Augusta, Muirfield parallels might help Reed
In a list compiled on Golf.com a few years ago, Muirfield Village Golf Club was cited as one of six courses to draw inspiration from Augusta National. It’s an obvious comparison, given Jack Nicklaus’ significant ties to both.
And if that holds true when this year’s Memorial Tournament gets underway Thursday, nobody is better positioned to take advantage than Patrick Reed, the reigning Masters champion. Standing in the rough surrounding the 18th green on Monday afternoon after a practice round, Reed said he understands the comparisons while preparing for his fourth Memorial.
“I feel like there’s a lot of similarities around the greens because of how fast and how slopey they get,” he said. “It’s very important to putt well and have good speed but also have control of your golf ball coming into the greens. You’ve got to leave yourself in the right spots. If you miss greens, if you don’t miss them in the right spots, it’s penalizing.
“It’s a place that when you come, Mr. Nicklaus is definitely going to challenge every part of your game, not just one part of it.”
It did that last year, when Reed shot a first-round 76, including shooting a combined 6 over par on the final three holes. Two years ago, he finished tied for eighth at 12 under. This year, he comes with the confidence engendered by winning his first green jacket.
A win here “would mean a lot,” he said. “To win one of the greats’ golf tournaments would be awesome. We all sat down after all the adrenaline wore off and discussed that we’re not going to have this event, just because we won the Masters, be the satisfying, ‘you’re done (moment).’ We’re using it as a steppingstone to keep on moving forward and practice harder, work harder and try to get back to that winner’s circle.”
It was roughly two weeks ago that Andrew Dorn received a phone call informing him that he’d received a sponsors’ exemption to be part of the Memorial field. For the Cincinnati Moeller product who was a three-time all-Big South selection at Coastal Carolina, it qualified as a pretty big deal.
“Being from Ohio, you view this place as our Augusta,” he said. “It’s awesome, and so that’s what my goal was coming up here early was to get rid of that whole, ‘Wow, this is Muirfield.’ I’ll never get rid of that, but it’s getting a little easier.”
Prior to the call, Dorn said he’d played the course twice in his life. Monday’s practice round marked his seventh since learning he’d be participating this year, and he took time in between holes to sign autographs with a red sharpie and speak with a half-dozen family and friends on hand to cheer him on.
“I’ve been up here since (last) Wednesday practicing,” he said. “I’ve been staying at a friend’s apartment and coming out here and playing and just trying to get comfortable.”
A mix of golfers took in practice rounds Monday despite temperatures reaching into the mid-90s under sunny skies. As former Memorial champion Kenny Perry teed off on the 10th hole, he shook hands and spoke briefly with Justin Thomas, the world’s topranked golfer.
Not far away, finishing up some work on the 18th hole, was amateur Will Zalatoris, a 21-year-old native of San Francisco who moved to the Dallas area when he was 9 years old. As he worked on his bunker approaches and got a feel for his first appearance here, Zalatoris brushed off the elements with a smile.
“This is another day in paradise, honestly,” he said. “It’s supposed to be 105 back home.
The PGA Tour released a sneak-peek look at the first two days of the Memorial, and among the big-name groups is the trio of fivetime Memorial winner Tiger Woods, defending Memorial champion Jason Dufner and the tour’s most recent winner, Justin Rose, who is coming off a win at Colonial (and also captured the 2010 Memorial).
Other marquee threesomes: Westerville resident Jason Day-Dustin JohnsonRory McIlroy; Jordan Spieth-Bubba Watson-Phil Mickelson; and ThomasReed-Rickie Fowler.