06/06/26 05:51:00
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06/06 17:50 CDT Bad weather halts 3rd round of Memorial with J.T. Poston and
Ryan Gerard still in front
Bad weather halts 3rd round of Memorial with J.T. Poston and Ryan Gerard still
in front
By DOUG FERGUSON
AP Golf Writer
DUBLIN, Ohio (AP) --- J.T. Poston and Ryan Gerard were tied for the lead
Saturday at the Memorial when a second round of bad weather arrived and wiped
out the rest of the third round before it had time to take shape.
It might have come at a good time for Scottie Scheffler, who was making quite a
charge until two bogeys in three holes, the last one from an iron off the tee
into a creek.
And it probably won't help the players like Poston who face a long Sunday to
make up for the lost time and then have 36 holes of U.S. Open qualifying Monday.
Poston and Gerard were tied at 9-under par through five holes, one shot ahead
of Sam Burns, who was through six holes.
Even with four hours of daylight available, the PGA Tour felt there was enough
thunderstorm activity on the way to call it a day. The third round was to
resume at 7 a.m., followed by a final round off both tees in threesomes for the
first time all week.
Only 21 players finished the round, with Harris English (69) posting the best
score at 3-under 213.
Scheffler, trying to join Tiger Woods as the only players to win three in a row
at the Memorial, started 10 shots behind and bogeyed the first hole. And then
in a matter of minutes, or so it seems with Scheffler, he was in fourth place
after a birdie-birdie-eagle stretch approaching the turn, and then an 8-foot
birdie to start the back nine.
But then he had a three-putt par from some 65 feet, back to front, on the par-5
11th. He found a back bunker on the par-3 12th, a spot where it's nigh
impossible to keep it on the green (he didn't) leading to another bogey.
And then on the 14th, his iron drifted left and led to a splash and a penalty
stroke, adding to a bogey that dropped the world's No. 1 player to 2 under for
the round, still eight shots behind.
Rory McIlroy also was eight behind through 16 holes.
And this was no longer the same Muirfield Village, fast and firm and
frightening all week, suddenly softened by bursts of rain and even some hail.
No one felt it quite like Justin Thomas, who made a superb par save from behind
the 18th green on Friday to make the cut on the number. That got him to the
weekend, and he played as a single. Thomas figured that would at least give him
the best weather, the best conditions to put up a good number and salvage the
week.
But he only played 12 holes in dry conditions before the first delay of 1 hour,
40 minutes. Enough rain fell to make the course a touch easier. And now 32
players still on the course return to a course much softer and easier.
Thomas could only chuckle at his bad luck after his round of 72.
"That's kind of the joy of being first off because you normally get no wind and
an easier course," he said. "But I missed the window. You know, you've got to
play better."
Poston, meanwhile, can take a little stress off with one more long day of good
play. A victory or even a runner-up finish would be worth enough world ranking
points to move him high enough in the world ranking to be safe for the top 60
next week and get into the U.S. Open.
___
AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf
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