HAVEN, Wis. — The next great rivalry in golf broke slowly out of the gates Thursday, which just shows the folly of treating golfers as if they are heavyweight boxers or world champion sprinters. Rory McIlroy and Jordan Spieth may have shared a tee time in the first round of the 97th P.G.A. Championship, but they were not each other’s main adversary.
Each had to battle a Whistling Straits course that tilts like a pinball machine and was made trickier by a breeze that rose to greet the afternoon wave of players. Playing in front of the largest gallery of the day, both posted scores of one-under 71, five shots off the lead, while showing off their disparate strengths.