DUBLIN, OH — Justin Suh signed the 6-under 66er at the Memorial and then made several stops to talk to the media. His putter stayed with him the whole time, which was probably wise.
The way you acted on Friday, when eight bullets are penetrating from 10 feet or more away, he may not want to let them out of his sight.
Suh made a final birdie on the 18th giving him a one-shot lead over former champion Hideki Matsuyama, with two-time Memorial champion Patrick Cantlay behind him.
“On the first hole, I made a 12-foot par on the fringe. I kind of kept confidence with the putter,” said Suh.
He was due to save two of his longer shots, and there were plenty of birdsong along the way on a hot, sunny afternoon in Muirfield Village.
Matsuyama and Cantlay played in the morning, two players who count the Jack Nicklaus-built track among their favorites of the year. Matsuyama was equal to the produced Suh in the afternoon, rolling a big birdie putt on his way to a career-best 65.
“Making those knees at seven and eight was huge,” Matsuyama said. “I made some good saving runs today. The track plays hard, especially the greens. If the greens get harder than they are now, it will be a challenge this weekend. But today, I got into the putt and so I’m satisfied.”
Cantlay was again great from tee to green – the brand of golf that usually succeeds in Muirfield Village – and made enough shots for 67. Many burned the edge of the cup. He also made a 50-foot birdie kick from the back of the green at No. 17.
The course played about the easier stroke, though it was a fair balance. On both days, the morning wave was relatively calm and warm, and the afternoon wave got windy and heat.
Suh was 8-under-136 in the week as he sought his first title on the PGA Tour.
The PGA Tour paired him with a strong collegiate class in 2019 that featured Suh, who reached No. 1 as an amateur while playing in Southern California; Colleen Morikawa from Cal; US Amateur Champion Victor Hovland and Matthew Wolfe from Oklahoma State.
Within weeks of turning professional, Wolfe and Morikawa were PGA Tour winners. Hovland wasn’t too far behind. Suh began to lose ground, dealt with a wrist injury and took a different route. He said it was not difficult to witness their immediate success.
“I thought they’re better off, almost better for me. Because they’re in the same year as me. If they can do it, I can do it. So it brought more confidence,” Suh said. “For three years I didn’t really think about what they were doing. I knew what I needed to do to get better and I’ve been consistent in doing the same things since I was in college.
“I think everyone goes their own way.”
Suh won the Korn Ferry Tour points title last year, and it’s been on an upward trend — he’s competed in the Honda Classic, had a top 10 at The Players Championship and was two PGA Championship weekend leaders before faltering.
It should be another strong test.
Matsuyama won his first PGA Tour title at Muirfield Village in 2014 and his return gives him an emotional spark in a year slowed down by a neck injury. Cantlay has a game that would fit anywhere, but he loves to memorialize, and it shows.
David Lipsky (69) joined Cantlay at 6-U138.
The group four behind included Rory McIlroy (68) and John Rahm (70).
McIlroy was mostly satisfied with his ending. He played well on Thursday only to get a terrible break when his ball got caught in the thick grass on a bunker slope, resulting in a triple bogey on the 18th hole that wiped out his good work and gave him a 72.
This time he finished strong at 68 which puts him in the mix for the weekend.
“I felt good about everything I did yesterday,” he said. “I had one bad break in the 18th. So I really feel like I’m out at one point driving this golf tournament… I can’t let that unlucky break hide the fact that everything else has been working fine.”
Ram opened with back-to-back bogeys and stayed on the course waiting for birdie chances that eventually fell his way. He played clear of bogeys the rest of the way, catching two birds at par 5 and closing with a birdie on the 18th over to reach the range.
“You have to assume that quite a few guys in the afternoon are going to play fearlessly, so you have to go to work and take advantage of the next holes,” Ram said.
The cut was in 3 over 147, and Scotty Scheffler made it to the figure.
Scheffler, back at number one in the world rankings, finished no worse than twelfth all year. Keeping this streak alive takes some work, not to mention some whacking. He ranks last among the 66 players who have made the cut.