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Tiger Woods confirmed indicators of his five-month layoff Thursday, his one-under-par 71 placing him 5 strokes behind first-round chief Tony Finau on the Memorial Tournament. Woods hadn’t teed it up on the US PGA Tour since a stiff again hindered him on the Genesis Open at Riviera in February. He opted to sit down out the primary 5 occasions for the reason that tour returned to motion within the wake of a three-month shut down caused by the coronavirus pandemic. The 15-time main champion had 4 birdies in his one-under effort, rolling in a 14-foot birdie on the 18th at Muirfield Village to complete the day in purple numbers.
“I felt good, I was little bit rusty, but I felt like overall it was a good start,” Woods mentioned, including that he was completely happy to really feel the outdated pre-tournament “edginess” regardless of the dearth of followers on the course.
“It was a good feeling,” mentioned Woods, who opened with a birdie on the 10th gap and was two-under by way of three earlier than bogeys on the sixth and eighth.
His birdie at 15 was his first all day at a par-five, however he gave a shot again with a bogey from a greenside bunker at 16 earlier than closing with a 14-foot birdie putt.
“I got a feel for the round early, I just didn’t make anything today,” Woods mentioned. “I was very pleased with the way i drove it, my feel for my irons, I just didn’t quite hit the putts hard enough. Most of my putts were dying.”
Woods was very a lot within the combine, nonetheless, on a day when robust, windy circumstances made Finau’s six-under effort, which included 9 birdies, all of the extra spectacular.
Finau strung collectively three straight birdies on the ninth, 10th and 11th, and closed with back-to-back birdies at 17 and 18 to tug one stroke away from Ryan Palmer.
Palmer had a formidable 5 birdies and not using a bogey in his five-under 67.
It was an extra stroke again to Brendan Steele and 2019 US Open champion Gary Woodland.
“I made a lot of putts,” Finau mentioned. “Honestly I didn’t feel like I hit it great off the tee. I didn’t hit enough fairways to shoot six-under.”
A unique course
Woodland was among the many gamers who teed it up final week at Muirfield Village, which hosted the Workday Charity Open as a part of the tour’s revamped schedule.
But he mentioned course arrange and the windy climate made for a special problem.
“It’s a different golf course,” Woodland mentioned.
“It’s firm, the conditions were pretty tough, it was pretty breezy today,” he mentioned, including it took extra endurance and a extra conservative strategy than the course accommodated final week, when Collin Morikawa beat Justin Thomas in a playoff after each completed 72 holes at 19-under par.
World quantity two Jon Rahm, who has an opportunity to topple Rory McIlroy from the primary rating this week, shared fifth on 69 with Lucas Glover and Charles Howell.
Promoted
McIlroy, enjoying alongside Woods, fired a two-under 70 whereas Thomas and Dustin Johnson, who additionally went into the week with an opportunity to topple McIlroy from atop the rankings struggled.
After posting 4 rounds within the 60s final week, Thomas opened with a 74 whereas Johnson carded an eight-over 80 that included a triple-bogey and two double-bogeys.
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