Memorial 36-Hole Round-Up: Rory Is Back! Rory Is Back!

How about that great play from the lad, such a turnarou...what? Oh, that Rory? Really? The courtesy car ditcher?

Even Doug Ferguson had to note the other Rory taking the Memorial lead in his AP lede:

That other Rory – Rory Sabbatini – played his best golf in the worst weather Friday at the Memorial and made a surprising appearance atop the leaderboard. Right behind him was a Tiger Woods that looked all too familiar.

He also noted this about Tiger, who lurks one back in search of his 73rd PGA Tour victory.

Woods looked strong for the second straight day, though he also had another double bogey that slowed his progress. What pleased him was controlling his ball in the wind for plenty of birdie chances that led to a 69.

''I hit the ball well all day, and it was a day that I needed to,'' Woods said. ''The wind was blowing out there, swirling in those trees, and it was just a tough day.''

Steve Elling noted that Woods did this with horrible allergies Thursday, and now a cold or flu bug that developed in round two.

Tiger Woods politely declined to shake hands with a couple of folks after his round at the Memorial Tournament, and not because he was upset with his round or didn't wanna mingle with the little people.

Somewhere over the course of the week, and it wasn't helped by the rain and 50-degree weather on Friday, he caught a cold of flu bug.

“Dude, this is June, right?” Woods said.

As for McIlroy, Dave Shedloski called it "another inexplicable display of desultory golf."

On the par-5 11th, McIlroy layed up poorly on the edge of a creek right of the fairway and then watched his third kick backwards into the water when he tried to hack his ball into the fairway from a thick lie.

"Probably a bit of bad judgment because I thought I could just chip it back out," said McIlroy, who finished fifth in last year's Memorial. "But if I had have examined the line maybe a little bit closer, I might have just taken a drop straight away."

When he drove into another creek left of the fairway at 14, it marked the fourth time that McIlroy had found a water hazard in two rounds.

Bob Harig noted that Rory's lousy play probably still won't be scrutinized like Tiger's.

And yet, you won't see McIlroy take the same kind of bashing Woods would receive if had missed three straight cuts. There will be no cries for McIlroy to dump his swing coach, Michael Bannon, who came over from Northern Ireland to help his star student this week.

Jim McCabe talked to Luke Donald, who sounded very excited to be chatting about his rival, but did offer a blunt take on Rory's troubles.

Donald shrugged.

“He made a few errors, careless errors. I’m sure when Rory puts a few solid rounds together he’ll be fine.”

Elling looked at Rory's day, with full quotes from the lad, and noted how long it's been since Rory played this poorly:

McIlroy, 23, last missed three straight cuts in August, 2008, on the European Tour.

Ashleigh Ignelzi and I discussed the first two rounds of the Memorial. It's about 5 minutes long:



And the PGA Tour highlights include Tiger's 194-yard 8-iron at 16.

Another Memorial Video: The Last Of The Calligraphy Boards

It's a dying breed even though no one has come up with a better or more artistic replacement, in my view...

Video: Tom Watson's Memorial Honoree Speech

Nice background listening while you're finishing up the week at work...this is Tom Watson from Tuesday's Memorial honoree induction. Jack Nicklaus's emotional introductory speech can be viewed here.

Memorial Photo Caption Fun, Jack And Rory Edition

Screaming out for a Jack thought bubble...Tweeted by Rory:

Video: Muirfield Village's 14th And 18th

Two quick looks at design features that television may not fully capture at Muirfield Village, starting with the 14th hole creek bank that may be overflowing as I post this (yes, a deluge here in Columbus), followed by the 18th hole water hazard.

Memorial: Erik Compton Carrying A Columbus Heart

Steve Elling on Erik Compton's late 67, overshadowed by Phil's WD, comes with a heavy dose of irony for the two-time heart transplant recipient playing in Dublin, a suburb of Columbus.

Four years ago he was on his deathbed in a Miami hospital, awaiting a second donor heart after the one he received at age 12 had all but blown up.

Compton's current heart came from Isaac Klosterman, a 26-year-old Dayton native and Columbus resident who was killed in a cycle crash in Miami.

