Muirfield Village is a 7,569 yard par 72 and the venue for this week’s Memorial tournament. Course designer Jack Nicklaus makes it an extremely difficult test especially with 11 holes surrounded by water. This is the seventh PGA Tour Signature Event with a prize fund of $20 million. A field of 73 includes major champions Xander Schauffele, Rory McIlroy, Scottie Scheffler, Collin Morikawa, Jordan Spieth, Wyndham Clark and Justin Thomas. Day two was extremely difficult to shoot a good score due to a consistent breeze of 20 miles per hour which dried out Muirfield Village. +4 was the halfway cut and major champions Clark, Spieth, Justin Rose and 2021 FedEx Cup champion Patrick Cantlay were all forced to have a weekend off.
Day one’s Markee early group was world number one Scottie Scheffler and Masters runner-up Ludvig Aberg. It was business as usual for Scheffler as he started his round with two birdies in three holes to reach -2. Scheffler hit an incredible iron shot from 115 yards at 11 to return -2. Scheffler was excellent on the back nine making four birdies to sign for an impressive -5 round of 67. Scottie Scheffler -5 was paired yet again with Ludvig Aberg for Friday’s second round. Scheffler hit all greens on the front nine to shoot an impressive -3 and go two ahead at top of leaderboard.
The leader of PGA Tour Bogey Avoidance category dropped two shots in three holes and returned to -6. The two-time Masters champion showed why he is top of PGA Tour Bounce Back Ability with a sensational eagle at 15 to reach -8. Scheffler has won four times in 2024 and finished with a birdie at 18 to shoot a -4 round of 68. Scheffler -9 is three shots clear of -6 Viktor Hovland and Adam Hadwin. Hovland has returned to coach Joe Mayo and will need a repeat of 2023 FedEx Cup win to challenge Scheffler on Saturday & Sunday.
Christian Bezuidenhout -5 round of 67 was the lowest score on Friday. Bezuidenhout -5 is in a tie for fourth with 2023 Travellers Championship winner Keegan Bradley. Aberg wasn’t faced by playing with Scheffler as Masters runner-up shot an opening -4 round of 68. Aberg’s second round of 72 included holing a bunker shot for birdie at 17.
McIlroy played the first round at 06:20pm Irish time with Thomas. McIlroy advanced to -1 due to a superb shot from 163 yards at 10. McIlroy hit an incredible shot out of the rough from 271 yards at par five 15th and tapped in a short-range putt to return evens. The four-time major champion continued to battle with two amazing iron shots at 16 and 17 to reach -2. McIlroy finished with a par at 18 to shoot an impressive -2 round of 70.
McIlroy -2 got off to a perfect start on Friday with a sensational fairway bunker shot and tapped in a short-range putt to reach -3. A lack of concentration by the Northern Irishman as a three putt at four leads to a bogey. McIlroy bounced back immediately at the par five fifth hole with a quality bunker shot and held his birdie putt to return -3. McIlroy missed both the fairway & green at nine resulting in a bogey and headed to 10th tee -2. Another lack of concentration as McIlroy missed the fairway with a layup at 11 but hit an incredible third shot, held his birdie putt to reach -3. An up and down day for the Northern Irishman continued with a bogey at 12 followed by a birdie at 14 and finished on -3.
Maiden major winner Schauffele showed why he is second in PGA Tour Bogey Avoidance category especially with shooting an opening -4 round of 68. Schauffele’s highlight of Friday was holing a bunker shot for birdie at 14 and world number two will head into Saturday on -3. Akshay Bhatia and Tony Finau are also both well placed on -3. Two-time major winner Collin Morikawa and 2023 Europe Ryder Cup star Tommy Fleetwood are tied 11th on -2. Seamus Power qualified for next week’s US Open and will start Saturday on -1. Shane Lowry +3 shot an excellent back nine of -2 to book a Saturday tee time.