Garrick Higgo opened with a one-under-par 71 on Thursday in the first round of the PGA Tour’s Memorial Tournament presented by Workday at Muirfield Village Golf Club in Dublin, Ohio.
Higgo made an eagle, two birdies and three bogeys to be in a share of 17th with 15 other players. That group was four strokes behind the leader, Davis Riley of the United States, who had a five-under 67 to lead by one from Matt Wallace of England. In the group in 17th with Higgo were last week’s winner on the tour, Emiliano Grillo of Argentina, as well as Viktor Hovland, Collin Morikawa, Patrick Cantlay and Tyrell Hatton.
Higgo’s eagle came with a superb 260-yard approach to the fifth green which left him just outside 25 feet. He made the putt to go two-under early on in his round. His bogeys came from not being able to get up and down from a greenside bunker on the 12th, and from missing the fairways on 13 and 18 and paying the price of having to hack his ball out rather than being able to go for the green.
Christiaan Bezuidenhout was in a share of 48th after his opening one-over 73, while amateur Aldrich Potgieter opened with a two-over 74 for a share of 59th. MJ Daffue was on five-over in a share of 93rd, Thriston Lawrence battled to a nine-over 81 and Dylan Frittelli withdrew from the opening round due to illness.
