The PGA Championship got started on Thursday in Tulsa, Oklahoma and Rory McIlroy is already proving that he could be a serious contender to win it all after an impressive end to the Masters at Augusta.

The Northern Ireland native shot a 65 at the Southern Hills Country Club and currently sits at the top of the leaderboard with Will Zalatoris and Tom Hoge. In the process, it was the first time since 2011 the PGA star had this low of a score in the opening round. The kicker? Every time he's shot 66 or better, McIlroy won that tournament.

Via Justin Ray:

McIlroy notched four straight birdies on the opening nine holes to put him in a prime position early on. He did endure some struggles on the back nine though, shooting two bogeys. But, the PGA veteran did finish the day on a high note, sinking a birdie putt on hole 18.

The Irishman explained why he was feeling so good coming into Tulsa. Via CNN:

“I’ve been playing well coming in here. I’ve been carrying some good form,” he said “Obviously that took a lot from that last round at Augusta, played well up in D.C. at the Wells Fargo there, and played good in the practice rounds earlier this week.

“I think when your game is feeling like that, it’s just a matter of going out there and really sticking to your game plan, executing as well as you possibly can, and just sort of staying in your own little world.”

Certainly a promising start for Rory McIlroy at the PGA Championship.