A big swinger from 18 feet for Rory McIlroy's birdie, but he just gives it a bit too much borrow and it curls in behind the hole so he has to settle for a par.

Xander Schauffele and Scottie Scheffler both make their fours too to complete a scrappy opening nine holes for this superstar trio, who turn in a combined three over.

An error from Ryan Fox. The Kiwi dribbles a three-footer for par past the right edge. Bad miss that.

Germany's Stephan Jaeger has quietly crept into a three-way tie for the lead.

Ten holes played, six pars, four birdies. Simple game.

Image source, Getty Images

A bounceback birdie for Matt Fitzpatrick on the par-four first after he made a horlicks of the 18th.

Rough off the tee, then into a bunker and unable to save par from five feet.

But a much more straightforward fairway finder off the tee on the first and then from 215 yards to seven feet, set up a birdie three.

Beauty from Rory McIlroy, who almost found that wicked creek down the left of 18 and had a baseball swing with the ball way above his feet.

He played it wonderfully well though to find the green and have a great look at birdie coming up.

Oliver Wilson
Former Ryder Cup player on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra

Image source, Getty Images

Luke Donald is very comfortable with what he's doing. He will plot his way round and not take on anything that the length won't allow him to.

He's a wonderful wedge player, a great putter and he's just going to try and do that for the next four days.

It is hard to do - but there's a good chance he can continue it.

Luke Donald is flying high again. A run of three pars is abruptly ended on the driveable par-four 14th.

The Englishman doesn't have the length off the tee to reach the green, but a chip and a putt later and he's back level with Fox.

A run of eight straight pars is ended by a 13-foot birdie putt on the fifth hole and Ryan Fox is back atop the leaderboard on his own.

He even walked that one in.

Rory McIlroy has the only real chance of a birdie as he hits his tee shot to 20 feet, but he just can't convert it as he settles for par.

Scottie Scheffler makes his three and it's a huge par save for Xander Schauffele as he left himself 10 feet and simply could not afford to drop another shot.

Ship steadied.

Another American moves into the glut of players at three under par as Ryder Cup player Sam Burns finds a birdie at his sixth hole, the 15th.

Now there are 12 up there. Need more than one page on the leaderboard now!

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A good over in cricket, the sign of the devil, but not what you'd expect to be writing down for the three best players in the world on the same hole.

Rory McIlroy, Xander Schauffele and Scottie Scheffler all looking a mix of shocked and angry as they get to the 17th tee - which isn't exactly a birdie hole to bounce back on.

A tough, long par three down the hill with water long and left, it's a take a three and run kind of hole this one. Time to steady the ship.

You would have got long odds on there being 11 players sharing the lead after three hours of this championship and none of the world's top three being among that.

Plenty of time left though.

Plus, only two of the leaders have completed the Green Mile at Quail Hollow yet - those being Ryan Fox and Alex Smalley.

Fox only got in the event by winning last week at Myrtle Beach, while Smalley only got in yesterday when Sahith Theegala pulled out with a neck injury.

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The Green Mile is the name given to the fearsome finishing stretch at Quail Hollow, consisting of the 16th, 17th and 18th holes - one of the toughest finishes on the PGA Tour.

During the 2017 US PGA Championship they ranked as the third, fifth, and first in terms of the hardest holes on the course - with the field collectively losing around a shot over the stretch and only three of 156 participants finishing under par for the Green Mile.

Water is a constant threat, with the famous creek running down the 18th a particular nuisance. Even on the 2024 PGA Tour this 18th hole ranked as the hardest on the schedule - what a hole to try and navigate to win a major!

Quail Hollow is all about making your score and then clinging on for dear life down this closing trio.

Oliver Wilson
Former Ryder Cup player on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra

They would never normally try to turn the 16th hole like that. But with the new rough it teases you to slide it down the right and run it into the hole.

They hit bad shots. The ball was above their feet and they just overdid it. In hindsight, they would like to change the shot selection but these guys feel they can execute every shot perfectly.

But that has not happened.

The Green Mile is long, it has water on it and it is not going to play under par today.

Sarah Mulkerrins
BBC Sport reporter on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra

Six. Six. Six.

You don't often see that happening to the top players.

It was like dominoes on that hole.

That may be the drinks order for this trio after this - as they've all been given a punch in the guts by this 16th hole at Quail Hollow, which is actually playing a couple of yards longer than one of the par fives today.

Xander Schauffele and Scottie Scheffler actually do well to make sixes after finding the water with their second shots - which must have been down to mud on the ball.

They'll no doubt be asked about those after the round.

A super second in to the par-four eighth, the ball spinning back to about six feet, sets up a second successive birdie chance for Bob MacIntyre and the Scot drops in the putt.

Another European making a solid start to the championship.

Right, after all the drama, it's a double bogey for Rory McIlroy - just the second time he's made a double on this hole in his career.

And that's without a penalty shot, although his first attempt out of the rought with his second shot was basically one. It's such a tough hole when you miss the fairway.

Wow, both Xander Schauffele and Scottie Scheffler were both in the middle of the fairway but have both pulled their approaches miles left and into the water.

Why? Because of mud on the golf balls caused by all the rain we've had recently, and the PGA of American opting against allowing players to lift, clean and replace their balls on the fairway.

After smoking drives around 320 yards each, the double major champion and world number one would both just not make that kind of error under normal circumstances.

They'll be fuming.

Nial Foster
BBC Sport NI at Quail Hollow

In 2023, Quail Hollow moved to toughen the 535-yard, par-4 16th hole for the world’s elite by shifting the right-side bunker to challenge the best, aiming to force strategic play. Rory McIlroy’s team revealed to me that he still launched his drive over the new bunker with ease.

Today, it’s a different story with McIlroy finding himself at the opposite side of the bunker in deep, deep rough.

Rory 1-1 Quail Hollow.