GOLF US TOUR - MEMORIAL TOURNAMENT:WHILE HE may not have played himself out of the tournament, it was a case of what might have been for Rory McIlroy as the Memorial Tournament got under way at Muirfield Village yesterday.
Back on the PGA Tour after a short break at home in Co Down, the 21-year-old will resume this afternoon on level par but will have reflected overnight on a round that could, and indeed should, have been in the 60s.
That most of his travails would come on par fives, where the big-hitter would normally expect to pick up shots, will have been particularly galling.
With the course softened up after a two-hour rain delay in the morning, McIlroy set about making the most of the benign conditions and reached the 11th tee, a 560-yard par five, on two under.
But a wayward drive into the trees led to a penalty drop, and by the time he walked off the green he would have an ugly seven on the card.
The next par five proved just as costly. Having notched a birdie at the 14th, McIlroy attempted to reach the green in two at the next. While fortune often favours the brave, on this occasion it deserted him and his approach found the stream adjacent to the green.
A poor chip into a greenside bunker compounded matters and another double bogey went on the card.
Back-to-back birdies followed immediately, but a closing bogey left McIlroy well down the field.
His round of 72 was seven adrift of clubhouse leader Justin Rose, the Englishman coming into some form around a course he clearly enjoys. Rose, runner-up at the Dublin, Ohio, venue in 2008, found his touch on the greens with a new putter and needed a mere 26 putts en route to his 65.
Five of his eight birdies dropped from outside 10 feet as he opened a two-shot lead before the clouds rolled back in to halt proceedings for a second time.
“You always hear guys saying a course fits my eye,” Rose said. “It certainly does here. I like all the tee-shots, and the greens are so pure here that, if you do get a putting stroke going, you’re going to make some putts. It’s a bit of a pun, but I putted scary good with my new ghost putter.”
Among the pack chasing Rose is Phil Mickelson, who seems to be reserving his best form for tournaments with Tiger Woods in the field.
The US Masters champion, who can replace Woods as world number one with a victory this week, opened with a flawless 67 to join a group on five under.
“I think it’s a course where, if you’re patient, you can make a lot of birdies,” Mickelson said. “You can hit it at a bunch of pins, and the greens are so good that you can make the putt.”
With tee-times moved back because of the weather, Woods didn’t take to the course until almost 3pm local time. A bogey at the first wasn’t the start he was looking for and he remained one over after three.
