DUBLIN, Ohio — Jack Nicklaus always envisioned the Memorial as a northern version of the Masters, from the superb course conditions to super slick greens, from caddies wearing white coveralls to grounds so immaculate nary a cigarette butt is to be found.
He got his wish Thursday, at least with the greens.
Mathew Goggin spent as little time on them as possible, taking only nine putts over his final nine holes on his way to a 7-under-par 65 and a one-shot lead over Jerry Kelly and two-time Memorial champion Kenny Perry.
Goggin holed out a bunker shot for birdie on the par-3 fourth, then ended his round with a 12-footer for par from off the green, giving him only 22 putts for his round.
Ten other players also managed to break 70 on a day when the average score was 73.7. Most everyone else hung on for dear life.
Shaun Micheel had a 55-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole that traveled 35 yards back into the fairway.
Boo Weekley watched a wedge land near the hole at the par-5 11th, only to spin back to the front of the green, off the green and into the creek for a triple bogey.
“It was doomsday out there,” Brett Quigley said.
Tolan tied for 44th
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Kyle Stanley shot a 4-under 68, helping Clemson to a one-stroke lead over UCLA at the halfway point of the NCAA men’s Division I golf championship.
University of Colorado junior Derek Tolan slipped from a 10th-place tie to tied for 44th but is very much in contention to make the 54-hole cut heading into the third round.
Tolan, a graduate of ThunderRidge High School, fired a 5-over 77 and has a 36-hole total of 151, 12 strokes behind leader Billy Horschel of Florida.
Tom Glissmeyer, a two-time Colorado high school state champion from Colorado Springs’ Cheyenne Mountain who plays for Southern Cal, shot an 80 for a 155 total.
Footnotes.
Annika Sorenstam’s name is everywhere at the Ginn Tribute except where she wanted it most — near the top of the leaderboard after the opening round in Mount Pleasant, S.C.
Sorenstam’s even-par 72 left her seven shots behind co-leaders Karrie Webb and In-Kyung Kim, and tied for 60th.
Sophie Gustafson was third at 66. U.S. Open winner Cristie Kerr led a group of seven another stroke back at 67.
• Scott Strange made five straight birdies and shot an 8-under 63 to take a one-stroke lead over Edoardo Molinari after the first round of the Wales Open in Newport, Wales.
• Michelle Wie shot a 4-under 68 in the first round of the Ladies German Open in Munich to share seventh place four strokes behind leader Nina Reis of Sweden.
• Walailak Satarak stretched her lead to five strokes over Becca Huffer (71) and Erin Houtsma (75) after shooting a 3-under 69 for a two-day total of 141 at the Colorado Women’s Open at Green Valley Ranch Golf Club.
