WASHINGTON − Kiki Iriafen celebrated her graduation from the USC Marshall School of Business for a few happy moments after the Washington Mystics practice Thursday, just a day away from the team’s season opener.

Iriafen donned a black graduation cap and got some video for social media along with fellow rookie Lucy Olsen, who is graduating from Iowa.

Iriafen, 22, has earned her master’s degree in entrepreneurship and innovation from USC after getting an undergraduate degree at Stanford in product design and mechanical engineering. Last month USC announced Iriafen was the Academic All-America Team Member of the Year for Division I.

Despite her academic accolades, she isn’t disappointed that she won’t get to walk in the traditional ceremony. “I graduated early last year so I was able to get my big graduation so I’m not super sad about it this year,” she said. “I’m more excited I get to play basketball instead. I can’t believe it’s actually here. We’ve had two preseason games, but tomorrow feels like the real deal. I’m excited to finally be able to compete and get the season rolling. My journey here has been kind of a roller coaster; I’ve had some highs, some lows. But I wouldn’t change a single thing because it’s made me who I am and brought me here.”

The Mystics open the season May 16 at home against the Atlanta Dream with a sense of excitement under first-year head coach Sydney Johnson and with a rookie class whom Johnson said plays with a veteran presence.

“I’m just hopeful that we can stay healthy because I think that’s such a big thing in terms of building momentum,” Johnson said. Last season the Mystics started on a 12-game losing streak after injury problems.

Last month Washington drafted Sonia Citron with the No. 3 pick, Iriafen at No. 4 and Georgia Amoore at No. 6. Olsen was the Mystics’ No. 23 pick in the second round, and Zaay Green was drafted 31st overall in the third round. (Green was waived May 14.)

Iriafen said she’s soaking up the moment on the eve of her first pro game.

“I’ve had great coaches who have really prepared me to play at this level. I think for me, what’s going to help me be successful is just being a sponge, understanding there’s a lot I can still learn,” she said.

The young team has already dealt with the disappointment of losing Amoore after she suffered a right ACL injury during practice April 30.

Iriafen was excited to come to Washington because of the number of draft picks the team had this year.

“You feel like you have a sister in it, going through the newness with you,’ Iriafen said. ‘Sonia, Georgia, Lucy, even Zaay, we were all really close. Everyone brought something different to the table, and I know now that things are solidified, we’re going to get closer and closer. It’s so funny because it’s only been a month, but I feel like I’ve known these women for years.”

Aaliyah Edwards won’t play against Atlanta due to a back injury and Shakira Austin is out with a leg injury. That could mean more minutes for Iriafen, Citron and Olsen to soak up their WNBA debut.

The 2025 PGA Championship, the second major tournament of the season in men’s golf, got underway at Quail Hollow Golf Club in Charlotte, North Carolina, with the top players in the world setting their sights on hoisting the Wanamaker Trophy. 

But so far, the household names we’ve come to know and love are nowhere to be found at the top of the leaderboard. There isn’t a single golfer ranked top-15 in the World Golf Rankings sitting in the top 15 of the tournament after Thursday’s play.

Jhonattan Vegas sits alone at the top, surging late to finish two shots clear of the field at 7 under.

Follow along as USA TODAY Sports hits the highlights of Thursday’s opening round: 

PGA Championship 2025 leaderboard

*-started round on hole No. 10

• 1. Jhonattan Vegas -7 F*
• T2. Cam Davis -5 F
• T2. Ryan Gerard -5 F
• T4. Stephan Jaeger -4 F
• T4. Luke Donald -4 F
• T4. Alex Smalley -4 F*
• T4. Ryan Fox -4 F*
• T4. Aaron Rai -4 F*

You can get the latest leaderboard updates and tee times here.

Jhonattan Vegas pulls ahead

The final three holes of the round have been difficult for other golfers today. Even Gerard and Davis were over par for their final stretch. Vegas is a different animal, though. He’s birdied each of his last two holes with just one to play. That’s enough to push him to 6-under, in sole possession of first place.

