Riley avoids big numbers for 67
DUBLIN, Ohio — Davis Riley opened with a 67 at the Memorial to finish atop the leaderboard after the opening round for the second straight year. And that’s where the similarities end.
Riley birdied three of his last four holes Thursday afternoon when the turf was firm and the wind was swirling and the bad breaks led to big numbers, as Rory Mcilroy found out.
Riley was in a six-way share of the lead last year. On Thursday, he led by one over Matt Wallace. Jordan Spieth was in the group at 69, ending his hopes for a bogey-free day by hitting into two bunkers on the 18th hole and saving bogey from the second one.
It was hot. It was hard. And at times it was tough to watch.
Chad Ramey hit four shots that went into the water on the ninth hole, which featured a front pin and a stream in front of the green. He made a 13, the highest score ever recorded on any of the holes at Muirfield Village.
He posted an 88, still shy of the record high score of 92 that Roger Maltbie shot in 1979 in a second round that featured 30 mph wind and a wind chill index of 13 degrees.
Dry and hot is the weather tournament founder Jack Nicklaus always wanted but rarely gets, and there were plenty of comparisons to a U.S. Open except for the generous fairways.
Defending champion Billy Horschel has been in a slump, and Muirfield Village was no place to try to snap out of that. Horschel had four 6s on his card of 84.
“My confidence is the lowest it’s been in my entire career. I think ever in my entire golf career,” Horschel said. “So it’s funny, as low as it feels, it feels like I’m not that far off at the same time. Which is insane to see when you see me shoot 84 today.”
DP World Tour: Maximilian Kieffer delighted home fans at the European Open with a 4-under 69 for a share of the lead after the first round.
The 32-year-old Kieffer, bidding to be the first German winner on home soil for 15 years, carded five birdies and an eagle — offset by three bogeys — to share a one-stroke lead with Simon Forsström on Thursday.
“It’s been a great day. On the front nine I holed two very long putts and one chip in from off the green which really got the round going,” Kieffer said.
Forsström had five birdies and a bogey at Green Eagle Golf Courses. The Swedish player won his first tour victory at the Soudal Open in Belgium three weeks ago.
Denmark’s Marcus Helligkilde, Norway’s Kristian Krogh Johannessen, Joost Luiten of the Netherlands and 2017 champion Jordan Smith of England are tied for third at 3 under.
LPGA: Two-time NCAA champion Rose Zhang made her professional debut Thursday on the LPGA Tour, a solid opening round in the Mizuho Americas Open.
The 20-year-old from Stanford who dominated the women’s amateur rankings for more than two years shot a 2-under 70 at Liberty National in the shadow of New York. The Californian was five shots off the lead held by Lauren Hartlage, who shot a career-best 65.