DUBLIN, Ohio - The longtime PGA Tour veteran posted an opening-round 6-under 66 at the Memorial Tournament that included eight birdies. It was just another solid start for the former Ryder Cup team member, who has made a habit of opening strong so far this season.
Riley ranks 24th in first-round scoring average at 70.23 this year and seven of his 13 under-par rounds have taken place on Thursdays. On this particular Thursday, it was – as usual – his putter that helped him climb the leaderboard.
“I really putted good,” said Riley, who took 25 putts in the round. “I made a lot of nice par saves. I made one on 6 – my 15th hole – for, like, 20 feet for par. First hole I made about a 15-footer for par. It was just one of those days where everything was going in the hole and it felt pretty good to see that.”
What remains to be seen is whether Riley can keep it up. After that overall strong opening-round performance this year, he ranks 162nd, 130th and 158th in second-, third- and final-round scoring average, respectively.
Sobel has covered golf since 2004 and provides columns, blogs, chats for Golf Channel.
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