He added a birdie on No. 9, ending his day with three straight birdies. He had nine birdies on the day and leads after shooting a 7-under 64.

Jhonattan Vegas pulls even with Davis, Gerard

It might be late but the scoreboard is still getting shaken up. Jhonattan Vegas now has three birdies in his last four holes to pull even with Cam Davis and Ryan Gerard at 5-under. Vegas had a chance to take sole possession of the lead with a long eagle putt, but it fell far right, making the birdie putt somewhat difficult. Vegas didn’t feel the pressure though, drilling the birdie putt, giving him two holes for another birdie if he wants sole possession of first heading into Friday.

Justin Thomas from the water

Play it as it lies. That’s the rule, right? Well, Justin Thomas found himself in a very poor predicament on 18, with his ball just barely in play next to a creek. Thomas didn’t hesitate to start removing his socks and shoes. He took the shot with his khakis rolled up to his upper shins and somehow delivered a beautiful approach giving him an opportunity for par from within 12 feet.

Unfortunately for Thomas, he could not drain the par putt, overjudging the left-to-right break and leaving the ball left of the hole. Thomas may have had three straight birdies in the back nine, but he ended his round with a bogey.

Cam Davis falls back to -5

Davis had an opportunity to finish his round in sole possession of the lead. However, two bogeys in his last three holes put him back in a tie for first with Ryan Gerard. Both golfers struggled in the last stretch although Davis played the front nine to end his day, while Gerard played the back nine. Each player had their own issues, with Gerard struggling to find fairways on Holes 16-18, and Davis struggling near the green on Holes 7-9.

Justin Thomas three straight birdies

Justin Thomas has won the PGA Championship at Quail Hollow before. He did so in 2017, and he’s showing us how he did it right now with three straight birdies in the back-nine, two of which came from off the green.

Thomas got off to a very slow start, scoring three over through three holes. However, he’s slowly climbed back to respectability and now sits just 1-over par with two holes left to play.

Davis takes lead

A terrific tee shot on 6 gave Cam Davis an opportunity for a birdie, which he took full advantage of. Just two holes later, Davis had another opportunity to extend his lead to two strokes. It was a long putt, but the line looked good on hit. However, it died before the hole, sliding to the right of the cup. He heads into the final hole of the round with a 1-shot lead.

Cam Davis tied for the lead

Cam Davis’ sixth birdie of the day on Hole 13 has tied him for the tournament lead with Ryan Gerard. Davis has six birdies, six pars, and only one bogey, and with the hardest part of the course behind him, Davis could have a tremendous chance to create an enormous lead heading into Round 2.

Justin Rose, Brian Harman with back-to-back long birdie putts

A long putt from the fringe of the green is enough to get a group of golfers going crazy. But two back-to-back? That’s unheard of, yet Justin Rose and Brian Harman did just that. The two pair golfers each recorded birdies on the fifth hole with incredibly long putts from the edge of the green, Harman from the front and Rose from the fringe. Neither golfer has done particularly well thus far, with each entering the fifth hole over par, but perhaps those are the putts they needed to get back on track.

Ryan Gerard finished day with two bogies

Holes 16-18 have been devastating for golfers all day. Even leader Ryan Gerard had trouble with them. After a par on 16, Gerard bogeyed 17 and then hit his tee shot on 18 into a right-side bunker. No big deal, right? Well, Gerard then lipped his bunker shot, removing nearly all the power he had in his swing. He was off the beach, but was still off the green.

Gerard did well to save bogey, but in just two holes, he’d gone from three up on the field to just a single stroke lead. Regardless, a lead is a lead, and Gerard has been the best underdog story of Round 1 thus far.

