Mixed bag: Watson, Johnson, Marino make Tour return

• By Ryan Ballengee
• May 31, 2012 6:58 PM ET

DUBLIN, Ohio – With a number of players making their PGA Tour return this week at the Memorial, Jack Nicklaus' event could be renamed the Forget-Me-Not Invitational. 

A pair of players returned after lengthy time away with injuries, while another came back from a self-imposed absence.

Masters champion Bubba Watson took the last month off to spend time with his adopted son, Caleb, in Florida. The baby could not leave the state while the adoption process finalized. In his first competitive round since the Zurich Classic of New Orleans, Watson shot 3-over 75. Rust may have contributed to the score, but Watson has never finished better here than T-23 in 2007 and '09.

Dustin Johnson returned from a back injury and a nearly three-month layoff to shoot 1-under 71. Johnson made just two birdies on the day, both coming on par 3s at Muirfield Village GC.

Steve Marino returned after experiencing a bizarre injury to his left leg which has kept him out of action since January. Marino made par on just six holes, dropping shots on four of his first five before going birdie-eagle to head back in the right direction. Eventually, Marino made three more birdies, two more bogeys and a double bogey to shoot 74.