What golf fans did to watch Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy, Jordan Spieth at 2022 PGA Championship

TULSA, Okla. — Jariah Clark and Jamohn Smith did anything they could to get a better view.

The 14-year-old friends from Joplin, Missouri, knifed their way through the thousands of fans roaming the grounds at Southern Hills Country Club. They had never been to a professional golf tournament before, let alone a major championship.

That’s why, when they saw Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy and Jordan Spieth were playing together in the first round, there was never a question who they wanted to follow.

“We just wanted to see Tiger play,” Jariah said.

Added Jamohn: “It was so cool.”

The two were among tens of thousands of golf fans who ascended upon the 104th PGA Championship for the first round Thursday. Many arrived early and packed the first and 10th tee-box grandstand. Others lined the fairways and greens of the back nine’s opening holes.

Yet there was a common theme: fans were doing a bit of everything to try and get a glimpse of the three stars, who started on 10, playing together.

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Woods is making his second start since coming off an injury last year and is arguably the greatest golfer of all time. McIlroy is a four-time major winner, two-time PGA champion and one of the most popular players on the PGA Tour. Spieth, who was 2 over Thursday, is the only golfer in the field who can complete the career grand slam this week and is also a fan favorite.

Combine all three of those ingredients, add in the state of Oklahoma hosting its first major championship in 15 years, and you get golf fans doing anything they could to get a view of the trio taking on Southern Hills.

Woods, who shot a 4-over 74, draws a crowd anywhere he goes. The constant chaos of galleries following him is something he has grown accustomed to, yet his playing partners can sometimes struggle.

For McIlroy, that wasn’t quite the case.

“It’s always a cool group to be a part of,” McIlroy said after shooting a 5-under 65 in his opening round.

Yet McIlroy and Spieth draw their own followings, too, as both players are ranked in the top 10 in the world. That’s another reason why Thursday was so special and why fans did a little but of everything to get a better view.

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During the morning rounds, most of the fans on the property followed the group of stars. Thousands of people were constantly shuffling between holes and to different spots, doing whatever they could to get the best view of Woods, McIlroy or Spieth’s next shots.

On the hill above the fourth green and fifth tee box, thousands of fans lined the hill with thousands in the fairway behind, making it seem as if the players were competing in a stadium.

One fan, on the par-5 fifth hole, climbed up on a 5-foot tall electrical box so he could see past the crowd at the green that was 10 rows deep. Another dad on the par-3 eighth hole lifted his son into a tree so the boy could watch the trio tee off. Numerous times, fans climbed on television golf carts or sprinted ahead.

On the par-4 seventh, McIlroy’s tee shot went left and into the trees. When it settled, fans did whatever they could to position themselves as close as possible.

“We sat here all day waiting for this group to come through and they hit it right at us,” one fan in the crowd said after McIlroy’s shot.

When the group finished its final hole, the par-4 ninth, the gallery packed like sardines at the ropes trying to get a final glimpse of them ascending the hill. Then it slowly dispersed, scattering across the golf course to follow others who went off in the afternoon.

It was a major showing for the Woods, McIlroy and Spieth pairing, one that fans who witnessed it won’t soon forget.

Cameron Jourdan covers high school sports across the Oklahoma City metro and state. Have a story idea for Cameron? He can be reached at cjourdan@oklahoman.com or on Twitter at @Cam_Jourdan. Support Cameron’s work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com or by using the link at the top of this page.