The biggest logjam in 57 years at a major championship opened the PGA Championship Thursday, and even in a seven-way tie for the lead, one name still stood above the rest. World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler navigated the challenges of Aronimink Golf Club with poise, carding a 3-under 67 to share the top spot with six other players—including former PGA champion Martin Kaymer, perhaps the biggest surprise of the day.

Scheffler's round was a masterclass in resilience. He capitalized on two long birdie putts and caught a fortunate break on the 17th hole, which helped him offset a pair of bogeys. Remarkably, this marks the 13th time Scheffler has held at least a share of the lead in a major, but it's the first time he's done so after an opening round. "Definitely the best start I've gotten off to this year, maybe besides American Express," Scheffler said. "Your scores are definitely going to be lower if you hit the ball on the fairway, but it's still really, really difficult to make birdies." He missed just one fairway all day, a testament to his precision on a course that demanded it.

Joining Scheffler at 67 were Aldrich Potgieter, Stephan Jaeger, Min Woo Lee, Ryo Hisatsune, and Alex Smalley. The seven-way tie is the largest opening-round logjam at a major since nine players shared the lead at the 1969 PGA Championship. And it could have been even larger: Garrick Higgo shot 69 but was penalized two strokes for being 10 seconds late to the tee, a costly mistake before he even hit a shot.

The course at Aronimink lived up to its reputation as a major test. With severely sloped greens, fast fairways, and gusty winds that cleared the morning clouds, scoring was at a premium. Not since 2008 has the low score to par after the first round of the PGA Championship been worse than 3-under. Meanwhile, Masters champion Rory McIlroy struggled, bogeying his last four holes for a 74 that sent him straight to the practice range for most of the afternoon.

For Scheffler, this round was a welcome change of pace. He's struggled with opening rounds for much of the year since his season debut win at The American Express, but Thursday showed why he's the player to beat. Whether he can maintain this momentum through the weekend remains to be seen, but one thing is clear: in a crowded leaderboard, he's the one everyone will be watching.