The Memorial: Rory McIlroy’s 18th hole collapse drops him 5 back

Gamers by no means win tournaments on Thursday, however they certain can lose them.

By means of 17 holes, Rory McIlroy had a terrific spherical going on the Memorial Event. He sat at 3-under par, only one shot off the lead.

He hit an outstanding wedge shot on the third gap to about two toes, resulting in his first birdie. He holed a 14-footer for birdie on the par-3 eighth, then took benefit of the par-5s on the again 9, making birdie on each the eleventh and fifteenth.

The one blemish on his card was a bogey at 10, the place he three-putted for his 5.

Then McIlroy arrived on the 18th tee.

The ultimate gap at Muirfield Village is an extended, uphill, dogleg proper par-4 that measures 476 yards. A creek left of the golf green threatens something barely pulled, whereas a set of sand traps about 300 yards up the best aspect guards any tee ball pushed.

McIlroy, who hit ten of 14 fairways, hit his last drive of the day proper of the bunkers. Sadly for him, his ball nestled on the aspect of a hill.

The four-time main winner then confronted an ungainly stance as he needed to carry out a baseball-like swing to advance his ball.

Photograph by Andy Lyons/Getty Photographs

His second shot went simply 24 yards and nestled deep into the tough.

McIlroy air-mailed the inexperienced along with his third and made a multitude of issues there, needing two chip photographs and two putts as he in the end walked away with a triple-bogey seven.

In a matter of minutes, he went from tied for second to tied for thirty third. His 3-under-par spherical evaporated, as McIlroy completed the day simply as he began: even par.

The Northern Irishman continues to be in it with 54 holes to play, however he did himself no favors Thursday on the 18th.

When Sunday rolls round—if McIlroy makes the lower—he certainly will reminisce about his day one catastrophe. These three strokes he misplaced would have paid enormous dividends for McIlroy, particularly contemplating he has by no means gained at Jack’s Place.

Davis Riley leads at 5-under after the primary day, whereas Matt Wallace of England sits alone in second place at 4-under.

A number of others, together with Jordan Spieth and Shane Lowry, are 3-under whereas Jon Rahm is 2-under par.