Justin Suh signed for a 6-under 66 on the Memorial after which made just a few stops to talk with the media. His putter stayed with him your complete time, which in all probability was clever.
The method it behaved Friday when he holed eight putts from the 10-foot vary or longer, he won’t need to let it out of his sight.
Suh made one final birdie on the 18th that gave him a one-shot lead over previous champion Hideki Matsuyama, with two-time Memorial champion Patrick Cantlay one other shot behind.
“On the first hole, I made a 12-footer for par on the fringe. I just kind of kept the confidence with the putter going,” Suh stated.
Two of his longer putts have been to save lots of par, and there have been loads of birdies alongside the best way on one other sunny, scorching afternoon at Muirfield Village.
Matsuyama and Cantlay performed within the morning, two gamers who contemplate the course Jack Nicklaus constructed amongst their favourites all yr. Matsuyama’s placing was equal to Suh produced within the afternoon, rolling in massive birdie putts on his option to a tournament-best 65.
“To make those putts at 7 and 8 were huge,” Matsuyama stated. “I made some good par-saving putts today. The course is playing tough, especially the greens. If the greens get even harder than they are now, it’s going to be a challenge this weekend. But today, the putts went in and so I’m satisfied.”
Cantlay was very good once more from tee to inexperienced — the model of golf that often succeeds at Muirfield Village — and made sufficient putts for a 67. Several burned the sting of the cup. He additionally made a 50-foot birdie putt from the again of the inexperienced on No. 17.
The course performed a few stroke simpler, although it was a good stability. On each days, the morning wave had comparatively calm and heat, and the afternoon wave obtained wind and warmth.
Suh was at 8-under 136 going into the week as he goals for his first PGA Tour title.
The PGA Tour packaged him with a powerful faculty class in 2019 that featured Suh, who reached No. 1 as an newbie whereas enjoying at Southern California; Collin Morikawa of Cal; U.S. Amateur champion Viktor Hovland and Matthew Wolff of Oklahoma State.
Within weeks of turning professional, Wolff and Morikawa have been PGA Tour winners. Hovland was not too far behind. Suh started lacking cuts, handled a wrist harm and took a distinct route. He stated it wasn’t tough to observe their prompt success.
“I thought the better they do, almost better for me. Because they’re the same year as me. If they can do it, I can do it. So it brought a little bit more confidence,” Suh stated. “Over the course of three years, I didn’t really think about what they were doing. I knew what I had to do to get better and I’ve stayed consistent doing the same things ever since I was in college.
“I think everyone is kind of on their own path.”
Suh gained the Korn Ferry Tour factors title final yr, and he’s been on the upward development — he contended on the Honda Classic, had a prime 10 at The Players Championship and was two out of the lead going into the weekend of the PGA Championship earlier than faltering.
This ought to be one other sturdy check.
Matsuyama gained his first PGA Tour title at Muirfield Village in 2014 and being again provides him an emotional spark in a yr that has been slowed by a neck harm. Cantlay has a recreation that matches wherever, however he loves the Memorial, and it reveals.
David Lipsky (69) joined Cantlay at 6-under 138.
The group 4 photographs behind included Rory McIlroy (68) and Jon Rahm (70).
McIlroy was principally glad together with his end. He performed effectively on Thursday solely to get a horrible break when his ball hung in thick grass on the slope of a bunker, resulting in a triple bogey on the 18th gap that worn out his good work and gave him a 72.
This time he completed sturdy for a 68 which places him within the combine going into the weekend.
“I felt good about everything that I did yesterday,” he stated. “I got one bad break on 18. So I really feel like I’m one shot out of leading this golf tournament. … I can’t let that one unlucky break hide the fact that everything else was working pretty well.”
Rahm opened with back-to-back bogeys and stayed the course, ready for birdie alternatives that finally fell his method. He performed bogey-free the remainder of the best way, picked up two birdies on par 5s and closed with a birdie on the 18th to get in vary.
“You’ve got to assume very few players in the afternoon were going to play bogey-free, so you have to go to work and take advantage of the holes coming up,” Rahm stated.
The minimize was at 3-over 147, and Scottie Scheffler made it on the quantity.
Scheffler, again to No. 1 on the planet rating, has not completed worst than twelfth all yr. Keeping that streak alive will take some work, to not point out some putts. He ranks final in placing among the many 66 gamers who made the minimize.