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Scheffler, Wind Stories At Memorial Tournament
Dublin, OHIO — Friday’s play at the Memorial Tournament presented by Workday saw wind serve as the story of the day as the inconsistent weather frustrated plenty of golfers.
As players were committed to a certain shot, the wind would change or stop altogether forcing golfers to back off, some switching clubs altogether.
While some had success with out, others slammed their clubs in disgust, including Adam Schenk who hit an iron hard off the rough. Later when he was set to tee off on the ninth hole, Schenk wanted to pull a certain club off the tee but was unable to because it was said iron, and it was bent to where he could not immediately repair it.
“I hit 6-iron on 12, probably hit one club too much, that’s definitely not a 6-iron hole, not in this wind today, but it’s just gusting and moving,” Jason Day remembered. “I can’t remember what the sustained was, I think right around when we finished it’s like sustained at 18, gusting all the way up to 30, 30 plus.”
Scottie Scheffler had told reporters that Muirfield Village Golf Club would play firmer, and the wind only added another layer of protection to that.
“You get this wind and if it was as fiery as it has been in previous years it would be treacherous, but it’s still, the ball’s holding on the greens and on the fairways and you still have opportunities to make birdie,” Rory McIlroy explained. “Anything under par I think is a good score, but, yeah, very hard to go low.”
The variety of winds were what caused the biggest challenge and though Eric Cole did not complain and mostly contained his frustration on the course, he articulated how it played out on the golf course.
“The wind was tough, it was relatively consistent direction, but it would be calm for one second and then gust severely,” opined Cole. “The course is so tough that a small difference makes a big difference in where your ball and ultimately end up.”
SCHEFFLER IN FAMILIAR TERRITORY
Scottie Scheffler was looking to break out of a crowded leaderboard and found a friend in the 15th hole, which has been the easiest at Muirfield Village Golf Club thus far.
He fired a shot 225 yards, getting the ball to within eight feet and converting an eagle.
It was just a kind of nice hold 3-iron and, yeah, felt like I had a good number and it’s nice when I have a number where I want to cut it and the pin’s on the right and that was one of those instances. So, I was able to hit a really nice shot in there pretty close to the pin and hole the putt.
Leave it to Scottie Scheffler to make an eagle look this easy.
He leads by 2 @MemorialGolf. pic.twitter.com/UFrEqh2fEJ
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) June 7, 2024
All three of Scheffler’s birdies on the front nine came from putts that were less than 10 feet.
Scheffler was penalized on the par-5 11th hole when his drive found the rough, would hit it into the bunker and three-putted the hole.
He missed the fairway on the 13th hole as well, ultimately making another bogey.
After the highlight on 15, Scheffler completed his round with an 11-foot birdie, the exclamation point which places him three shots ahead of Adam Hadwin and last year’s champion Viktor Hovland.
This is Scheffler’s 14th career 36-hole lead/co-lead on the PGA Tour, most of any player since joining in 2019-20 and it is his fifth this season.
Scheffler leads the field in Strokes Gained: Off The Tee (2.469) and Strokes Gained: Tee To Green (8.514).
Hadwin, the first-round leader had an up-and-down front nine, and steadily held at -8 before a double bogey on the last hole as he twice found a bunker.
“Very solid golf, tee to green,” said Hadwin of his round. “I felt like I had a, let a couple go maybe on 13, 14, but I hit 3-wood on to the green on 11 for a third shot. So, solid, speed control on the greens has been great. Would like, you know, just clean up a couple of those wedge shots, and other than that it was a pretty good round.”
Hovland matched his three-under par round from Thursday with three back-nine birdies to overcome an inconsistent front nine.
“The greens were firmer today, so that already makes the greens play a little bit smaller, and then obviously some nice gusts there, and some steady winds makes it even more difficult,” Hovland determined. “So did a good job of just hitting a bunch of fairways, but even then, there’s a lot of thinking and guessing going into the greens. It’s just hard to get it close to the hole, but I managed to do that today somehow.”
Birdie at the last for the defending champ.
Viktor Hovland is in prime position heading into the weekend @MemorialGolf. pic.twitter.com/uCmvSxn0Bo
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) June 7, 2024
Christian Bezuidenhout had the round of the day with his 5-under par 67 and was part of the second group to go out Friday morning
Bezuidenhout’s round got off to a strong start with a 38-foot birdie. The flatstick would serve him well as he led the field with 151 feet of putts made Friday and was 8-for-9 in scrambling, tying for second.
“I knew it was going to be tough today, so I just said to myself, just try to keep it simple, just try to hit the greens, give yourself putts,” he said. “The greens at Muirfield are so pure, if you read it well and start it well you can make a lot of putts, and that’s what I did today. Obviously from off the green as well on No. 6 was a bonus. Normally, if you shoot a special round like that things have to go your way in the round, and it did and, yeah, I’m happy with the round today.”
Keegan Bradley joins Bezuidenhout in being tied for fourth place. Bradley eagled the seventh hole, hitting a 257-yard second shot to 15 feet and burying the putt and on 18 stuck his approach shot to 20 inches of the flag, emphatically ending his round.
“It’s always tough out here at Memorial, but today was extra tough,” revealed Bradley. “It’s one of the best rounds I’ve played all year.”
The cut was set a +4 with 52 players advancing to the weekend. Among those who missed the cut were, Jordan Spieth (+5), Patrick Cantlay (+7) and Rickie Fowler (+14).
One player who did make it to the weekend was amateur Jackson Koivun who earlier in the week earned the Nicklaus Award and thus was able to play.
Koivun was at +5 after 10 holes and in danger of missing the cut, but buried a 14-footer on 14 and two-putted on 15. Even when Koivun gave one shot back on the final hole, he shook Brandt Snedeker’s hand knowing he was playing the weekend.
“Today played really hard,” deduced Koivun. “I think today is probably the hardest golf conditions and course I ever played. I’m pretty happy with how I played. When I missed the fairway I wasn’t very smart in what I did, but other than that I played solid. It means so much to come out here with that sponsor’s exemption and hopefully make the cut and play this weekend.”
THE MEMORIAL TOURNAMENT PRESENTED BY WORKDAY SECOND ROUND LEADERBOARD
- Scottie Scheffler -9
T2. Adam Hadwin -6
T2. Viktor Hovland -6
T4. Christiaan Bezuidenhout -5
T4. Keegan Bradley -5
- Ludvig Aberg -4
T7. Akshay Bhatia -3
T7. Tony Finau -3
T7. Rory McIlroy -3
T7. Xander Schauffele -3
