Collin Morikawa was relishing the challenge of The Ocean Course at Kiawah Island as he made an impressive start to the defence of his title at the 2021 US PGA Championship.
The American won his first Major Championship in just his second attempt at last season's staging as he finished fifth on the Race to Dubai Rankings in Partnership with Rolex.
He currently sits third in the Rankings with the help of his victory at the WGC - Workday Championship at The Concession but is facing a different challenge altogether in South Carolina this week.
The Ocean Course is not only the longest course in Major history but the winds coming off the Atlantic make it even more of a test.
Not that Morikawa was flustered as he carded five birdies and three bogeys in a two under par 70, and he was hoping the wind sticks around throughout the rest of the week.
"I hope it does because it makes you hit good shots and the guys that are hitting quality drives, quality iron shots, are probably going to be hitting more greens," he said.
I hope it does stay windy because it really tests your ability to hit quality shots
"Pars are going to be a little easier. You're not going to be as stressed through 36, 54 holes.
"I feel like where my game is at right now and how I'm hitting my irons, it feels really solid, or how I'm hitting my four irons and five woods.
"So yeah, I hope it does stay windy because it really tests your ability to hit quality shots.
"Normally (at) Major Championships, if the rough is really long, you have to hit it straight. Out here, when the wind is up like this and it's going to hopefully be up like that the rest of the week, you have to just hit good drives.
"A miss is going to be that exaggerated, so normally you miss it right side of the fairway, it might be right rough and that's just going to add on and add on and make the round tougher.
"So when you're in the fairway and you have a good shot, you have to take advantage of it."
He added: "I'd say overall a really solid day. Didn't really make too many mistakes and the mistakes I did, they're really easily fixable.
"Overall, you've just got to be ready to hit good shots out here. It's going to test you, even downwind when you've got wedge.
"I hit wedge into nine today and made bogey. You've got to be ready holes one through 18 and you're going to have to do that for three more rounds."
