TULSA, Okla. - Sergio Garcia was one of the few players who came close to blaming the ungodly heat during Thursday’s opening round of the 89th PGA Championship.

“It’s really hot,” said Garcia, stating the obvious after shooting an even-round par at Southern Hills Country Club. “You constantly have to clean the sweat off your arms and hands and 15 seconds later you’re sweating again and it makes things tough.”

Garcia had a strange round, with three bogeys on the front nine and three straight birdies on the back.

The rest of the field was obviously struggling in the sweltering sun, but few complained.

“It is definitely warm, but we play in hot conditions a lot of the time.” said Ernie Els. “I think this is a bit extreme. I don’t think it’s affecting the guys too much.”

“I light up a cigarette and drink some caffeine,” said John Daly. “It actually works.”

“It is hot,” said Camilo Villegas. “It is pretty warm. But you know what? Everybody has the same thing. It wasn’t too bad (Wednesday), maybe six or seven holes in the morning, but it will be pretty warm tomorrow. So there’s no complaining. You’ve got to have a good attitude to win it.”

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