DUBLIN, Ohio — Adam Hadwin had too many birdies to complain about ending his spherical on the Memorial on a bitter observe 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 gentle 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 toes and eight toes on the opposite two — and was buzzing alongside till an enormous clump of mud slowed him on the par-5 fifth gap and led to bogey.
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Schauffele returned for the primary time since profitable his first main on the PGA Championship. His sport felt scrappy from tee-to-green. His spherical was saved by his putter. Schauffele in some way managed a bogey-free 68 to get proper within the combine.
“I will go to the vary and hit the middle of the clubface a little bit extra, discover some extra fairways and greens,” he mentioned. “I am completely happy. I am proud of how I caught in there and actually completely happy my quick sport bailed me out on a day that would have been so much 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 essential time of the yr with solely two weeks earlier than the 60-man discipline for the Olympics is finalized. Every 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 past month I’ve most likely performed my approach … not out of the dialog, however definitely out of a superb place to be in,” Hadwin mentioned. “So coming into this week, I do know the questions are at all times 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 like endlessly. He already is a four-time winner this yr, 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 regarded all the way down to see a big clump of mud on the highest and to the precise 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, perhaps I may have aimed it down the center of the creek and simply see the place it could have went and perhaps it goes in one of many fairways,” he mentioned. “However on the time, that did not actually look like 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 pink 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 decent pin and a inexperienced operating away from him. He delicately bought that to the perimeter and made bogey on the best gap of the day.
The remainder of the spherical was stable, as ordinary, ending with an method 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 greatest 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 decent 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 a number of the putts I wanted to at present, it could have been like a 2 over most likely, or worse,” Schauffele mentioned.
Solely 25 gamers from the 73-man discipline managed to interrupt par, a gaggle that included Rory McIlroy at 70, and that was with 4 birdies on his final six holes.