Cameron Young opens round with 63-foot birdie putt

Cameron Young has struggled this year, but if his first hole is any indicator, he could be in for a great day at Quail Hollow. The New York native started his round on the Par 5 10th hole and reached the fringe of the green in three strokes. However, he would need a miracle to sink the birdie putt. Lo and behold, that’s exactly what he got.

And if that wasn’t enough, Young backed up the 63-footer on Hole 10 with a 27-footer for birdie on Hole 11. He’s now 2-under through two holes, en route to a fantastic afternoon.

Ryan Gerard provides fresh face atop PGA Championship leaderboard

25-year-old Ryan Gerard entered the first round of the PGA Championship as a longshot to win the event, but after Round 1, he’s turning heads. The 2023 temporary PGA Tour member earned his full card for the 2025 season after winning the 2024 BMW Charity Pro-Am on the Korn Ferry Tour. Now, he’s playing out of his mind at one of golf’s major tournaments.

Through 14 holes, Gerard sat at -5, then on 15, Gerard gave the crowd a chip-in that had a lot of speed, but the tournament leader lucked out, hitting the pin and knocking his shot into the cup for an eagle to move to 7-under. He’s now three shots up on the rest of the field with three holes to play.

Holes 16-18 have been the toughest part of the course today though. We’ll see if Gerard can maintain his lead.

Co-leader Stephan Jaeger struggles on 18

It had been a tremendous opening round for German golfer Stephan Jaeger, posting a score 5-under par through 17 holes, good enough for the co-lead. However, that string of greatness came to an end on the final hole of the round.

Jaeger opened 18 by hooking his tee shot into the creek in the right rough. After the drop, he landed his approach shot short of the green and into the left-side bunker. Jaeger was already lying 4 on the Par 4 18 and had yet to reach the green.

Jaeger’s bunker shot was fantastic, giving him an opportunity to save bogey, but the damage was already done.

Quail Hollow’s No. 16 is going to be a bear

Before Rory McIlroy, Scottie Scheffler and Xander Schauffele arrived at the 16th hole, no one had made a birdie on the 535-yard par 4.

McIlroy blew his tee shot into the penalty area on the left, and then his right foot slipped as he tried to play from the steep slope. His shot went halfway up the slope, leaving him 206 yards away from the hole for his third shot. But, amazingly, that was the best playing in the group because from the fairway, both Scheffler and Schauffele hit their second shots into the lake on the left and behind the green. 

After dropping, both Scheffler and Schauffele hit high pitch shots to the green that sailed well past the cup, while McIlroy, whose third shot landed short and right of the green in the rough, pitched his fourth shot to 12 feet and then missed the putt for bogey. 

Triple double.

— Golfweek

Luke Donald a surprising presence atop leaderboard

Luke Donald, the 2025 European Ryder Cup captain, is clearly not satisfied being a passive observer at this year’s PGA Championship. While he missed his 20-foot birdie putt on the 15th hole Thursday morning, he tapped in for par to remain a co-leader at 4 under. 

Coming into the event, the 47-year-old from England had played in three PGA Tour events – the Cognizant Classic in The Palm Beaches, the Valspar Championship and the Zurich Classic of New Orleans – and not made the cut at any of them. Donald lacks the distance and power of most players in their field, averaging just over 280 yards off the tee, but his short game is as tidy as ever and through 15 holes he leads the field in Strokes Gained: Putting with an eye-popping +4.4.  

— Golfweek

Wolken: After career Grand Slam, what’s left for Rory McIlroy?

As exhausting and frustrating and ultimately validating as the last decade was for Rory McIlroy, the next and final phase of his career might turn out to be the most interesting.

Above all else, when McIlroy dropped to his knees and unloaded years of emotion onto the 18th green at Augusta National last month, what he earned was a lifetime of mental freedom. For the first time since he was a teenager first coming out on the PGA Tour, there is no longer a single result or tournament that will dramatically change his place in history or, more importantly, his day-to-day happiness and well-being.

