Memorial Tournament: First-Round Notebook  PGA TOUR Staff DUBLIN, Ohio -- The three-way tie at the top of the leaderboard is the biggest for an opening-round lead at the Memorial Tournament since 1998, when four players shared the Thursday lead with rounds of 66 (Steve Pate, Trevor Dodds, Joey Sindelar, Davis Love III).  Co-leader Nick O'Hern's opening 65 was his best round of the year. (Michael Cohen/WireImage)
• Thursday's scoring average of 71.240 is the lowest-ever first-round scoring average at the Memorial Tournament. It is just the fifth time in 32 events that the first-round average has been below par at Muirfield Village Golf Club. Before today, the lowest first-round average was 71.433 in 1995. Last year's first-round scoring average was 73.551. Fifty-seven of the 104 players broke par in the first round and there were 29 rounds in the 60s. • Sean O'Hair's 7-under 65 marks his career best round at Muirfield Village. After a first-round 67 in 2006, he was one-stroke back of first round leader Steve Flesch. He went on to finish T12. • Nick O'Hern's 7-under 65 is a season-best round. In 2005, his only other start at Muirfield Village Golf Club, he opened with a 5-under 67 and finished tied for sixth. He was one stroke back of leader Jeff Sluman through 36 holes He did not play in the 2006 Memorial Tournament due to his wife's difficult pregnancy. • Three players have made the Memorial Tournament their first PGA TOUR victory: Keith Fergus (1981), Kenny Perry (1991) and Tom Lehman (1994). • While the Memorial Tournament has always had an international field, only five different international players over the 31-year history have won the event, including 2006 winner Carl Pettersson. The other four: Ernie Els (South Africa, 2004), David Graham (Australia, 1980), Greg Norman (Australia, 1990, '95) and Vijay Singh (Fiji, 1997). There are four international players among the top five on the leaderboard through the first round: three Australians, Rod Pampling (T1), Nick O'Hern (T1), Aaron Baddeley (T4); and Ernie Els (T4) of South Africa. • Ernie Els is 13-of-13 in made cuts at the Memorial Tournament and is one of four players in tournament history to have played in the event at least 10 times and never missed a cut. The 2004 Memorial Tournament victory was Els' last TOUR win on American soil. His 6-under 66 was his first round in the 60s at Muirfield Village since he won in 2004. He closed with a pair of 66s when he collected his first title in Dublin. • The par-4 18th played as the most difficult hole on Thursday with an average of 4.260.The closing hole at Muirfield Village Golf Club has played as the hardest hole in 13 of the 31 years of the Memorial Tournament. • A total of 24 players made their Memorial Tournament debuts on Thursday. This year's list includes Eric Axley, Daniel Chopra, Chris Couch, Ken Duke, Johan Edfors, Robert Garrigus, Ryuji Imada, Craig Kanada, Anthony Kim, Doug LaBelle II, Will MacKenzie, John Mallinger, Stephen Marino, Geroge McNeil, Jeff Quinney, Richard Ramsay, Kyle Reifers, John Senden, Jeev Milkha Singh, D.J. Trahan, Nick Watney, Boo Weekley, Mark Wilson and Yong-Eun Yang. Watson (T4), MacKenzie (9) and Nick Watney (T10) all rank among the top 10 after 18 holes.
• The only player in the Memorial Tournament's history to lead after the first round and go on to win the event was Ernie Els in 2004 (68-70-66-66--270). The tournament has never had a wire-to-wire winner. • Bogey-free rounds: Ernie Els (66), Ryan Moore (66), Ted Purdy (68), Charles Howell III (69) and Jason Gore (70). • Playing in his 354th career event on the PGA TOUR, Phil Mickelson was forced to withdraw after 11 holes of his first round at the Memorial Tournament due to a left wrist injury. Mickelson was 2 over par at the time. It was his second career WD -- his first being the 2004 Las Vegas Invitational, where he withdrew prior to the third round due to food poisoning. At the time, Mickelson was T27 after posting rounds of 66-68 (-9). • Lucas Glover withdrew with back spasms. ... Zach Johnson withdrew during his round with strep throat. Copyright 2007 PGATOUR.com. All rights reserved. |
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