King of the Course is BACK!
$1 million in bonus bets will be split and distributed to users who opted in and placed an outright winner bet on the player records the most birdies or better through the first two rounds of the PGA Championship.
We’ll have to wait till Friday to find out who ends up as DraftKings’ King of the Course, but who gets out to an early advantage on Thursday might be just as exciting. Follow along below to see which golfer is rising up the Round 1 leaderboard!
King of the Course Live Updates
Ryo Hisatsune takes the lead into the second round (8:02 p.m. ET)
Hisatsune recorded seven birdies or better in the first round and leads the field by one. He is trailed by Aldrich Potgieter and Alex Smalley at six birdies apiece. Behind them are 11 golfers tied with five birdies or better, headlined by Scottie Scheffler and Xander Schauffele. Let’s see what day two has in store for us in the race for King of the Course.
Here comes Alex Smalley (6:44 p.m. ET)
Alex Smalley started his back nine with a bogey, but picked up a birdie on 12 and 13 to get himself firmly in the mix. Smalley now has five birdies or better on the day and has got himself into a tie for third on our King of the Course leaderboard. On the front nine he birdied 2, 4 and 5, and went a few holes without one before the latest two to get himself climbing the leaderboard.
The reigning champ gets going (5:40 p.m. ET)
It was only a matter of time before world number one Scottie Scheffler started to make a run. Scottie opened his back nine with back-to-back birdies on 10 and 11 to get himself to four on the day and only three off the lead with seven holes remaining in his opening round.
Justin Thomas and Aaron Rai both start strong (4:38 p.m. ET)
The wind has picked up this afternoon at Aronimink, but Thomas had no issues on the front nine, posting three birdies and no bogeys. At -3, Thomas is tied for the lead at the PGA Championship. Rai started on the back nine, but he has been scoring often as well. The Englishman has notched three birdies in his first nine holes, but also two bogeys.
Alex Smalley on fire right out the gate (3:39 p.m. ET)
Smalley has been on a roll, posting five straight top-25 finishes and that form has carried over to the PGA Championship. The Duke product is off to an outstanding start at Aronimink, birdieing three of his first five holes.
Andrew Novak and Akshay Bhatia get hot on front nine (2:55 p.m. ET)
After shooting 1-over through his first four holes, Novak birdied three of his final five holes of the front nine at Aronimink. Bhatia also produced three birdies on the front nine while carding no bogeys. Both Novak and Bhatia now head to the back nine, but this nine been playing more difficult than the front today, so they may cool off.
Ryo Hisatsune posts 3-under 67 and seven birdies (2:30 p.m. ET)
Hisatsune parred his final two holes to finish with a 3-under 67 in the first round at Aronimink, putting him in a tie for first at the major. Hisatsune produced a field-best seven birdies in this opening round, so he heads to the clubhouse as the current leader for King of the Course. Aldrich Potgieter finished with six birdies and there are nine players that finished with five birdies or better – including Xander Schauffele, Cameron Smith, Min Woo Lee and Si Woo Kim – but there are no players still on the course with at least five. However, many of the world’s best just teed off, including defending champion Scottie Scheffler and Cameron Young.
Ryo Hisatsune takes the lead for King of the Course (1:50 p.m. ET)
After birdieing No.15, Hisatsune stayed hot with another birdie on the No.16 par five. The 23-year-old now has seven birdies for the day and moves ahead of Potgieter for King of the Course. At -3, Hisatsune is tied for the lead at the PGA Championship. He still has the No.17 par three and the No.18 par four to play, but both these holes are playing over par so far in the first round.
Ryo Hisatsune tallies sixth birdie, tying Potgieter for King of the Course (1:10 p.m. ET)
Hisatsune just birdied the No.15 par four, marking his sixth birdie of the day and tying Potgieter for King of the Course. Potgieter’s first round is completed, however, while Hisatsune has three holes remaining, so him taking the lead for King of the Course is possible.
Xander Schauffele moving up (12:51 p.m. ET)
Schauffele has looked terrific to open this PGA Championship. The 2024 champion of this major is -2 through 15 holes, including five birdies, most recently on the No.5 par three. Schauffele put it to seven feet on his approach and then sunk the putt for his fifth birdie of the day. Schauffele is now one of five players with five birdies in the first round. This group trails Potgieter by one for King of the Course.
Min Woo Lee cards fifth birdie (12:40 p.m. ET)
Lee loves Donald Ross designed courses and this has been on full display during his first round at Aronimink. Lee produced his fifth birdie of the day on the No.7 par four, making him the solo leader of the PGA Championship at -4 with two holes to play.
Ryo Hisatsune joins group with five birdies (12:34 p.m. ET)
Hisatsune converted his fifth birdie of the day on the No.13 par four, joining Stephen Jaeger and Johnny Keefer as the players with five birdies or better, trailing Potgieter by one for the King of the Course. Hisatsune has racked up four birdies in his last eight holes and he has five holes remaining in his first round.
Aldrich Potgieter closes out with another birdie (12:02 p.m. ET)
This is Potgieter’s first PGA Championship, but you’d have no idea based on his first round at Aronimink. The South African shot a 3-under 67 on Thursday, including six birdies, making him the current King of the Course leader. Potgieter finished with a closing birdie on the No.9 par five to card his sixth birdie of the day. Potgieter’s flat stick was on fire during his opening round, as he currently leads the PGA Championship in SGP.
Stephen Jaeger, Aldrich Potgieter and Daniel Brown off to hot starts (11:40 a.m. ET)
Jaeger and Potgieter are off to great starts at the PGA Championship with five birdies apiece. Brown is right there with them atop of the King of the Course leaderboard, as he has carded four birdies and one eagle, which is the only eagle Aronimink has seen so far in the first round. From 102 yards out on the No.11 par four, Brown holed out his approach for the eagle.
Right on the heels of this trio are Xander Schauffele, Cameron Smith and Johnny Keefer with four birdies each.
How to Play King of the Course
- Opt in to receive your King of the Course token in the Promotions page
- Make an outright winner bet on DraftKings Sportsbook and apply your token (minimum $5 bet)
- If the golfer you wagered on with your token applied records the most birdies or better through the first two rounds of the tournament, win a share of $1,000,000 in bonus bets
For more information on this promo, click here!
