Vegas birdie blitz blasts him to top

Davis, Gerard lurk; McIlroy 10 behind

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Venezuela's Jhonattan Vegas birdied five of his last six holes, ending with a spectacular 27-foot birdie putt to seize a two-stroke lead after Thursday's opening round of the PGA Championship.

The 40-year-old South American, who snapped a seven-year win drought by capturing last year’s PGA 3M Open, fired a seven-under-par 64 to grab the lead at Quail Hollow.

“It feels amazing,” Vegas said. “It's what we dream of, what we train for, what we work for every day.”

World No.70 Vegas, whose lowest prior major round was a 67, has never finished in the top 20 at a major.

“I’ve been really working on prioritising playing well at majors,’ he said. “Getting older, getting wiser, not putting so much pressure on myself, that’s the approach I’ve been taking and it worked out today.

“The game is there. We've just got to repeat what we did today.”