Friday 3 June 2016 21:31, UK
Dustin Johnson set a blistering pace on a low-scoring opening day of The Memorial as he claimed the outright lead with an eight-under 64 in Ohio.
Johnson blitzed Jack Nicklaus' Muirfield Village layout for 10 birdies as no fewer than 79 of the 120-player field managed to break par in the first round, while world No 1 Jason Day is just two off the lead.
But Rory McIlroy has ground to make up after he offset six birdies with three bogeys and one double-bogey in his 71, and Jordan Spieth could not hit the heights of his winning form at Colonial last week as he returned a 70.
Hudson Swafford threatened to post the first 59 of the year after he stormed to the turn in 29 only to struggle on the back-nine, but Johnson was the star of the day as he started and finished the outward half with three consecutive birdies.
Johnson hit his first three approaches to inside 12 feet and converted each time, and he responded to a bogey at sixth with another three straight gains before a superb 175-yard tee-shot to three feet at the 12th started a run of four birdies in a row.
The American erred again at the 17th when he pushed his approach into a greenside bunker and failed to get up and down, but he parred the last to set the early clubhouse target which only Brendan Steele came close to matching.
Steele also got off to a flying start with five birdies over the first seven holes, and he answered a bogey at the 10th with another birdie at 11 before he made a mess of the 14th, where a poorly-struck wedge approach from the fairway found the rough and he took four more shots to get down.
But he bounced back with birdies at 15 and 17 before pulling off the shot of the day at the last as his 154-yard second pitched a few inches to the right of the hole and spun into the cup for a thrilling, closing eagle two.
Steele signed for a 65 and outright second, while Day was ominously placed on six under along with Swafford, 2013 champion Matt Kuchar, in-form New Zealander Danny Lee and Canadian David Hearn.
Day, a member at Muirfield Village, birdied three of the first five holes and reeled off three straight from the 11th before following a bogey at 14 with an eagle at the 529-yard 15th, which he reduced to a drive and a mid-iron to seven feet.
Kuchar kept a bogey off his card in his 66, while Lee holed his 90-yard third to the seventh for eagle and Hearn's second shot from close to 200 yards at the 10th also found the cup for a remarkable two.
Luke Donald continued his encouraging recent form as he emulated Johnson in birdieing the opening three holes and picked up further shots at the seventh and eighth to turn in 31, although the putts dried up on the back nine and he settled for a round of 67.
Phil Mickelson was a shot further adrift after a 68 which included an adventurous birdie at the long 15th after his drive struck a marshall on the head, but the marquee pairing of Spieth and McIlroy were let down by a series of mistakes.
Spieth carded five birdies but closed with his third bogey of the day at the ninth, although McIlroy did well to salvage a sub-par round thanks to a birdie-birdie finish.