For a career Grand Slam champion, and now definitively the best player of the post-Tiger Woods generation, the compiler phase of his career is going to ask a question that none of us – McIlroy included – can yet answer.

What happens when someone like McIlroy has this much of his prime remaining with no white whale left to chase?

Read Dan Wolken’s full column on McIlroy’s future

Marquee group features top 3 players in world

The PGA Championship is known for its creative pairings, with an obvious (or not-so-obvious) theme running through several of the groups.

What will almost certainly be the most-watched threesome over the first two rounds this year at Quail Hollow also has a theme. Excellence.

The 8:22 a.m. group off the 10th tee on Thursday consists of the top three players in the world right now: No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, No. 2 Rory McIlroy and No. 3 Xander Schauffele. Expect them to raise each other’s games to new heights heading into the weekend.

Then again … after completing their first nine holes, Scheffler was at even par, McIlroy was 1-over and Schauffele was 2-over.

Where to watch the PGA Championship: TV Channel, streaming Thursday

The 2025 PGA Championship will be broadcast by ESPN during the first two rounds on Thursday and Friday, with ESPN and CBS slated to televise the final two rounds on Saturday and Sunday. ESPN+ and Fubo will have streaming coverage of all four rounds at the PGA Championship, while viewers can stream the action on Paramount+ during the weekend coverage.

• TV channel: ESPN (starting at 11 a.m. ET)
• Live stream: ESPN+ (6 a.m. – 11 a.m.) and Fubo (Fubo offers a free trial subscription)

Watch the 2025 PGA Championship with Fubo

PGA Championship tee times today

Notable tee times. For a full list of tee times, you can find Thursday’s starts here.

*All times listed are Eastern

Thursday (Hole 1)/Friday (Hole 10) pairings

• 7:00 a.m./12:25 p.m.: Luke Donald, Padraig Harrington, Martin Kaymer
• 7:11 a.m./12:36 p.m.: John Somers, Taylor Moore, David Puig
• 7:22 a.m./12:47 p.m.: Kurt Kitayama, Nic Ishee, Alex Noren
• 7:33 a.m./12:58 p.m.: J.T. Poston, Ryo Hisatsune, Tom Johnson
• 7:44 a.m./1:09 p.m.: Davis Thompson, Bud Cauley, Nico Echavarria
• 7:55 a.m./1:20 p.m.: Harris English, Michael Kim, Thomas Detry
• 8:06 a.m./1:31 p.m.: Stephan Jaeger, Chris Kirk, Robert MacIntyre
• 8:17 a.m./1:42 p.m.: Thorbjørn Olesen, Karl Vilips, Laurie Canter
• 8:28 a.m./1:53 p.m.: Si Woo Kim, Sam Stevens, Rico Hoey
• 8:39 a.m./2:04 p.m.: Bobby Gates, Lee Hodges, Ben Griffin
• 8:50 a.m./2:15 p.m.: Thriston Lawrence, Nick Dunlap, Harry Hall
• 9:01 a.m./2:26 p.m.: Greg Koch, Marco Penge, Ryan Gerard
• 9:12 a.m./2:37 p.m.: Dylan Newman, Daniel van Tonder, Victor Perez
• 12:30 p.m./7:00 a.m.: Michael Kartrude, Sami Valimaki, Jake Knapp
• 12:41 p.m./7:11 a.m.: Erik van Rooyen, Michael Block, Mackenzie Hughes
• 12:52 p.m./7:22 a.m.: Lucas Glover, Max Homa, Joaquin Niemann
• 1:03 p.m./7:33 a.m.: Tyrrell Hatton, Will Zalatoris, Adam Scott
• 1:14 p.m./7:44 a.m.: Justin Thomas, Dustin Johnson, Collin Morikawa
• 1:25 p.m./7:55 a.m.: Jordan Spieth, Patrick Reed, Ludvig Åberg
• 1:36 p.m./8:06 a.m.: Hideki Matsuyama, Wyndham Clark, Tom Kim
• 1:47 p.m./8:17 a.m.: Bryson DeChambeau, Viktor Hovland, Gary Woodland
• 1:58 p.m./8:28 a.m.: Sergio Garcia, Daniel Berger, Russell Henley
• 2:09 p.m./8:39 a.m.: Justin Rose, Cameron Smith, Brian Harman
• 2:20 p.m./8:50 a.m.: Brandon Bingaman, Davis Riley, Sungjae Im
• 2:31 p.m./9:01 a.m.: Takumi Kanaya, Christiaan Bezuidenhout, Tom McKibbin
• 2:42 p.m./9:12 a.m.: Keita Nakajima, Timothy Wiseman, Beau Hossler

