Stricker's 63 leads PGA Championship

JOHNS CREEK, Ga., Aug. 11 (UPI) -- Steve Stricker came within a shot of breaking one of golf's biggest records Thursday and owned the lead after an eventful first round at the PGA Championship.

Tiger Woods returned to major championship golf with an ugly 77, U.S. Open winner Rory McIlroy injured his right wrist on the third hole but kept playing in pain and Shaun Micheel jumped into contention eight years after making the PGA title his one and, thus far, only tour victory.

Stricker, however, set the standard at the Atlanta Athletic Club by equaling the single-round scoring record at a major championship with a 7-under 63. There have been 25 such scores shot at the Masters, U.S. Open, British Open and PGA Championship, but no one has ever posted a 62.

Stricker, ranked fifth in the world, had a 10-foot birdie putt on his final hole to do just that. But it slid by the right edge of the cup.

His 63 gave him a two-shot lead over Jerry Kelly and a three-shot advantage over Micheel, who wrapped up the 2003 PGA by hitting a 7-iron to within 6 inches at the 72nd hole.

Scott Verplank, at age 47, was alone in fourth after a 67. If any of the first four players on the leaderboard should win this week, it would make 13 different champions in the last 13 major events.

Davis Love III was the only former major champion among the eight players at 2-under 68, a group that included 18-year-old Matteo Manassero. Adam Scott, the winner last week at the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational, was among those at 69.

McIlroy, who won by eight at the U.S Open, shot an amazing 70 after suffering an injury while hitting a ball that had come to rest against a tree root alongside the third fairway. He underwent a brief examination by a doctor during the round, had his right arm tightly wrapped from the elbow to the wrist and kept going.

McIlroy said the pain, which often caused him to let go of the club on impact, radiated all the way into his shoulder. He went to a nearby physical therapy clinic after the round for an MRI and a statement from his management company said he hoped to play in the second round Friday.

"The initial diagnosis shows that Rory has strained a tendon in his right wrist," the statement said. "He will obviously rest it tonight and he will see how it feels in the morning on the range."

Woods birdied three of the first five holes in his first major appearance since the Masters in April and it appeared he was ready to challenge for his first victory in almost two years, but then his game then virtually disappeared. He twice hit the ball in the water, wound up in 13 different bunkers and suffered three double bogeys to finish tied for 129th in a field 156.

If he misses the cut Friday, Woods' official season will almost certainly come to an end because he will not qualify for the PGA Tour's playoffs and he is unlikely to play in any of the autumn tournaments.