5 most surprising scores in 1st round of PGA Championship

The final major for 2016 began Thursday as the PGA Championship teed off at Baltusrol Golf Club in New Jersey, and after the first day there were some major surprises on the leaderboard.

Danny Willett, Dustin Johnson, and Henrik Stenson all became first-time major champions in 2016, capturing The Masters, the U.S. Open, and The Open Championship, respectively, and there are plenty of others vying to join that club this week.

After the first day of action, here's the five most surprising scores on the board:

Jimmy Walker (65)

Jimmy Walker came to the PGA Championship a combined plus-32 in his last 11 major championship rounds, so naturally he fired a 5-under-par 65 Thursday. The hot club of the day for Walker was certainly his putter, as the Texan rolled in 85.8 feet worth of putts on the day. The 65 tied Walker's lowest career round in a major championship, and sets him up well to contend on the weekend, but history isn't on his side.

Rory McIlroy (74)

The world's fourth-ranked golfer appeared almost uninterested throughout his 4-over-par 74, as Rory McIlroy failed to make a birdie for his first time in PGA Championship history. The 2014 PGA Champion struggled with the flat stick all day long, failing to make a putt over 7 feet in his round. McIlroy has now broken 70 in the opening round in just one of his past 11 events, but help could be on the way Friday. The 27-year-old ranks first on the PGA Tour in second-round scoring average at 69.

Dustin Johnson (77)

To say Dustin Johnson had been on a hot streak entering play on Thursday would be a massive understatement. The U.S. Open champion had shot 73 or better in 29 straight rounds of play prior to teeing off at Baltusrol. He struggled out of the gates, bogeying four of his first seven holes, and looked nothing like the PGA Tour's hottest player. Other than withdrawing from the FedEx St. Jude Classic last June, Johnson hasn't missed a cut in 32 events. In order to keep that streak alive, the 32-year-old will have to post a huge number in his morning round Friday.

Ross Fisher (66)

In his last five major championships, Ross Fisher has made one cut, finishing in 68th place at the 2015 Open Championship, so it's safe to say nobody expected a 4-under-par 66 out of the Englishman. Fisher was deadly off the tee, hitting 12-of-14 fairways while averaging 312 yards, and turned that into five birdies against just one bogey. With just 11 cuts made in 22 major championships, it's likely Fisher will drop off the pace Friday, but is in good shape to play the weekend after Thursday's round.

Rickie Fowler (68)

While it certainly isn't a shock for the world's 7th-ranked golfer to be in contention, there's absolutely nothing about Rickie Fowler's recent results that showed he would go low at Baltusrol. The 27-year-old fired a 2-under-par 68 in Thursday's opening round, a sharp contrast from previous majors. In his last seven opening rounds at the major championships, Fowler is a combined 25-over-par. After missing the cut in The Masters and the U.S. Open, the Californian finished 46th at The Open Championship two weeks ago. If Thursday's round helped get Fowler out of his major funk, he could be poised for a run at the title Sunday.