Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry both battled through rocky openings to post under-par scores at the €17.2 million Memorial Tournament in Ohio, with the Irish duo firmly in the mix after the first round at Muirfield Village, hosted by golf legend Jack Nicklaus.
Shane Lowry
Shane Lowry sits on two-under-par after an up-and-down round that included early setbacks but a strong finish.
The Offaly man began with bogeys on his opening two holes before finding his rhythm with a birdie on the par-five fifth. Further birdies on the eighth, 11th, 13th, 15th and 17th helped recover his position, despite additional dropped shots along the way, leaving him just three shots off the lead.
Lowry’s 70 keeps him in contention behind a leading group that includes Tommy Fleetwood, Wyndham Clark, J.J. Spaun and Ryan Gerard, all of whom opened with five-under 67s.
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Rory McIlroy, meanwhile, signed for a one-under-par 71 after a mixed but resilient round featuring both setbacks and moments of brilliance.
The Masters champion’s troubles began early when he found water at the third for a double bogey, but he responded impressively with three consecutive birdies to reach the turn at one under.
His round remained eventful, with a hooked drive on the 13th leaving him in deep rough before a strong recovery saved par. At the 14th, he produced a superb approach to within two feet to pick up another birdie, while on the 15th his second shot struck a tent wall before dropping back down the slope—yet he still managed to scramble par.
McIlroy’s final hole brought more frustration as another errant tee shot left him in the rough and he narrowly missed a seven-foot putt for par, finishing at one under.
Speaking after his round, McIlroy said:
"I felt like I played pretty well, for the most part, especially after making that double (bogey) on the third hole, to play the rest of the round in three under was good."
He added:
"It is a tough course, you have to concentrate on every shot. The greens are very firm already, very fast, (you) get yourself above the hole, it is very tricky."
And continued:
"I would like to hit a few more fairways, give myself a few more chances from the short grass, but overall, not a bad score to build from."
The Holywood golfer is playing just his sixth regular PGA Tour event of the year, continuing a carefully managed schedule as attention gradually turns toward the upcoming US Open at Shinnecock Hills in New York.
Tommy Fleetwood. Marco Lacobucci Epp, Shutterstock
At the top of the leaderboard, Tommy Fleetwood shares the lead at five under alongside Wyndham Clark, J.J. Spaun and Ryan Gerard. Fleetwood said he was pleased with his scoring despite imperfections in his long game.
"In general I played OK, I played fine. I just wasn't 100% by any means with my ball control from the fairway with my irons, but still shot five under, so it couldn’t have been that bad."
Behind them, Nick Taylor sits at four under, while Justin Rose and Sam Burns are among those a shot further back.
World number one Scottie Scheffler, chasing a third straight title at the event, opened with a one-over-par round after a difficult back nine that included a double bogey at the par-three 16th. Aaron Rai, the reigning PGA Championship winner, also struggled to make early inroads after posting a 73.
