The mind is dazzled by the combinations and permutations.
In the Memorial Tournament presented by Workday’s final round, 22 players were within three of the lead; therefore, anyone other than Brutus Buckeye might win on Sunday.
But it’s evident that Rory McIlroy, who is one of three co-leaders along with Si Woo Kim (71) and David Lipsky (72), is superior to the other two.
McIlroy, the only golfer to have won the FedExCup three times and a 23-time PGA TOUR winner, has had to learn to dial it back off the tee at Muirfield Village because pinch points in the fairways take the driver out of his hands.
He resembles a fastball specialist in baseball who suddenly switches to a variety of curveballs, sinkers, and off-speed pitches.
In his 12th attempt at Muirfield Village, where his best finish is a T4 from 2016, he has so far had success.
“Just getting the ball in play is a big deal for me up here because of how punishing it is off the tee. Thus, reducing the throttle and using a lot of 3-woods and irons off of tees. using the driver in a rather random manner.” he said.
Five players are tied for the lead at 5 under par, with Viktor Hovland (69) and Wyndham Clark (70), the winner of the Wells Fargo Championship, appearing to be the most dangerous challengers.
Hovland hasn’t made a worse-than-bogey this week, in contrast to many others.
Only two back were Patrick Cantlay (74), Hideki Matsuyama (75), who had combined for three Memorial victories, Keegan Bradley (65), who made the cut despite shooting the day’s best round, and Collin Morikawa (68).
However, McIlroy, the third-ranked player in the world, has the best view of the trophy right now. When playing Sunday with No. 2 Jon Rahm (68, five back), No. 1 Scottie Scheffler will be in a tie for fifth place. They will start two hours and forty minutes before the leaders, at 10:55 a.m. There are undoubtedly too many people in front of them.
On this course, it is advantageous that McIlroy doesn’t need to make up any ground.
Regarding his game strategy, he said, “Just hanging in there.”
He has been working his way back from a mini-slump that saw him miss cuts at THE PLAYERS Championship and the Masters’ Tournament. His last PGA TOUR victory was THE CJ CUP in South Carolina last October. At the Wells Fargo Championship at Quail Hollow, where he has won three times, he didn’t do much more than make it to the weekend.
A top-10 finish at the most recent PGA Championship, however, provided a sign that one of the game’s most brilliant players might be on the path to redemption. He later declared his game to be in much better shape at the Memorial. He might just be overdue. He also acknowledged that, in contrast to a few other people on the leaderboard, he has “quite a bit of experience” in high-pressure scenarios.
But Muirfield Village is playing so aggressively that one slip-up could ruin anyone’s prospects, he added in the next breath.
“You feel uneasy playing around this golf course. That’s how everyone will be feeling,” he said.
Bradley, whose 65 included a bogey on hole 18, said, “There’s no room for error out here.”
Almost every player has already given in to a failure or a difficult period. In his third round, Cantlay tripled the sixth hole, while Matsuyama made three bogeys and a triple in his first five holes. McIlroy triple-bogeyed the final hole of his first round.
His neck was giving him some trouble as well.
“It was challenging in the middle of the round and started to stiffen up a little, but by the conclusion of the round it started to feel fantastic, and I’m looking forward to tomorrow. Prior to receiving therapy, I must practice a little, but just half as much as normal.” Matsuyama said.
Mark Hubbard (72, one back) bogeyed the final three holes while Lipsky bogeyed three of the final six holes. On the PGA TOUR, neither has triumphed. Denny McCarthy (68, one back) hasn’t either. Si Woo Kim double-bogeyed the third and eleventh holes while playing in the Sony Open in Hawaii, where he, like McIlroy, will attempt to win for the second time this year.
Kim nevertheless seems potentially harmful. He may just need to rally on the greens (he is 37th in Strokes Gained: Putting), as he is first in Driving Accuracy, second in Strokes Gained: Off the Tee, and second in Scrambling. He is a closer who performs well under pressure and recently won the Sony in January.
Swing has a similar sensation. Like, I think I hit a lot of excellent tee shots and iron shots, and maybe the putter will seal the deal. I’ll take it, though, especially since I made two doubles and shot under par on this course.
It’s going to be a very interesting final round on Sunday.
