Day, who won The Players Championship last month, continued his brilliant run of form on Thursday as he registered a 66, during which he made three birdies and a bogey on the front nine. And in some respects, it seems like a long time.
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And McIlroy won the Irish Open with two dramatic fairway metals that set up two-putt birdies on two of the final three holes to win the Irish Open for the first time.
Spieth now leads all golfers in the par-five scoring stats and his ability to close will be important again this week as he builds on last week’s victory with the confidence and momentum to contend for the win again this week at Dublin. “And now Jordan and Rory are both closing in on it”.
Jordan Spieth walks with Rory McIlroy on the 13th hole during the first round of The Memorial Tournament at Muirfield Village Golf Club. And the Australian who now lives in OH is assured staying at the top regardless of what happens this week.
After his Masters meltdown in April, Jordan Spieth would be approached by fans not quite sure what to say.
“We were probably the three better players”, Nicklaus recalled, “but right behind us, there was [Billy] Casper, and there was [Lee] Trevino, and [Tom] Watson came along”.
The hype is building for another showdown at a major, just as it was at the Masters.
Spieth hit only two fairways and three greens on the back nine, but he didn’t pay for it.
The greens at Augusta National are on the quick side, too, and McIlroy never broke 70 when he tied for 10th. That title was more about marketing through Mark McCormack and IMG, and besides, they already had collected a large share of the majors.
Spieth ended on two under, while his playing partner McIlroy suffered a double-bogey on the par-three 15th to end the day seven shots off Johnson. They have rotated at No. 1 since August 10. Not coincidentally, that was the last time he won.
“I felt like I just played well right out of the gates”.
“Being on top is just as hard because you have to work harder than what you did climbing that mountain to try and stay on top”. There’s nothing wrong with being bothered by that. “So it’s great to see how they’ve responded so quickly”.
Smoking cigars during the round, the 53-year-old Mediate closed with a 5-under 66 – holing a 15-footer for par on the last at Jack Nicklaus-designed Harbor Shores – for a three-stroke victory over two-time defending champion Colin Montgomerie.
Jason Daywaves his golf ball during the final round of THE PLAYERS Championship.
McIlroy feels the same way.
“I think that Dustin Johnson is arguably the most talented player on the PGA Tour”, Spieth said this week. “Just got to be a little more consistent with putting”.
“Just didn’t get off to a good start on the first few holes striking, and from there it got me thinking about stuff, ” he said.
“You’ve got the likes of Rickie Fowler, Patrick Reed, Dustin Johnson, Hideki Matsuyama, Justin Thomas, who we’re playing with tomorrow”. This tournament falls two weeks before the US Open, so it’s an ideal tune up for America’s championship.
“I felt like my pace wasn’t good”, McIlroy said of his left-hand-low style.
Day, a member at Muirfield Village, entered the week without a top-25 finish in the event.
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“Horrific”, Day said of his record.
