to Philly with no form, got miffed at the champions’ dinner and now leads the PGA Championship? Got it.

It hasn't been a walk in the park for Rahm at Aronimink this week. Questioned relentlessly about the future of LIV Golf and his squandered role as a global golf ambassador in the build up to the 2026 PGA Championship, the two-time major winner opened two-over through 10 at Aronimink Golf Club on Thursday. Sitting in middle of the fairway on the par-4 second, Rahm needed something—anything—to turn the tide, and much to the delight of the Philly faithful, he got just that.

Could this slam-dunk eagle be the shot that jumpstarts Rahm's PGA Championship and major season as a whole? It's too early to tell, but most golf fans will hope so. Whatever you think of LIV Golf or Rahm's decision to join the big-budget failure, we can all agree that golf is better when Rahm is fighting for major titles not major cuts.

Sylvester Stallone. Julius Irving. Rickety Cricket from 'Always Sunny.' There were plenty of strong, proud Philadelphia legends who could have narrated the intro to the 2026 PGA Championship, but ESPN went in a very different direction on Thursday. Ladies and gentleman, we give you the dulcet tones of Dom DiSandro.

For the non-ball knowers among us, DiSandro is the chief security officer for the Philadelphia Eagles who became the latest in a long line of Philly sports villains when he got into a mid-game scuffle with 49ers linebacker Dre Greenlaw in 2023. Both were ejected and DiSandro was barred from the sideline for the rest of the regular season. In 2025, he received a $75,000 fine from the NFL for texting from the bench during a game. Whether this was intended as a troll or tribute, we may never know, but if you're a Cowboys fan, you may want to keep your finger near the mute button just in case.

By the standards of the modern player, 421 yards is short, making Aronimink's par-4 11th hole this week gettable on the surface. It has been anything but early on Thursday, as Spain's David Puig found out after pummeling a 334-yard drive down the middle of the fairway, having just 86 yards in, and walking off the green with a double bogey. Unfortunately, the video has already been removed from X/Twitter, but Puig's second shot landed about 10 feet short of the hole and spun all the way off the green. Others have had trouble at 11 already, too, like Bryson DeChambeau, who went long of the green, just in the fringe, and had 30 feet for birdie. He barely breathed on it and it rolled 57 feet (!!) past the hole. He was fortunate to two-putt for bogey. Well-known influencer Roger Steele was all over this pre-tournament:

Well, unless you count paying for an actual house. But, seriously, check out this setup one house by the course has that has given those visiting an incredible vantage point of the par-3 14th hole. The best part? You don't have to pay those high beer prices.

you couldn’t help but think it was actually the first round of the Open Championship you were seeing. Misty overcast skies and temperatures in the 50s greeted players at Aronimink, with the highs only expected to get into the mid-60s. It created some fun sights as players adjust to the conditions. Bryson DeChambeau could be seen walking to the driving range in a winter parka. And Jason Day was wearing a football style handwarmer making him look like he was getting ready to play for the Philadelphia Eagles. 

Don't forget to check out our handy "How To Watch the PGA Championship guide" to plan ahead for the next four days. Meanwhile, here's a quick quide for how to follow all the action from Aronimink Golf Club:

Live Streaming Guide

Round 1 early coverage, 6:45 a.m. – Noon, ESPN+

PGA Championship Range Show, 12 noon – 2:30 p.m., YouTube

Round 1 ESPN telecast, Noon – 7 p.m., ESPN+

Featured Groups, 7:30 a.m. – 7 p.m., ESPN+

Featured Holes (15, 16, 17), 8 a.m. – 8 p.m., ESPN+

Scorecard, 8 p.m. - 9 p.m., CBS Sports HQ, Paramount+

Television Schedule

Round 1 coverage, 12 noon - 7 p.m., ESPN

Radio (SiriusXM)

Round 1, 2 – 7 p.m

Sort of. On Tuesday, Rory McIlroy was asked to name various silhouetted swings and got 100 percent correct. Here, in this video posted Wednesday, Schauffele and Young both see a silhouette of James' swing and thought it was Scheffler. "I apologize Scottie, that was messed up," Schauffele said after he was told it was the World No. 1.

Watch here until the end to see how Scheffler reacts when he's told what his two U.S. Ryder Cup teammates thought. Classic. (You can see how Scottie does on the test here.)