Xander Schauffele set the early target at the PGA Championship, firing a record-equalling opening round nine-under 62 at Valhalla Golf Club on Thursday as the Olympic champion looked to atone for a shock loss at the Wells Fargo.

Schauffele, who held a final round two stroke lead at Quail Hollow on Sunday before losing by five shots to Rory McIlroy, was a man on a mission in Louisville and he matched the men's major championship low score — for the second time.

Despite an Olympic gold medal in Tokyo and a proven ability to go low, the 30-year-old American has yet to win a major and is without a win since the 2022 Scottish Open.

While there is a lot of golf to be played, the world number three signalled he plans to end both droughts with a brilliant error-free opening round that matched his first round effort at last year's US Open.

Only two other men have returned 62s at a major, Rickie Fowler, also in the first round at the 2023 US Open and Branden Grace, in the third round at the 2017 Open Championship at Royal Birkdale.

"I'll take a 62 in any major any day," Schauffele said.

"Not winning makes you want to win more, as weird as that is.

"For me, at least, I react to it, and I want it more and more and more, and it makes me want to work harder and harder and harder.

"The top feels far away, and I feel like I have a lot of work to do."

Lurking four off the pace on five-under are red hot world number two McIlroy and Scotsman Robert MacIntyre.

McIlroy, coming off back-to-back PGA Tour wins, carried that momentum into the first round. He rolled in a six-footer for a birdie on his opening hole, the par five 10th, then picked up a second at the 13th to briefly join a crowd at the top of the leaderboard.

But the Northern Irishman, who announced on Monday that he had filed for divorce, stalled after the early burst. He took a bogey at the 17th before hitting his stride again after the turn by carding four birdies, including three straight from the fifth coming home.