Travis Smyth Leads Chris Gabriele Into PGA Championship Debut at 77
travis smyth was in the group as Chris Gabriele opened his first career major championship with a 7-over 77 Thursday morning at the PGA Championship. The 30-year-old head pro at Old Westbury Golf and Country Club teed off at 7:01 a.m. at Aronimink Golf Club and left his debut round with a score that put him in the middle of a difficult first day.
Aronimink Opening Round
Gabriele’s round turned quickly after he hit his approach shot into the water and started with a triple bogey. He finished with three birdies, but he also posted three double bogeys and three bogeys over his first major round. He said after the round, “I was pretty nervous, being thrown into that arena, to be honest,” and added, “But I hit a lot of solid shots, just had a few blips. I did make three birdies and made some good par putts.”
The scoreline came in his major debut, which made the round more than a routine 77. Gabriele, a Cold Spring Harbor native, had only been hired as head pro at Old Westbury in March, and he earned this spot by finishing tied for 10th in last month’s PGA Professionals Championship at Bandon Dunes Golf Resort in Oregon. He said of that qualification run, “it's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”
Old Westbury's Chris Gabriele
Friday’s second round is set to bring him back out at 12:26 p.m. alongside Taylor Pendrith and William Mouw, two players ranked world No. 86 and world No. 132. Gabriele is one of 20 PGA of America pros in the field at Aronimink, a mix that gives his first major start a sharper edge: he is competing against established tour players while still carrying the club-pro path that got him there.
That start showed up in the numbers. Gabriele made three birdies, but the three double bogeys and opening triple bogey kept the round from settling, leaving him with work to do after the first 18 holes. The next round will show whether the early nerves he described can settle into the kind of clean ball striking that gave him enough good shots to stay in the mix.
PGA Championship Debut
For a player making his first career major appearance, the opening round already told the story: he qualified, he arrived, and he took a first swing at major-championship golf at Aronimink. The result was a 7-over 77, but the more meaningful detail was that he reached this stage through the PGA Professionals Championship and will get another round to try to trim the mistakes that defined Thursday.
