Two Ryder Cup captains in hunt at PGA Championship — and one’s a surprise

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — There were a number of unlikely names at the top of the PGA Championship leaderboard in Thursday’s opening round at Quail Hollow, but none was more eye-opening than Luke Donald.

Donald, the European Ryder Cup captain, is 47 years old, ranked 871st in the world and only a part-time player these days, with most of his focus on readying for Bethpage Black, where he’s hoping to lead Europe to a second consecutive Ryder Cup victory.

Donald shot a 4-under-par 67, tied for fourth and just three shots out of the lead despite entering the week having missed the cut in the last five tournaments in which he’s played.

“Obviously, I’ve been trending with all the five or six missed cuts coming into this week,’’ Donald deadpanned afterward. “Golf’s a crazy game.’’

Donald’s game, other than not being in good form, also didn’t figure to be a good fit for a particularly short hitter such as him at Quail Hollow, which maxes out to about 7,700 yards.

“It was a pleasant surprise,’’ he said. “It’s always fun, bogey-free in a major championship on a course that you wouldn’t have thought would be ideal for me.’’

Sitting one shot behind Donald at 3-under is Keegan Bradley, the 38-year-old U.S. Ryder Cup captain.

Those who had the two Ryder Cup captains shooting a combined 7-under in the opening round on their bingo card, please raise your hands.

The only time that two sitting captains were among the top 10 after any major championship round during a Ryder Cup year was at the 1937 British Open at Carnoustie.

At the end of that second round, European captain Charles Whitecombe and U.S. captain Walter Hagen were tied for second and eighth, respectively.

“Someone just told me it was the lowest first round in a major I’ve had since 2004 or something,’’ Donald said.

It was his first bogey-free round in a major championship since 2015, and it tied his lowest career first round in a major (the 2004 PGA).

Asked what it’s like going to a tournament like this being asked about everyone else’s game but his, Donald said, “That’s what I signed up to. I’m here only because I’m captain of the European Ryder Cup Team. I wouldn’t be in this field otherwise. It’s a nice invitation and a perk that [a] Ryder Cup captain gets.

“I understand that my game isn’t where it used to be, and that is the focus. So, it really doesn’t bother me one bit.’’

Donald, who led the Europeans to a Ryder Cup victory in 2023 in Rome, called being a player while handling the responsibilities as the captain a “balancing thing,’’ adding, “I still love competing. I love being a competitor. But still giving myself plenty of time to be prepared for New York.’’

Bradley, who’s ranked 19th in the world, still fancies himself as a player who could qualify on points for the Ryder Cup team he captains.

“I was pumped to see Luke up there,’’ Bradley said. “I can’t wait to text him [and] give him a little s–t. No, I’ll tell him how happy I am for him to play like that. For him to go out there and shoot that round, it’s impressive. It makes me happy.’’

Donald praised Bradley, saying, “Keegan is top 20 in the world. He can have one good week out here, win, which he’s very capable of, and he’s absolutely in the conversation of being a playing captain.

“I don’t think that’s quite in my future. But Keegan is still one of the top players in the world.’’