Martin Kaymer Ties PGA Championship Lead With 67 at Aronimink
martin kaymer tied for the first-round lead at the 2026 PGA Championship after a three-under 67 at Aronimink. The round put him in a seven-way tie after Thursday’s play and back into the center of a major championship he once owned.
Kaymer Opens With 67
Kaymer started on the back nine and birdied 11 and 12 to reach two under. He added two more birdies and one bogey the rest of the way, enough to match the pace at the top.
The 67 came at a course he said suits his eye. Afterward, he said, “I’ve been playing well the last two, three events out on LIV. I didn’t have good result, but I was playing well. And I knew I find more consistency. I really enjoy playing this golf course. Monday, Tuesday, I had so much fun on the golf course. I think it really suits my eye. It’s a very fair test. Great for the PGA Championship,”
Aronimink and The Major Return
Kaymer has not been far from major-championship conversation in the way his résumé once suggested. He won the 2010 PGA Championship at Whistling Straits in a playoff over Bubba Watson, then added the 2014 U.S. Open and briefly reached No. 1 in the Official World Golf Ranking.
That standing had faded in recent years after injuries and his move to LIV Golf. He missed the cut at the previous season’s PGA Championship, the only major he qualified for last season, and he skipped the 2023 PGA Championship because it was scheduled between two LIV events.
Champions Dinner Remark
The week also carried a personal edge from Tuesday night’s Champions Dinner at Aronimink. Kaymer said a PGA of America official asked whether he still played golf professionally.
His reply was blunt: “Yeah, that’s why I’m here. I’m not flying from Europe to here to have a New York strip with you guys, you know, of course I’m playing,” He said the exchange “really motivated me.”
Now he has a share of the lead after one round, and the score keeps the pressure on a field that includes defending champion Scottie Scheffler. Kaymer’s task is simple from here: keep the same pace over the next 54 holes and turn an opening 67 into something bigger.