Thursday (Hole 10)/Friday (Hole 1) pairings

• 7:05 a.m./12:30 p.m.: John Parry, Justin Hicks, Ryan Fox
• 7:16 a.m./12:41 p.m.: Andre Chi, Patrick Fishburn, Seamus Power
• 7:27 a.m./12:52 p.m.: Max McGreevy, Sahith Theegala, Sepp Straka
• 7:38 a.m./1:03 p.m.: Brooks Koepka, Rickie Fowler, Shane Lowry
• 7:49 a.m./1:14 p.m.: Phil Mickelson, Tommy Fleetwood, Jason Day
• 8:00 a.m./1:25 p.m.: Jon Rahm, Patrick Cantlay, Matt Fitzpatrick
• 8:11 a.m./1:36 p.m.: Corey Conners, Min Woo Lee, Rasmus Højgaard
• 8:22 a.m./1:47 p.m.: Rory McIlroy, Xander Schauffele, Scottie Scheffler
• 8:33 a.m./1:58 p.m.: Tony Finau, Nicolai Højgaard, Max Greyserman
• 8:44 a.m./2:09 p.m.: Andrew Novak, Keegan Bradley, Maverick McNealy
• 8:55 a.m./2:20 p.m.: Akshay Bhatia, Denny McCarthy, Sam Burns
• 9:06 a.m./2:31 p.m.: John Catlin, Garrick Higgo, Jesse Droemer
• 9:17 a.m./2:42 p.m.: Eugenio Chacarra, Rupe Taylor, Justin Lower
• 12:25 p.m./7:05 a.m.: Keith Mitchell, Bob Sowards, Adam Hadwin
• 12:36 p.m./7:16 a.m.: Eric Cole, Eric Steger, Cam Davis
• 12:47 p.m./7:27 a.m.: Austin Eckroat, Brian Bergstol, Jacob Bridgeman
• 12:58 p.m./7:38 a.m.: Niklas Norgaard, Byeong Hun An, J.J. Spaun
• 1:09 p.m./7:49 a.m.: Patrick Rodgers, Nick Taylor, Dean Burmester
• 1:20 p.m./8:00 a.m.: Joe Highsmith, Cameron Young, Aaron Rai
• 1:31 p.m./8:11 a.m.: Tom Hoge, Matthieu Pavon, Taylor Pendrith
• 1:42 p.m./8:22 a.m.: Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen, Patton Kizzire, Matt McCarty
• 1:53 p.m./8:33 a.m.: Tyler Collet, Jimmy Walker, Richard Bland
• 2:04 p.m./8:44 a.m.: Jason Dufner, Michael Thorbjornsen, Shaun Micheel
• 2:15 p.m./8:55 a.m.: Rafael Campos, Ryan Lenahan, Matt Wallace
• 2:26 p.m./9:06 a.m.: Jhonattan Vegas, Elvis Smylie, Brian Campbell
• 2:37 p.m./9:17 a.m.: Kevin Yu, Larkin Gross, John Keefer

PGA Championship odds: Favorites at Quail Hollow

All odds via BetMGM on Thursday, May 15.

