Muirfield day of reckoning

Merry weekend, ladies and gentlemen. The days are long and so are PGA Tour players, but that doesn’t mean Jack Nicklaus is gonna let anyone bully his golf course.

(If John Huggan sees this newsletter’s headline, we know it’s Muirfield Village. We know. But sometimes you have to make sacrifices for a headline.)

Twilight zone

The PGA Tour may have played Muirfield Village Golf Club last week, too, but what the pros saw yesterday at the Memorial Tournament was not the same course. The field scoring average jumped almost two full shots from last Thursday, and nearly 90 players ended up over par. Fifty of them didn’t even break 75! Leaderboard

Although many players got wrecked on Thursday, a few put together excellent rounds. Tony Finau birdied four of his final five holes to finish with a 66. The gentle giant hasn’t had his best stuff since the restart, but taking last week off seems to have turned things around for him. He made social media headlines for hitting 206-mph ball speed and shooting a 59 (with a bogey) on his home course.

Finau is too good to have just one PGA Tour win. Maybe this is his weekend.

Odds and ends

After rounds of 77-81 and an MC at the Workday Charity Open last week, Ryan Palmer bounced back with a bogey-free 67 in the first round of the Memorial. He sits one shot behind Mr. Finau.

Collin Morikawa (76) and Justin Thomas (74), last week’s playoff contestants, struggled in the morning wave. Other big names like Dustin Johnson (80), Rickie Fowler (81), Xander Schauffele (78), and Webb Simpson (76) had a hard time as well.

Tiger Woods opened with a respectable 71 in his first event of the summer. He was so-so off the tee and around the greens but struck his irons like he usually does. Calm conditions are expected this morning; Big Cat, who has an 8:17 a.m. ET tee time, could get himself in the mix with a low round.

We can’t make it through a newsletter these days without a Bryson DeChambeau mention. The big goof lumbered his way to a 73 on Thursday, but it was his 423-yard drive on the 1st hole (his 10th) that got everyone’s attention. It wasn’t even his only drive over 400 yards; he launched one 407 on the 17th.

After Bryson’s display, tournament host Jack Nicklaus was asked a few questions about distance in the modern game during the afternoon coverage. “You just can’t keep making golf courses longer; you don’t have the land,” he said. “And the golf ball is such a simple thing to fix.”

Save me, San Francisco

Steph Curry may host a PGA Tour event in the San Francisco area after all! Last year, the Warriors star was attached to a potential tournament at Lake Merced Golf Club. Ultimately that deal fell through. But now, according to the San Francisco Chronicle, Curry’s event is back on the table. It would be hosted at TPC Harding Park, host of this year’s PGA Championship. We’re hoping this idea comes to fruition; Curry is a golf nut, and his involvement would likely attract a lot of interest.

Quick Hooks

PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan is holding out hope that fans could return for the U.S. Open in September. All events up to Winged Foot have ruled out galleries. A decision from the USGA is expected in the coming weeks.

SMU product Austin Smotherman leads through two rounds of the Korn Ferry Tour’s TPC San Antonio Championship. Leaderboard

Joost Luiten is off to a second straight hot start in a Challenge Tour event. He leads the Euram Bank Open in Austria by two shots. Leaderboard

Pepperdine rising sophomore William Mouw leads the Southern Amateur at Maridoe Golf Club through two rounds. Mouw, No. 14 in the World Amateur Golf Rankings, won his sixth start as a college golfer and finished his freshman season with a sub-70 stroke average. Southern Amateur Leaderboard

The Latest from The Fried Egg

Fried Egg Stories: The Ball

Our miniseries on the golf ball is here! Garrett Morrison talks with a host of experts on the technology, evolution, and impact of the golf ball on the game. The three episodes dive into three distinct eras and reveal how the ball has shaped golf and connected it to the outside world. Guests include Mark O’Meara, Dean Snell, Bob Crosby, Brett Cyrgalis, Harry Brown, Stephen Proctor, Helen Godfrey, and Joe Henley. It’s one of our favorite projects we’ve produced at The Fried Egg, and we’re sure you’ll enjoy the episodes! Listen on iTunes, Stitcher, and Spotify.

Shotgun Start: Swedish Pancakes, BB Guns, and Jack fights back

It’s Friday! If you need to finish out your week with podcast segments on Carl Pettersson and Bart Bryant, you’ve come to the right place. This week-ending episode first discusses the tough conditions at Muirfield Village, where Jack’s voice in the room can influence the typical Dart Board Tour setup. Brendan and Andy discuss how things could only get tougher over the weekend. The tougher conditions, however, did exacerbate the pace of play problem. There are also thoughts on the initial play from Bryson, Spieth, Tony Finau, Pettersson, and Tiger. After a birthday wine giveaway and some news on Steph Curry, there’s probably a way-too-long segment on Pettersson, aka The Swedish Pancake and the Fan Vote Friday Jr. winner. It recounts his five-win career, his “fun” days in college, his weight loss that tanked his swing and subsequent weight gain, the Ryder Cup dilemma, and the anchor ban wrecking his career. A Flashback Friday segment focuses on Bart Bryant, the 2005 Memorial winner. The BB Gun’s career is put in perspective with some amusing quotes on his sudden rise in 2005. Listen on iTunes, Stitcher, and Spotify.

Pro Shop

If you want to hit a 423-yard drive of your own, you’ll need to loosen your belt and start taking down some calories. Luckily our Fried Egg belts come in a bunch of different sizes! Get yours today!