Compton, whose story has gone global since he's the only sports figure in the world who has undergone two heart transplants, is a rookie on the tour this year after playing his way to the big leagues via the Nationwide Tour. As you might imagine, given the medicine cocktail he consumes everyday, his life isn't exactly predictable.

The first round highlights from the Memorial:

Update on 2012-06-01 12:51 by Geoff

**If you don't know Compton's story or just forgot how amazing it is that he even can play on the PGA Tour, much less fire 67 at Muirfield Village when it's playing tough, I'd point you to two of my favorite reads. There was this March 2009 piece by Steve Elling at CBSSports.com and this September '08 piece from Jim Moriarty of Golf World.

Phil WD's From Memorial Citing Mental Fatigue

Steve Elling on Phil Mickelson's post-79 WD at The Memorial, citing mild burnout from three tournaments in succession followed by an overseas trip to celebrate his wife's 40th birthday.

“I came back and had a Tuesday outing in Long Island, the pro-am, and I think mentally I'm a little bit fatigued,” Mickelson said. “So the course here is in such great shape, it's a beautiful way to get ready for the U.S. Open.

“But I'm hitting it so poorly that I think that for me to I have to look at what's best for me to play in the U.S. Open, and I'm going to take the next few days to kind of rest up.”

Doug Ferguson put the WD, which figures to be criticized by many, into context:

It's not unusual for players to withdraw after a high score - it was Mickelson's worst in the 13 trips to the Memorial - and three other players withdrew Thursday. But it's rare when the player is of Mickelson's stature, a four-time major champion inducted this month into the World Golf Hall of Fame.

Steve DiMeglio explains that the WD goes against Mickelson's views on competing.

Mickelson could not think of another time he withdrew without physical injury.

"I feel like it's the responsibility of a player to see through your commitment and finish the tournament and so forth," Mickelson said. "And I'm kind of overruling that just a touch, because I'm trying to think big picture on what's the best way for me to get ready for the Open."

If you are wondering what the tour policy is for a fatigue WD, Jason Sobel explains how the regulations work:

Despite initial thoughts to the contrary, it appears Mickelson will not be subject to punishment from the PGA Tour. According to the 2012 PGA Tour player handbook, Article IV, Section A-8 states: “Fatigue will not be considered a valid reason for withdrawing.” However, this particular rule applies only to players who withdraw after committing to a tournament and prior to beginning the opening round or those who withdraw during a tournament round.

After the completion of a tournament round, no reason for withdrawal is necessary.

Update on 2012-06-01 02:15 by Geoff

**Jim Moriarty added this:

"It has nothing to do with playing poorly and so forth." He mentioned a possible visit to his coach, Butch Harmon, and an early arrival at Olympic Club. "I might go spend a couple days there if I feel up for it the next four or five days," said Mickelson.

Bob Harig notes how quickly Mickelson's round went bad:

Mickelson was at even par after a birdie at the 11th hole but then played the last seven holes in 7 over, with five bogeys and a double bogey. He shot a 42 on the back nine.

It was Mickelson's worst score on the PGA Tour since a 79 at the 2004 Canadian Open.

And Robert Lusetich caught up with tournament host Jack Nicklaus:

Of course, the Golden Bear wasn’t going to make a scene about Mickelson quitting.
He's too classy for that.

"We're sorry that Phil withdrew," Nicklaus said. "He's always a great addition to our field and we look forward to seeing him again next year."

Hopefully, he stays for at least two days.

Video: Jack Nicklaus's Entire Induction Speech For 2012 Memorial Honoree Tom Watson

The sound isn't ideal, but thankfully the Nationwide folks recorded this and posted it in its entirety as you'll see Jack Nicklaus as emotional as you've ever seen him.

Update on 2012-05-31 22:27 by Geoff

**Jim Moriarty and I discussed the Nicklaus/Watson friendship in a Nationwide Digital Media house chat, and here's a highlight...

Video: Keep An Eye On The 16th At Muirfield Village

As I post, Muirfield Village's 201-yard 16th is the second hardest hole with a scoring average of 3.433.

Here's a video attempting to explain why this newish hole continues to play so tough in year two of its existence. Coverage begins at 3 ET on Golf Channel.