DUBLIN, Ohio – For the third time in his last four starts, Blake Adams finds himself on the first page of the leaderboard on the PGA Tour. The third-year player shot 3-under 69 on Thursday to kick off the Memorial Tournament and grab a share of the lead in the morning wave.
‘I think my key was I missed one fairway today,’ he said. ‘I was able to attack when I could and, if not, just kind of play to some fat parts of the green.’
Finding 15 greens in regulation at Muirfield Village GC, Adams had little trouble making pars. He carded three birdies in a five-hole stretch on the back nine to move into contention.
‘I started out with ten straight pars, which is not a bad thing around this place,’ he said. ‘I left some out there, though.’
Adams is getting used to early success in tournaments. Three weeks ago at The Players Championship, Adams opened with 6-under 66 to briefly hold the lead on day one at Sawgrass. A week later, Adams finished the first round two off the lead of Ryan Palmer at the Nelson.
Irrational exuberance over the potential of the next three days is common for someone in Adams’ position. However, he refuses to look too far into the future.
‘It’s just Thursday,’ he said. ‘Yes, it’s a big tournament, but it’s just another round of golf.’