The first round leaderboard at the 2025 PGA Championship offered insight into the talented scrawled across the Tour’s ranks. The list was a who’s who of unheralded talents making it big beneath the glint Quail Hollow sunlight. Ryan Fox, Luke Donald, Alex Smalley and Stephan Jaeger all carded impressive tallies during their displays.
Then, there was Ryan Gerard, a 25-year-old Tour newcomer who set the lush Charlotte plains ablaze with fearsome drives, steady putting and a chipped effort that would make Antonin Panenka proud.
The touch on this chip for eagle š®āšØš¦ pic.twitter.com/iHzSrjM3gs
ā ESPN (@espn) May 15, 2025
It was quite the day on the links for the hometown kid, who sat atop the leaderboard by the time he handed in his scorecard Thursday afternoon.
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With that, here’s what you need to know about Gerard, the latest breakout star to surge into golf’s mainstream after a starring showcase at a major tournament.
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Who is Ryan Gerard?
A North Carolina alum who used to share the driving range with famed former Tar Heels basketball head coach Roy Williams, Gerard’s journey to the professional game has certainly been a unique one.
The Raleigh native enjoyed a glittering career in Chapel Hill, nabbing two All-American and three PING All-East Region appearances. His 71.65 career stroke average is the fifth-best mark in program history, while he carded more rounds of 65 or better (five) than any other golfer to sport Carolina blue.
Upon graduation, Gerard turned professional. He took home his first title as a pro four starts into his career, downing all foes at the 2022 Quebec Open. After placing fifth in PGA Tour Canada’s (now known as PGA Tour Americas) Fortinet Cup standings, Gerard earned placement into the Korn Ferry Tour, a developmental series designed to offer a platform for budding talents to refine their skills before making the leap to the big leagues.
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Gerard wasted little time getting acclimated to life under the PGA banner, qualifying for the 2023 Honda Classic just four starts into his Korn Ferry Tour career. He proceeded to place fourth in the competition, four strokes short of winner Chris Kirk. With his display, heĀ received special dispensation to take part in PGA Tour events for the remainder of the season. Gerard struggled throughout that campaign, posting just one top-25 finish across his final 22 events. He fell outside the top 125 and saw his Tour membership turn to ashes in 2024.
Gerard found his footing on the Korn Ferry Tour as a sophomore, tallying a 12th-place finish in the season standings. That was enough to earn him his PGA Tour card for 2025.
The 25-year-old has made the cut in 11 of his 13 events this season, including. a ninth-place finish in the Texas Children’s Houston Open and a second-place showing at the Valero Texas Open.
Where is Ryan Gerard from?
Gerard hails from Raleigh, a stone’s throw from Quail Hollow. He was rumored to have a lot of friends and family in attendance for his PGA Championship debut. Through one round, they’ll be more than pleased ā Gerard ended his outing with a comfortable lead over his adversaries.
Pretty cool from Ryan Gerard – first PGA Tour event he attended was Quail Hollow when he was 7. He had a notebook and would write notes down as he observed the players.
Now leading the PGA by a couple.
ā Shane Bacon (@shanebacon) May 15, 2025
Ryan Gerard OWGR
Gerard sat No. 173 in the Official World Golf Rankings two months ago, according toĀ PGA Tour’s Kevin Prise. Then, he finished ninth at the Valero Open and second at the Texas Open. Now, he sits at No. 81, firmly within the top-100. If his showing on Thursday is any indication, he could climb up those rankings once more come the end of the weekend.
