The last time the PGA Championship was played at Quail Hollow, Ryan Gerard was in the process of settling into his new dorm room at the University of North Carolina, just a few hours away.
A week following that event in 2017, the Tar Heels golf squad departed Chapel Hill to head down to Charlotte for a round on the same course that had recently hosted the top players in the sport.
Fast forward eight years, and Gerard finds himself unexpectedly positioned as one of the early frontrunners to capture that very championship and secure his maiden major title, following a surprising opening round that has thrust him into competition with the sport’s top professionals.
Gerard’s five-under par 66 was the best round of the players in the morning wave, which included Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler, and was only beaten by one rival: Venezuela’s Jhonattan Vegas snatched the lead late on.
His round consisted of six birdies and an eagle with three bogeys that probably left him feeling like he could have capitalized more.
The 25-year-old was born three hours northeast in Raleigh and stayed nearby to play college golf for UNC. He only earned his PGA Tour card this year and so far he’s been solid if not spectacular.
Ryan Gerard shocked the PGA Championship with a brilliant first round at Quail Hollow
Gerard was born in North Carolina and played college golf for the UNC Tar Heels
Gerard has just two professional wins to his name – neither on the PGA Tour – and two major championship starts. He missed the cut at the 2022 US Open and finished T-56 at the same tournament a year later.
So although his first round may have come to a shock to everybody else, Gerard was not surprised he delivered where he feels most at home.
‘I feel very comfortable here,’ he said after his round. ‘There’s a lot of people here that I know and I’ve been fortunate enough to play this golf course a few times. And all of that is fantastic, and it’s definitely helped in the preparation.
‘I love being here. It’s a fantastic place. North Carolina in general, they show out for their guys in light blue. I heard so many “Go Heels” today and just appreciate everyone that’s supporting.’
But the surprise among fans did not stop there because Gerard was not the only local favorite to impress. Alex Smalley made the most of his last-minute entry into the tournament by putting together a fine opening round.
Unlike Gerard, Smalley was not born in North Carolina. However, he played for bitter college rivals Duke and has since made Greensboro, around two hours north of Charlotte, his home.
His opening round was made even more remarkable by the fact he had just 15 hours’ notice that he was in the field after Sahith Theegala’s late withdrawal due to a neck injury.
Smalley seized that opportunity and posted a four-under par 67 that left him in a share for second place.
Gerard revealed his college coach wouldn’t let the team leave the 18th until they all made par
‘I prepared just like I could any other tournament,’ Smalley said after his round.
‘I actually went home after the tournament last week in Myrtle Beach. Drove home Sunday night. I think it rained pretty much all day here on Monday, and I drove down Monday night.
‘Played the front nine on Tuesday after the hour-and-a-half- or two-hour delay we had, and I played the back nine yesterday morning.
‘I really prepared just like any other week. Obviously it’s interesting being first alternate. I was losing hope after every passing hour. And you know, you hear about everybody’s ailments as being first alternate, as well.
‘I was prepared to be here all day today if I didn’t get in yesterday afternoon or last night. Like I mentioned before, obviously I feel for Sahith, but it was nice to know before the morning that I was going to play so I could kind of mentally prepare for that.’
Gerard admitted after his round that he and Smalley know each other ‘really well’ and they played together often as juniors while showing some light-hearted disdain for his Duke education.
Speaking of education, it was Gerard’s UNC coach who gave him what could prove to be the most important lesson of his life over the course of the next three days.
Alex Smalley, who played for Duke and now lives in North Carolina, also impressed in round one
Smalley was given only 15 hours’ notice that he was playing after Sahith Theegala’s withdrawal
He recalled how six months after that PGA Championship here at Quail Hollow in 2017, the coach made the six UNC golfers walk to the 18th tee and told them they couldn’t leave until they all made a par at the same time.
‘We were out there for quite a while. I learned a lot about the 18th hole on that day and I hope that carries forward into this week,’ he said on Thursday.
‘I want to say it took like four or five times. Like we’d go, all six of us would play the hole as a group, three guys would make bogey, go back to the tee, all six of us would play, two guys would make bogey. And then you just didn’t want to be that one guy that had like the 10-footer for par that missed it for everyone to go back.
‘It probably took an hour or so but it was fun and we did make it happen eventually. We weren’t going to leave unless we made that happen.’
Gerard actually bogeyed the 18th on Thursday but this time around he was allowed to go back to the locker room without a par and dream of what might be come Sunday.
