LOS ANGELES (United States) — A pair of US Open winners in Wyndham Clark and JJ Spaun were in a four-way tie for the lead alongside Tommy Fleetwood and Ryan Gerard after the first round of the PGA Tour Memorial tournament.
Spaun, gearing up for his US Open title defense at Shinnecock Hills in two weeks, fired six birdies in his five-under par 67 at Muirfield Village in Dublin, Ohio, seizing his share of the lead with a birdie at 18 where he stuck his approach a foot from the pin.
Clark rolled in a 45-foot eagle putt from the fringe at 15 and added five birdies in his five-under round while Gerard had an eagle, eight birdies, three bogeys and a double bogey.
England’s Fleetwood, meanwhile, had five birdies without a bogey, his solid short game proving key in a round in which he hit only seven greens in regulation.
“Scored,” Fleetwood said of what he did well. “I got the most out of the round, totally.
“I got away with a couple of poor misses. Hit the pin a couple of times when it was going past. But in general I played OK.
“I just wasn’t a hundred percent by any means with my ball control from the fairway with my irons. But still shot five-under, so it couldn’t have been that bad,” Fleetwood added.
Spaun was delighted to get himself back atop the leaderboard after nearly letting his round get away with bogeys at the 11th and 12th.
“I thought I did well between the ears today,” he said. “When I gave some back on 11 and 12, I could have probably let that round go. But just kind of hung in there.”
