Matsuyama holes out, shares Memorial lead

Tiger shoots par, overcomes bad start with strong back nine

DUBLIN, Ohio — Hideki Matsuyama and Tiger Woods hit their stride at the end of their rounds at the Memorial, and it paid off in different ways.

Matsuyama was in the middle of the pack at Muirfield Village when he ran off four straight birdies and then holed out with a wedge from 130 yards on the 17th hole for an eagle that sent him to a 7-under 65 and a share of the lead with 19-year-old Joaquin Niemann of Chile and Abraham Ancer of Mexico.

“As the round went along, I played better and better,” said Matsuyama, who got his first PGA Tour win at the Memorial four years ago.

So did Woods, which helped him avoid another big number on a course where he has won five times. Woods three-putted from 25 feet to fall to 3 over with five holes to play. He answered with three straight birdies — two of them on par 5s on the front nine — and got up-and-down from 62 yards on the ninth hole for a 72.

“It was nice to somehow grind out the round, turn it around and finish even par,” said Woods, playing the Memorial for the first time since 2013.

U.S. WOMEN’S OPEN: In Birmingham, Ala., Ariya Jutanugarn, Sarah Jane Smith and Jeongeun Lee each shot a 5-under 67 Thursday to share the first-round lead at the U.S. Women’s Open at Shoal Creek. EUROPEAN TOUR: In Brescia, Italy, English duo Robert Rock and Laurie Canter and South Africa’s Richard Sterne all shot rounds of 8-under 63 on Thursday to share the lead after the first round of the Italian Open. Memorial Tournament 12:30-4:30 p.m. (Golf)