PGA Championship: Brooks Koepka one shot out of lead, very much a major force

AP photo by Jeff Chiu / Brooks Koepka watches his tee shot on the 11th hole at TPC Harding Park during the first round of the PGA Championship on Thursday in San Francisco. AP photo by Jeff Chiu / Brooks Koepka watches his tee shot on the 11th hole at TPC Harding Park during the first round of the PGA Championship on Thursday in San Francisco.

By DOUG FERGUSON / The Associated Press August 7, 2020 6 min read

SAN FRANCISCO – By now, it is becoming all too familiar.

The starter stepped to the microphone and kept to the PGA Championship tradition afforded its champions. One player gets the longest introduction: “Now on the tee, the 1999, 2000, 2006 and 2007 PGA Champion Tiger Woods.”

And then silence.

It’s the eerie product of professional golf at the highest level amid a pandemic, and even after two months of no spectators, the quiet can be jarring.

Also familiar – Brooks Koepka bringing his best to the majors.