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Can we all be honest for just a second? Thursday at the 2016 PGA Championship was not the most exciting Round 1 at a major this year. I don't know what I expected after watching Phil Mickelson gun for the major championship scoring record on Thursday at the British Open, but a 65 from Jimmy Walker on Thursday at Baltusrol (which we'll get to in a minute) is not doing it for me.

There are a few golfers just a few shots back who could spice things up on the weekend. Jason Day. Martin Kaymer. And then there is Rickie Fowler, who shot a 68 over the first 18 holes on Thursday. After missing the cut at the Masters and U.S. Open and being a non-factor at the Open, it's nice to see Fowler mixing it up early and often at Baltusrol.

Little Rickie made four birdies and just two bogeys on the day as he goes for his first major championship win, which would extend our streak of five straight first-time winners and finish off just the third season since 1970 in which all four major winners were first-timers.

"Obviously those guys played well to do what they did," Fowler said of Danny Willett, Dustin Johnson and Henrik Stenson winning the first three majors. "I mean, everyone that's in the field, obviously teeing it up to go win. I'm here for the same reason. I like my chances. I've been swinging well and heading in the right direction. Nice to get off to a solid start here. Anything can happen this week."

It has been a weird year for Fowler. He won in Europe, nearly won in Phoenix, missed some cuts, nearly won at Quail Hollow and missed some more cuts. Now contention in a major?

"You don't have to sugarcoat it, it wasn't very good. Missing cuts is not fun and definitely not what's planned," Fowler said of his play entering the PGA Championship. "It's heading in the right direction. Out here the highest level, if you are off just a little bit, I mean, especially in a major, it picks you apart and it shows."

It also shows when you're rolling well like Fowler was Thursday. He's one of the few in the current top 10 with staying power for all four rounds. If he plays Friday like he did in Round 1, we could be talking about a tasty little Day-Fowler showdown going into the weekend. How fun would that be?

Nine more thoughts on the first round of the PGA Championship ...

1. What the hell, Rory? My pick to win this week went out and dropped a 74 in the first round and trails Walker by nine. It was his putting Thursday that was just downright atrocious. He was No. 152 out of 156 players in the field in strokes gained putting and didn't make a single birdie for just the fourth major round of his career. In 2012, when he won at Kiawah, McIlroy mixed in a 75 in Round 2; so he's not dead in the water, but he'll need something monstrous Friday to get back in it.


2. WHAT - THE - HELL, D.J.? A 77 from the hottest player on the planet? Tied for his worst score to par since January? He beat five players in the field and there are 20 club professionals in the field. Johnson was No. 146 in the field in strokes gained off the tee. Do I need to go on? He'll need something special Friday just to make the cut.

3. I guess we should talk about the leader, too. Walker is a good player, but he has not had a great year. It's going to be tough for him to hang on for all four rounds. The last player to do that at a PGA Championship was Phil Mickelson in 2005 (at Baltusrol), but if he putts like he did Thursday, he'll at least have a chance.

4. Henrik Stenson's 67 was a surprise. It sounds strange to say someone who just had arguably the greatest major round in history with a 63 at the Open surprised me by shooting a 67 two weeks later. But final rounds at majors, especially crazy ones like Royal Troon, can empty your tank. Stenson proved Thursday that he still has plenty left, and now he's the favorite to win the tournament.

5. Jason Day's 68 was not a surprise. How he did it was, though. Day has been incredible with his putter all year (No. 1 in strokes gained putting) but was No. 117 in the field in strokes gained putting Thursday. His tee-to-green game saved his bacon, which he admitted afterward.

"Drove it very nicely and hit a lot of good iron shots," Day said. "I just didn't capitalize on the opportunities that I had out there and it's not disappointing. It is what it is."

6. Who has staying power at the top? Lurkers include Fowler (-2), Day (-2), Brooks Koepka (-2), Louis Oosthuizen (-2), Justin Thomas (-1), Lee Westwood (-1) and Steve Stricker (-1). That's not a sublime group, but it's at least enough to put a scare into the Emiliano Grillos and Andy Sullivans of the world.

7. Bubba Watson ProTracer is still the best ProTracer. I'm just going to leave this right here. Watson hit this drive 380 yards on the par-5 18th. He's 1 over for the tournament, but he puts on the greatest ProTracer show in the world.

8. Beef is still tasty. Andrew "Beef" Johnston shot an even-par 70 in his first major round as a new cult hero. Sporting a brand-new Arby's logo on his chest, Johnston got crazy with five birdies, five bogeys and just eight pars. The fans craved more Beef, and they got one of the best shots of the day from him behind a scoreboard.


9. PGA lacks juice so far. It was a pretty bland day at Baltusrol. None of the stars shined and the PGA Championship lacked the buzz of the year's first three majors. Maybe we're due for a stinker (it has been a while), but hopefully the rains come hard Thursday evening (they're supposed to!) and the big guns start blitzing the field early and often Friday morning.