Adam Hadwin had too many birdies to complain about ending his round at the Memorial on a bitter notice Thursday. His 6-under 66 was sufficient to guide Masters champion Scottie Scheffler by one shot and provides the Canadian hope he’s turning the nook at the appropriate time.
Hadwin was among the many few who conquered a Muirfield Village course that was gentle from rain however no much less punishing. The Abbotsford, B.C., golfer birdied 4 of 5 holes towards the tip of the primary round — after 4 birdies on the entrance 9 — till lacking a 5-foot par putt on the robust 18th.
For Scheffler and PGA champion Xander Schauffele, it was extra of the identical.
Scheffler opened with two birdies in 4 holes — he missed birdie possibilities from six ft and eight ft on the opposite two — and was buzzing alongside till a giant clump of mud slowed him on the par-5 fifth gap and led to bogey.
WATCH | Abbotsford, B.C., native Hadwin claims 1-stroke lead with 6-under 66:
Adam Hadwin of Abbotsford, B.C., carded a 6-under 66, to say a one-stroke lead after the primary round of the Memorial Tournament in Dublin, Ohio.
Schauffele returned for the primary time since successful his first main at the PGA Championship. His sport felt scrappy from tee-to-green. His round was saved by his putter. Schauffele in some way managed a bogey-free 68 to get proper within the combine.
Corey Conners of Listowel, Ont., was at 68 alongside Collin Morikawa and Ludvig Aberg. Defending champion Viktor Hovland was amongst these at 69.
Surrey, B.C., native Adam Svensson completed the day at 72, whereas Nick Taylor — who’s additionally from Abbotsford — shot a 1-over 73. Taylor Pendrith of Richmond Hill, Ont., had a 74 and Mackenzie Hughes of Dundas, Ont., completed with a 78.
Olympic implications
Hadwin and Conners are coming off the Canadian Open, and it is an necessary time of the 12 months with solely two weeks earlier than the 60-man subject for the Olympics is finalized. Each nation will get two gamers (a most of 4 in the event that they’re within the prime 15).
Hadwin hasn’t completed within the prime 40 since late March, and his world rating has dropped from No. 44 to No. 59.
Conners is at No 45, whereas Taylor Pendrith and Mackenzie Hughes are proper behind him at Nos. 64 and 65 (Phoenix Open winner Nick Taylor has the primary spot sewn up).
“Over the last month I’ve probably played my way … not out of the conversation, but certainly out of a good position to be in,” Hadwin stated. “So coming into this week, I know the questions are always going to be there, but I think for me in particular, it was very important this week to get into the process.”
Scheffler, Schauffele begin robust once more
Scheffler has been within the course of for what looks as if ceaselessly. He already is a four-time winner this 12 months, together with one other Masters title. He by no means appears to overlook a shot.
But after splitting the center of the golf green on the 535-yard fifth gap, Scheffler seemed right down to see a big clump of mud on the highest and to the appropriate of his golf ball. It was sufficient to think about laying up, besides a creek runs down the center towards the inexperienced, and he had no concept which route the ball was going with a lot mud on it.
“Hindsight, maybe I could have aimed it down the middle of the creek and just see where it would have went and maybe it goes in one of the fairways,” he stated. “But at the time, that didn’t really seem like a good idea.”
So he went for the inexperienced and watched it fly 60 yards left of the place he wished — left of the inexperienced, left of the water, left of a crimson hazard line that not often comes right into a play on a hill.
He hacked out of excessive grass again over the water and over the inexperienced, leaving a chip to a good pin and a inexperienced operating away from him. He delicately received that to the perimeter and made bogey on the simplest gap of the day.
Schauffele was bogey-free and he is unsure how. His largest scare additionally got here at the fifth with a mud ball of his personal. This sailed proper on him right into a bunker, requiring a shot over one other bunker to a good pin. The sand was moist, Schauffele caught an excessive amount of ball and watched it disappeared over the inexperienced. That’s the place extra water awaits.
“When the ball was in the air, I closed my eyes,” he stated. “I wouldn’t call myself religious, but I was hoping that thing was going to be OK.”
He got here up in need of the water and managed to get up-and-down for par by making an 8-foot putt. He took care of the opposite par-5s with birdies, added one other with a 30-foot putt on the par-3 fourth and solely minorly perturbed by lacking an 8-foot birdie probability at the tip.
“If I didn’t make some of the putts I needed to today, it would have been like a 2-over probably, or worse,” Schauffele stated.
Only 25 gamers from the 73-man subject managed to interrupt par, a gaggle that included Rory McIlroy at 70, and that was with 4 birdies on his final six holes.