LAST UPDATE | 2 Jun 2022
SHANE LOWRY SHOT 69 to lie on three-under and Rory McIlroy is one shot back on two-under after their opening rounds of the Memorial Tournament in Ohio.
This week’s PGA Tour event is held at the Jack Nicklaus-designed Muirfield Village with both Lowry and McIlroy starting brightly, while Waterford’s Seamus Power is level par after his 72.
The leading group is on five-under with six players shooting 67. American duo Cameron Young and Luke List were joined by Australian Cameron Smith, the winner of the Players’ Championship this year, and South Korean golfer K.H. Lee, as that quartet set the pace early with their clubhouse targets. They were joined by Canadian Mackenzie Hughes and Davis Riley of the afternoon starters.
Will Zalatoris, who lost out in a play-off in the recent PGA Championship to Justin Thomas, is one shot back on four-under after his 68.
Lowry is tied for 10th after his 69, just two shots off the leaders after a blistering back nine. He bogeyed the first, birdied the 5th and bogeyed the 6th to reach the turn in 37. From there Lowry took off and didn’t drop any more shots, while he carded four birdies. He gained momentum on the 11th, 12th and 14th to go to three-under and then crowned at the last as he rolled in a 20-footer for birdie after a brilliant recovery shot from a fairway bunker.
McIlroy is in a tie for 21st after his first round, his 15-footer for birdie just missing out on the last as he had attempted to finish on three-under. He also dropped a shot on the first but turned things around with back-to-back birdies on the 8th and 9th to stand one-under at the turn. The back nine was a mixed bag for McIlroy with birdies on the 11th, 13th and 15th, while also recording bogeys on the 14th and 16th.
Power lies five shots back after his first round. The Waterford native endured a dramatic back nine, which featured two bogeys, a double bogey and three birdies. He had reached the turn on one-under after an impressive front nine consisting of eight pars and a birdie on the par-three 8th. He dropped shots on the 10th and 12th before rebounding with birdies on the 14th and 15th.
Then disaster struck for Power after he had gained some momentum as his tee shot on the par-three 16th found the water. That paved the way for a five there but he helped alleviate the damage with a birdie at the 17th and finished level par.
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