DUBLIN, Ohio — Adam Hadwin had too many birdies to complain about ending his spherical on the Memorial on a bitter notice Thursday. His 6-under 66 was sufficient to steer Masters champion Scottie Scheffler by 1 shot and provides the Canadian hope he’s turning the nook on the proper time.
Hadwin was among the many few who conquered a Muirfield Village course that was tender from rain however no much less punishing. He birdied 4 of 5 holes towards the top of the primary spherical — 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 6 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.
Schauffele returned for the primary time since successful his first main on the PGA Championship. His recreation felt scrappy from tee-to-green. His spherical was saved by his putter. Schauffele someway managed a bogey-free 68 to get proper within the combine.
“I’ll go to the vary and hit the middle of the clubface slightly extra, discover some extra fairways and greens,” he mentioned. “I am joyful. I am pleased with how I caught in there and actually joyful my brief recreation bailed me out on a day that would have been loads worse.”
Corey Conners, Collin Morikawa and Ludvig Åberg additionally have been at 68, with defending champion Viktor Hovland amongst these at 69.
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 area for the Olympics is finalized. Every nation will get two gamers (a most of 4 in the event that they’re within the high 15).
Hadwin hasn’t completed within the high 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 past month I’ve most likely performed my method … not out of the dialog, however definitely out of an excellent place to be in,” Hadwin mentioned. “So coming into this week, I do know the questions are all the time going to be there, however I believe for me particularly, it was crucial this week to get into the method.”
Scheffler has been within the course of for what looks as if perpetually. 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.
However after splitting the center of the golf green on the 535-yard fifth gap, Scheffler seemed all the way down to see a big clump of mud on the highest and to the correct of his golf ball. It was sufficient to contemplate laying up, besides a creek runs down the center towards the inexperienced, and he had no thought which path the ball was going with a lot mud on it.
“Hindsight, possibly I might have aimed it down the center of the creek and simply see the place it could have went and possibly it goes in one of many fairways,” he mentioned. “However on the time, that did not actually appear to be a good suggestion.”
So he went for the inexperienced and watched it fly 60 yards left of the place he needed — 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 working away from him. He delicately received that to the perimeter and made bogey on the simplest gap of the day.
The remainder of the spherical was stable, as ordinary, ending with an strategy to a foot on the 18th, which performed as the toughest gap of the opening spherical.
Schauffele was bogey-free and he is unsure how. His largest scare additionally got here on 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 is the place extra water awaits.
“When the ball was within the air, I closed my eyes,” he mentioned. “I would not name myself non secular, however I hoped that factor 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 likelihood on the finish.
“If I did not make among the putts I wanted to at the moment, it could have been like a 2 over most likely, or worse,” Schauffele mentioned.
Solely 25 gamers from the 73-man area managed to interrupt par, a gaggle that included Rory McIlroy at 70, and that was with 4 birdies on his final six holes.
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