2024 Memorial Tournament scores, takeaways: Scottie Scheffler, Collin Morikawa surge near the top in Round 1

The third major championship of the season may come next week at Pinehurst No. 2, but this week’s Memorial Tournament has already produced a high-caliber leaderboard. Adam Hadwin leads after the first round of action thanks to an excellent 6-under 66, but just behind him are several big names hoping to usurp the Canadian over the next three days.

World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler looked perfect on Thursday on his way to a 5-under 67. A birdie on his final hole pushed him past his competitor, Ludvig Åberg, who needed a stroke more than the American for his first 68. Alongside Åberg at 4 under is the most recent major champion, Xander Schauffele, as the 2024 PGA Championship winner showed few signs of a hangover in his first start since his victory at Valhalla.

Collin Morikawa arrived late with the same score as Åberg and Schauffele, despite playing in the most difficult conditions of the afternoon and missing some chances. The likes of Viktor Hovland, Tommy Fleetwood, Tony Finau, Max Homa, Rory McIlroy and Justin Thomas find themselves in red numbers and within shouting distance, with expectations of a tougher Muirfield Village emerging for the remainder of the tournament.

“I was surprised at how steady it was when we got here on Tuesday,” Scheffler said. “Yesterday’s rain, I think, really smoothed everything out. As long as the rain lasts the rest of the week with the winds we were supposed to have, the golf course will be very, very challenging. a lot of little areas where you have to place the ball, and when the greens get firm and the wind starts to blow, it can be extremely challenging to hit some of those little portions of the greens.”

Fewer chances of rain and more intense winds are forecast for the rest of the week in Dublin, Ohio, meaning Hadwin could very well be within striking distance of the winning score after just 18 holes of play. At 7 under enough to earn a playoff spot a season ago, the players will certainly have their hands full not only with each other, but also with the golf course itself from here on out.

The leader

1.Adam Hadwin (-6)

Hadwin had a tee-to-green day that we typically see from someone like Scheffler. The Canadian gained nearly seven strokes on the course with his long game, with +5.52 of those strokes coming from his iron play. While Hadwin hit 14 of 18 greens in regulation, he made half of his approach shots within 10 feet. Whether he can continue like this is another question, but it remains a good start for the smooth movement of the right.

“It’s only Thursday, there’s still a lot of golf left,” Hadwin said. “Like I said, I played a really solid round of golf today. I was playing off the tee, hit a lot of greens, looked good and then it all started on the back nine. I hit some close slices, enjoyed maybe a little more smooth of Muirfield Village with the rain overnight and we still have three more rounds, and I’ve been destroyed by this place before so I know how fast it can be so keep doing what I did really well today.”

Other contenders

2.Scottie Scheffler (-5)
T3. Collin Morikawa, Xander Schauffele, Ludvig Åberg, Corey Conners (-4)
T7. Viktor Hovland, Tommy Fleetwood, Akshay Bhatia, Seamus Power (-3)

While Scheffler was his usual self, ranking third in strokes gained tee to green, fifth in strokes gained off the tee and second in strokes gained approach, Schauffele struggled with the long game. Leading the field in strokes gained and about average everywhere else, the PGA Championship winner will need to improve if he wants to maintain his position on this leaderboard.

“I’m going to go to the course after this, after we’re done talking, and hit the center of the club a little more, find more fairways and more greens,” Schauffele said. “I’m happy. I’m happy with the way I played, the way I stayed there and I’m really happy that my short game rescued me on a day that could have been a lot worse.”

Perhaps the most intriguing man is Morikawa, who has continued his upward trajectory with his play since the Masters. Reaching five consecutive top 20s in individual events – including a pair of top fives at major championships – the 27-year-old is back. His short game was sharp – as it has been – and his iron game began to resemble the iron game that carried Morikawa to some major titles.

Fighting stars

It wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows for the sport’s biggest names. Some of them will have their hands full if they plan to stay for the weekend. With the field shrinking to the top 50 and those within 10 strokes of the leader after the second round, a few notables are in danger of making the short trip to Ohio:

• Jordan Spieth: +2
• Will Zalatoris: +2
• Patrick Cantlay: +3
• Cameron Young: +4
• Rickie Fowler: +4
• Brian Harman: +4
• Wyndham Clark: +5

Updated 2024 Memorial Tournament Odds and Picks

• Scottie Scheffler: 7/4
• Colin Morikawa: 7-1
• Xander Schauffele: 7-1
• Ludvig Aberg: 7-1
• Viktor Hovland: 10-1
• Rory McIlroy: 12-1
• Tommy Fleetwood: 20-1

Choose your fighter. I loved Morikawa’s arrival during the week, and there’s nothing he did on Thursday to convince me of that opinion. However, I understand some hesitation at 7-1 with 54 holes to play. If you are looking for some value names, Thomas at 40-1, Homa at 75-1 and Finau at 80-1 are all 1 under and present some interest as they will experience easier playing conditions on Friday morning- fair and will be able to make a move.