• T1. Scottie Scheffler (+500)
• T1. Rory McIlroy (+500)
• 3. Bryson DeChambeau (+800)
• 4. Justin Thomas (+1800)
• T5. Jon Rahm (+2000)
• T5. Xander Schauffele (+2000)
• 7. Collin Morikawa (+2200)
• 8. Ludvig Åberg (+2500)
• T9. Joaquin Niemann (+3300)
• T9. Patrick Cantlay (+3300)
• T9. Tommy Fleetwood (+3300)

PGA Championship weather forecast: Latest updates for Thursday

The weather should be good on Thursday, according to AccuWeather. Charlotte, North Carolina, will experience a high of 86 degrees Fahrenheit with an 8% of precipitation on Thursday.

PGA Championship predictions and picks

NBC Sports: Bryson DeChambeau

Ryan Lavner writes, ‘Bryson DeChambeau. There’s no one on the planet – not Rory, not Scottie – who is driving the ball as well as DeChambeau is at the moment. And it’s difficult to conjure up a more perfect venue for him, a 7,600-yard behemoth that will play even longer after the heavy rain and place a premium on finding the fairways and avoiding the wet, dense rough. DeChambeau’s iron play continues to be a question mark – it’s the only reason he didn’t win the Masters last month – but his short game and putting remains tidy enough to give him a significant advantage. If he continues to drive the ball like he has for the past year-plus, this is a great opportunity for him to knock off major No. 3.’

BetMGM: Bryson DeChambeau

‘Including a near miss at Augusta National … DeChambeau has now recorded four top-10s in his last five major championships. Over his last nine major championships, DeChambeau owns five top-10s and four top-5s. One such success came last year at Valhalla, the most correlative course to Quail Hollow, per datagolf.com.’

Gambling Nerd: Scottie Scheffler

‘Despite never winning the event, Scheffler has finished in the top 10 in four of his five PGA Championship appearances … Scheffler will solidify his standing at the top of the world rankings with a win at Quail Hollow Club this year.’

Newsweek: Rory McIlroy

‘Scheffler may lead the odds to win, but McIlroy’s track record at Quail Hollow can’t be overlooked. The Northern Irishman has won four of his 12 appearances in the Wells Fargo Championship (now the Truist Championship) there, to go with five other top 10s. Add to that the level of play he has displayed this season (three wins, one major).’

PGA Championship predictions: Sleeper picks at Quail Hollow

Odds from BetMGM as of May 15

CBS Sports: Tyrrell Hatton (+4000)

‘Hatton missed the cut at the 2017 PGA Championship but he’s since experienced success at Quail Hollow, finishing T-3rd at the 2023 Wells Fargo Championship there. The 33-year-old Englishman was T-14th at the Masters last month and also scored a win at the Hero Dubai Desert Classic in January on the DP World Tour. He’s been top 25 in eight of his nine starts around the world this season and he ranks second on his tour this season by hitting 73.81% of greens in regulation.’

talkSPORT: Jordan Spieth (+6000)

‘Spieth won the Masters, US Open and Open Championship in quick succession but has now gone eight years without a major win. He was runner-up at the 2015 PGA Championship and tied for third four years later. But since then, he has struggled to make an impact at the event as the Grand Slam has eluded him. He was brilliant at the (CJ Cup) Byron Nelson recently and has shown good form all season, so maybe this could be his year.’

Sportsbook Wire: Patrick Reed (+6000)

‘Reed was the runner-up at the 2017 PGA Championship at Quail Hollow, finishing 2 shots behind Justin Thomas. He came in eighth at the 2018 Wells Fargo Championship here and sixth in 2021, so that makes three top-10 finishes in his last four starts at this course.’

BetSperts: Max Homa (+12500)

‘Quail Hollow is where he got his first PGA Tour win back in 2019, and he’s finished T-8 here in each of the past two seasons despite entering with less-than-stellar form. He’s flashed more consistency with his irons as well, gaining nearly a full stroke per round in back-to-back starts in April at Augusta National and Harbour Town.’