The famed Quail Hollow Club hosts this year’s PGA Championship
It’s Major Championship week, and the 107th PGA Championship is underway at the famed Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte, North Carolina, from May 15-18. Indian fans can focus on the performance of Indian-American Akshay Bhatia and English-born Aaron Rai, as their other favourite, Sahith Theegala, has opted out due to a neck injury.
Aaron Rai carded a creditable 4-under 67 in Round 1
England’s Aaron Rai, who is of Indian descent, produced a first-round 4-under 67 in damp conditions to lie Tied-4th, three shots off the lead held by Venezuela’s Jhonattan Vegas.
Akshay Bhatia, currently ranked 28th in the OWGR, is making his second PGA Championship appearance after missing the cut last year. This time, the 22-year-old Indian-American posted a 1-under-par 70 in the opening round, which saw him in a tie for 29th.
Akshay Bhatia opened with a 1-under 70
Unfortunately, Sahith Theegala, ranked 31st in the world, had to withdraw on the eve of the championship, due to lingering neck injury-related concerns that also saw him pull out of the PGA TOUR’s Truist Championship last week.
The anticipated drama among the headline trio—Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlroy, and Xander Schauffele—failed to fully materialise in the first round as Scheffler carded 69, Schauffele a 72 and McIlroy turned in a 74 on a course where he has previously won four times.
The opening day belonged to 40-year-old Jhonattan Vegas, who shot 64, leading players from 12 different countries in the Top 10 in Round 1, setting a record for the most diverse Top 10 on a Major Championship leaderboard—perhaps indicating the development of the game globally.
Where to watch
Indian golf fans can follow the remaining three rounds of the 2025 PGA Championship live on FanCode, with coverage starting 10:30 p.m. IST each day from May 16–18.
As the championship progresses into the weekend, it will be interesting to see if Aaron Rai and Akshay Bhatia can contend deep into Sunday and carry forward the growing presence of Indian-origin golfers on the game’s biggest stages.