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the memorial Round 1 daily wrap-up

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Daily Wrap Up

DUBLIN, OH - JUNE 02:  Dustin Johnson watches his tee shot on the 15th hole during the first round of The Memorial Tournament at Muirfield Village Golf Club on June 2, 2016 in Dubln, Ohio.  (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)

DUBLIN, OH - JUNE 02: Dustin Johnson watches his tee shot on the 15th hole during the first round of The Memorial Tournament at Muirfield Village Golf Club on June 2, 2016 in Dubln, Ohio. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)

Dustin Johnson leads by one shot after an 8-under 64 in Round 1



    Written by The Associated Press

    DUBLIN, Ohio -- Dustin Johnson set the pace early with 10 birdies on his way to an 8-under 64 at the Memorial.

    One day after Jordan Spieth referred to Johnson as the most talented player on the PGA TOUR, Johnson opened with three straight birdies, made three straight birdies to close out the back nine, added four in a row on the back and wound up with his best score in his nine years at Muirfield Village. He had a one-shot lead over Brendan Steele, who holed out for eagle on the 18th for a 65.

    Jordan Spieth, coming off a victory at Colonial last week, saved his round with his putter. Spieth started with seven straight one-putt greens that allowed him to make the turn in 1 under instead of a score far worse. Once he started hitting fairways and greens, he didn't make quite as many putts in a round of 70.


    THE MEMORIAL: Leaderboard | Round 1 Highlights | Round 2 Tee Times | The Flyover


    Johnson's round was similar to Spieth's in terms of putting. The difference is he had more putts for birdie. Four of his 10 birdies were from at least 10 feet, including a 30-foot birdie putt on the 13th hole.

    Jason Day avoided his aggressive nature to try to catch Johnson on Thursday.

    Day, the No. 1 player in the world and a member at Muirfield Village, played in the afternoon as the clouds began to gather. He rallied on the back nine with three birdies and an eagle, and he wound up two shots behind. That was fine with him. His 66 was his best score in competition on the course Jack Nicklaus built.

    "Mr. Nicklaus told me early, `Just play within yourself.' Being patient is key out here," Day said. "When you see an 8 under, it's hard to be patient. But pleased."

    Rory McIlroy, playing with Spieth, changed back to a conventional putting grip. That helped only so much in his round of 71.

    So much attention was on the top three players in the world because of their ranking, having won five of the last seven majors, and because all three arrived at the Memorial coming off victories.

    Johnson stole some of that attention away with his power and his putting on Thursday.

    "I just played well right out of the gates," Johnson said. "This year, I've felt like I'm playing well. I just haven't quite played up to my potential. With me, it has everything to do with the putter. I rolled it well today. I've been working pretty hard on the putter, and I felt like it's finally starting to pay off."

    Johnson hasn't won since Doral in 2015, though he has had 14 top-10 finishes since and only one missed cut.

    "Every week, I feel like I'm up there and I've got a chance to win," Johnson said. "With this game, you've got to make putts. I mean, it's just what you've got to do."

    Matt Kuchar holed a 15-foot par putt on the 18th hole to join the group at 66 that included Hudson Swafford, who did all his damage on the front nine when he tied the course record with a 29.

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