LI pro Matt Dobyns was on the PGA leaderboard, briefly 

ST. LOUIS — The sight was both impressive and incredible for Matt Dobyns. On the leaderboard, the club pro from Long Island was 3 under par and tied for second among the world’s greatest golfers. Did someone happen to take a photo of that?

“I hope so,” Dobyns said, reflecting on having made birdies on each of the first three holes of the PGA Championship Thursday. “It was a fun start. That went just how we hoped it would. The first few holes, you’ve got to get at it and I did. I felt good about my putter.”

But before that feeling could really take root, a root took him out. His tee shot on the par-4 475-yard fifth hole rolled near a tree and where there are trees, there are sometimes hidden roots. His 4-iron shot clipped one of those and went almost nowhere. Another attempt with the 4-iron also was a dud because the clubhead flew off — having been damaged by the root.

The head pro at Fresh Meadow Club in Lake Success made seven on that hole, and having righted his ship, made another seven on the par-4 12th. Some swift work by his wife, Laurie, in rushing to the car and getting a 4-hybrid to replace the broken club, could not prevent him from finishing with a 6-over-par 76.

“Look, you start dreaming,” he said. “You see your name up there, you’re two out of the lead. You never know. I’m feeling fine. What the hell? I can shoot 5 under here. But it wasn’t in the cards for me today.”

His fellow Met Section pro, Danny Balin, had just the opposite kind of start. He bogeyed his first two holes while admittedly battling nerves, then rebounded to shoot 72.

“I’m very happy,” said the assistant pro at Westchester Country Club. “I think it’s the best round I’ve had in the five majors that I’ve played. I can’t be upset shooting 2 over par in a major championship.”