Down a rib, Merritt makes his move

DUBLIN, Ohio – The rib is long gone and the blood thinners are no longer a part of his routine.

Troy Merritt is slowly starting to feel like his old self again after dealing with the rigors of a blood clot in his arm last summer, followed by surgery early this year to remove a rib that was causing the issue.

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After feeling his way back into the PGA TOUR over the past two months, the two-time TOUR winner has opened the Memorial Tournament presented by Nationwide with rounds of 69 and 66 to move into a tie for the lead at 9-under-par.

Merritt won the Barbasol Championship last year in July, but soon after, his arm turned purple. He couldn’t lift it. His wife insisted he see the doctor.

They found a massive blood clot that extended from his chest to his elbow. The underlying cause was a condition called thoracic outlet syndrome.

“Basically my top rib and clavicle were too close together, and it pinched the vein and it caused the blood clot,” Merritt explains of the condition common in major league pitchers.

Merritt had the clot removed and then played with the aid of a compression sleeve and blood thinners. He was over that by Janiary, so he decided to have the problem rib yanked out.

Not only has that allowed the pills to go by the wayside, but it has also created a secondary benefit no one was expecting.

“It's freed me up a little bit more on my golf swing,” Merritt smiled.

“My tempo has been better ever since it was out. I had tight scalenes (muscles that elevate the first rib) throughout the years, and I get to the top of my backswing and it would pinch a little bit and cause me to get a little quick.

“Now they're not tight anymore and I can take my time, and as a result I hit the ball quite well in 2019.”

Merritt’s position atop the leaderboard at Muirfield Village is clearly one he is happy to be in, but not one he totally expected just yet. His always svelte frame has even less defined muscle these days, but he’s working on his strength and golfing endurance.

At 110th in the FedExCup race, he could use some decent results to go with the T4 he had at the Safeway Open and the T10 he mustered at the RBC Heritage.

But that is not his focus at the moment, especially as his latest win has him exempt through next season.

“I'm just trying to get 20 starts. I'll play all summer long. Not really looking at the points race too much. But just planning on playing a lot of golf,” he said halfway through his 12th start.

“The course is still very scorable and very gettable. I think you'll see a few guys get in double digits and stay there. We put our self in a good position for this weekend. We'll see what the weather does. I can't imagine the course is going to change too, too much. Just go out and make a bunch of birdies. It's nice to be in contention.”