Precision on par-5s helps Holmes shoot 66
J.B. Holmes shot his best round ever at the Memorial Tournament on Friday, a 6-under-par 66 that featured an eagle on the 15th hole for the second consecutive day.
Holmes, who was 2 under going into the second round, belted the ball 299 yards off the tee at No. 15. After that drive down the left side, the 36-year-old known for his long-distance shots struck a 237-yard approach to the green with a 5-wood, and then sank a 13-foot putt on the par-5.
Holmes birdied each of the other par-5 holes — Nos. 5, 7 and 11.
“Played the par-5s great today,” he said.
Holmes also didn’t have a bogey Friday. He had three of them the day before when he also holed an eagle on No. 15 on an 11-foot putt after a drive of 277 yards and an approach of 245 yards.
The eagles, combined with four birdies Friday and three on Thursday, have helped him shoot below par on back-to-back days as he tries to get his game on track.
“My season this year hasn’t been the best for me. I haven’t played great,” Holmes said. “It started out pretty good with fourth place in San Diego, and J.B. Holmes, hitting his second shot on the 18th hole, didn’t have a bogey in the second round.
then I’ve struggled with the putter since then. Just little things. So it’s a good start to the week. Hopefully, I can
continue playing like this.”
Holmes, who finished tied for fourth at the Memorial in 2016 and tied for 13th in 2012, shot a round of 67 each of those years. Putting is “a big deal” in performing well at Muirfield Village Golf Club, Holmes said. It’s also an aspect he has struggled with, he noted, which is why he emphasized that coming into the tournament.
Holmes said he had a lesson with his instructor, Matt Kellen, earlier this week.
“I felt like I really kind of found something that clicked, and it’s been good since then,” he said. “I’ve hit the putts where I’ve been aiming and some have gone in.”