Visibly ailing Tiger struggles in first round of PGA Championship | D'Angelo

TULSA, Oklahoma — They are the rock stars of the PGA Tour. The Big Three when it comes to popularity and the PIP.

And when together the anticipation is The Greatest Show on Bermuda Grass.

The marquee does not get any brighter than when the names Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy and Jordan Spieth are flashing. These are the tour's biggest stars when it comes to the player impact program, especially now that Phil Mickelson has sabotaged his popularity. And while each can stand alone on a marquee, one clearly remains the favorite.

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Every shot by Tiger during the first round of the PGA Championship was met with a loud reaction, whether a cheer or a groan. And on Thursday, there was far too much of the latter for his liking.

Tiger's round disintegrated on the back nine, limping in (literally) with five bogeys and one birdie for a 4-over 74 at Southern Hills Country Club. And that struggle loomed larger as McIlroy ran away from the group with six birdies before his first bogey and settling in for a 5-under 65 that had him in the lead after the morning wave and held up for a one shot lead after Round 1.

"My leg is not feeling as good as I would like it to be," Tiger said.

As McIlroy quickly figured out the greens were not as fast as expected, Tiger and Spieth (72) found them much more challenging. Still, the huge gallery examined every shot, heck, every step, taken by Tiger. "Go Tiger" chants dwarfed the occasional "Go Rory" and "Go Jordan."

Woods, the Jupiter Island resident, looked uncomfortable the entire round, but more so as his surgically repaired knee buckled a few times on the final three holes, once causing him to wince as he walked off the tee box. He had a nice start with birdies on two of his first five holes (the group started at No. 10) but it quickly deteriorated.

"I didn't get the ball very close," said Tiger, who was making just his second start since almost losing his leg in an auto accident 15 months ago.

"I got off to a great start and didn't keep it going. I really didn't give myself any looks for birdie. I was struggling trying to get the ball on the green, and I missed quite a few iron shots both ways. It was a frustrating day."

Tiger's return following his long recovery was deemed a success by most after he made the cut at the Masters. But not by Tiger after shooting a pair of 78s on the weekend and finishing in 47th place. He didn't look at it as an accomplishment at first but was able to focus more on the big picture as time passed.

Still, the one part of that weekend he could not shake was the lack of endurance and stamina. Thursday's round, then, does not bode well for Tiger going forward this week.

"I just can't load it," Tiger said when asked how his swing is impacted when his leg is bothering him. "Loading hurts, pressing off it hurts, and walking hurts, and twisting hurts. It's just golf. If I don't (play) that, then I'm all right."

But Tiger is going to have to play today, and play very well to make the cut.

Tiger continues to use his clubs as a crutch, balancing himself with a 3-wood as he came down the stairs from the elevated 10th tee box and then again as he walked the fairway. But the pain became visible after he hit his tee shot on the 249-yard par 3 No. 8 (his 17th hole) and then winced as he walked away. On the previous hole, his right knee buckled when he was startled by an errant shot coming in his direction as he stood by his drive that landed in the rough.

By then, Tiger was in the midst of a 39 for his back nine. Not much was working. He hit 10 of 14 fairways, but that was middle-of-the-pack for the morning group. His biggest flaw was around the green where he was a -2.006 in strokes gained.

By contrast, McIlroy was second in strokes gained off the tee and third in strokes gained putting after the morning wave. The Jupiter resident held a three-shot lead on the field before bogeys on the two par 3s on his back nine brought him back to the field. But a birdie on his final hole gave him a one-shot lead as he went to the clubhouse.

"I've been playing well coming in here. I've been carrying some good form," McIlroy said. "When your game is feeling like that, it's just a matter of ... sort of staying in your own little world."

For Tiger, if the Masters was any indication, it is only going to get more challenging. He tees off in the afternoon for Round 2, when the temperature is expected to be pushing 90 and the winds at their peak.

"We'll start the recovery process and get after it tomorrow," he said.

Tom D'Angelo is a journalist at the Palm Beach Post, part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. You can reach him at tdangelo@pbpost.com. Help support our journalism. Subscribe today.

PGA Championship

Second round, Southern Hills Country Club, Tulsa, Oklahoma

2 p.m., ESPN

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Rory McIlroy shines in PGA Championship grouping with Tiger, Spieth