Koepka seizes the lead while Tiger struggles early at PGA

Tiger Woods endured two double-bogey disasters in the first eight holes Thursday while defending champion Brooks Koepka shared the early lead at 4-under par at the PGA Championship.

Woods, who snapped an 11-year major win drought at last month's Masters, opened with a double bogey at the par-4 10th hole and made another at the par-3 17th to reach the turn three-over par at the formidable, 7,549-yard, Bethpage Black.

Koepka, who played alongside Woods and British Open champion Francesco Molinari in the feature group, was spectacular, holing a 40-foot birdie putt at 10, sinking a 20-foot birdie putt at the par-3 14th and adding two more at 18 and one.

That left third-ranked Koepka sharing the lead with England's Tommy Fleetwood, trying to become the first Englishman to win the event since Jim Barnes in 1919.

Fleetwood opened with a bogey at 10, answered with birdies at 15 and 16 and birdied three of the first four holes after making the turn.

Koepka, who seeks a third consecutive US Open title next month at Pebble Beach, faces similar hazards to those on offer at US Opens on a course that hosted that major twice.

With a victory, Koepka would become the first player to own back-to-back titles at two majors at the same time.

"I like my chances this week," he said.

"I'm playing good. If I do what I'm supposed to do, then I think I'd be tough to beat."
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"I was a little bit disappointed. I felt like I let it slip a little bit. But at the same time, that's what our sport needed. We needed him to win a major."