Jack Nicklaus always envisioned the Memorial as a northern version of the Masters, from the superb course conditions to super-slick greens, from caddies wearing white coveralls to grounds so immaculate that nary a cigarette butt is to be found.
He got his wish yesterday, at least with the greens.
Mathew Goggin spent as little time on them as possible, taking only nine putts over his final nine holes on his way to a 7-under-par 65 and a one-shot lead over Jerry Kelly and two-time Memorial champion Kenny Perry.
“Is that possible?” Goggin said when told he had nine putts on his back nine at Muirfield Village in Dublin, Ohio.
Strangely enough, he was 3 under playing his best golf, then hit some loose shots that produced four birdies over the final six holes.
“It was one of those bizarre days where I didn't drop any shots coming in with the poorly played holes,” Goggin said.
Perry found the right speed and ran off six straight birdies on his way to a 66, also taking 22 putts. Kelly birdied four of his last six holes. Ten other players also managed to break 70 on a day when the average score was 73.7.
Most everyone else hung on for dear life.
Shaun Micheel had a 55-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole that traveled 35 yards back into the fairway. Boo Weekley watched a wedge land near the hole at the par-5 11th, only to spin back to the front of the green, off the green and into the creek for a triple bogey.
One area that kept this from being anything like the Masters was the field.
It was tough enough for the Memorial to lose Tiger Woods (knee), Vijay Singh (ribs), Steve Stricker (elbow) and Adam Scott (fatigue). The field expanded to 120 players this year to keep all invitationals consistent in size, but several players didn't want to come.
Ten alternates got into the tournament, but the list went down 17 names because of alternates who withdrew.
Sorenstam seven back at Ginn Tribute
Annika Sorenstam's name is everywhere at the Ginn Tribute except where she wanted it most – near the top of the leaderboard after the opening round.
Sorenstam's even-par 72 left her seven shots behind co-leaders Karrie Webb and In-Kyung Kim, and tied for 60th at RiverTowne Country Club in Mount Pleasant, S.C.
