‘Relaxed’ Davis Riley leads Memorial by one after late birdie spree
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Davis Riley plays a shot from a bunker on the eighth hole during the first round of the Memorial Tournament.
PHOTO: AFP
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WASHINGTON – A “relaxed” Davis Riley birdied three of his last four holes to seize the lead after Thursday’s opening round of the PGA Memorial Tournament, where last-hole setbacks deflated big names Rory McIlroy and Jordan Spieth.
Riley, ranked 79th, has not made a cut since taking his first PGA title in April at the tour pairs event in New Orleans.
But the American, a back-nine starter, sank a 13-foot birdie putt at the par-four ninth to finish on five-under 67, one stroke ahead of England’s Matt Wallace at Muirfield Village in Dublin, Ohio.
Riley credited a more relaxed approach for his round, blaming over-eagerness since his maiden PGA win for his string of missed cuts.
“I’ve been more and more eager to get there and been in my own way a little bit,” he said.
“I felt like I had a hard reset at the beginning of this week... I just tried to relax a little out there and hit every shot to the best of my ability. It was a good day and I had some good shots that kept the momentum going.”
The 26-year-old pitched his third shot inches from the hole to birdie the par-five 11th and added an eight-foot birdie putt at the 14th before his lone bogey at 18th.
After a birdie from just inside four feet at the third, he caught fire late with birdie putts from just outside 12 feet at No. 6, just inside five feet at the next hole and his closer.
“Those were holes that I kept momentum on and when I was on the green I felt like I had nice looks and I made putts,” added Riley, who reached 11 of 18 fairways and nine of 14 greens in regulation.
Irishman Shane Lowry, the 2019 British Open champion, and England’s Danny Willett, the 2016 Masters winner, were in a pack on 69 that also included Canada’s Adam Hadwin and Americans Spieth, Mark Hubbard, Austin Eckroat and David Lipsky.
Three-time Major winner Spieth and playing partner McIlroy, a four-time Major champion, were contenders when they reached the 18th hole, but the American made bogey and the third-ranked Ulsterman had a triple-bogey disaster and finished with a 72.
Spieth, though, has overcome the nagging left wrist injury that bothered him at the PGA Championship in May.
“I feel good. I wouldn’t be playing if it was any bit of an issue at all,” the world No. 11 said.
“I just took enough time off.”
Masters winner Jon Rahm, the world No. 2 from Spain, opened with a 70 while top-ranked American Scottie Scheffler fired a 74. AFP
