Cal Golf: Collin Morikawa Shoots 1-Under 69 in Opening Round at PGA Championship

Former Cal star is four strokes off the lead at San Francisco's TPC Harding Park

UPDATED WITH FINAL RESULTS

Collin Morikawa finished strong to complete the opening round of the PGA Championship with a one-under par score of 69 at TPC Harding Park in San Francisco on Thursday.

Morikawa is tied for 33rd place in a field of 156 golfers.

Playing at the PGA event for the first time, Morikawa had two birdies and seven pars over the final nine holes after an uneven start to the day.

The 23-year-old Cal graduate opened on the back nine and birdied the 10th to get started. But he had bogeys on the 12th and 17th and made the turn at one-over.

Morikawa, noting he has played Harding Park “a couple handful of times,” said before the tournament that familiarity should help him in his second major.

“It’s crazy to think back 14 months I was at the U.S. Open at Pebble,” he said. “It’s nice to have a major at a place I’ve been to, I’ve played at, kind of local area. To go that long without playing one, you kind of miss it because these are the tournament guys really look forward to, these are the ones they mark on their calendar to get ready for.”

Morikawa conceded he is still a newcomer on the sport’s biggest stages.

“There’s a little learning experience that’s going to have to happen,” he explained. “Over the past year, just going through the PGA tour and playing in bigger events, it’s all kind of helped me prep for this week.”

Ranked No. 11 in the world, Morikawa is ahead of such notable players as world No. 1 Justin Thomas, who shot a one-over 71.

First-round co-leaders are Jason Day and Brendon Todd, who each shot five-under 65. Nine players are one stroke back at 66, including two-time defending champion Brooks Koepka. Tiger Woods, using a new putter, finished with a two-under 68.

Byeong Hun An, another former Cal player, shot two-over 72 and sits in a tie for 90th place, seven strokes off the lead. The 28-year-old had three bogeys in a span of five holes on the front nine.

Max Homa, the 29-year-old Cal grad who won the 2013 NCAA championship. Playing his second PGA, Homa finished the day with a four-over score of 74 after a string of three straight bogeys during his opening nine and is tied for 129th place.

Ranked No. 70 in the world, Homa was three over after nine holes, during which he bogeyed Nos. 12, 13 and 14. He birdied the par-4 16th then gave back the stroke with a bogey on the par-3 17th.

When he bogeyed the ninth hole to complete his day. Homa signed a card that had two birdies and six bogeys.

.

*** Here is Morikawa talking Wednesday about his return to the Bay Area:

.

Follow Jeff Faraudo of Cal Sports Report on Twitter: @jefffaraudo

Click the "follow" button in the top right corner to join the conversation on Cal Sports Report on SI. Access and comment on featured stories and start your own conversations and post external links on our community page