DUBLIN, Ohio – For a player whose career has been defined by consistency, 2019 has been anything but consistent for Ryan Moore.
After starting his season last fall with a playoff loss at the Safeway Open, he’s managed just one top-10 finish since, which made his bogey-free opening round on Thursday at the Memorial worth enjoying.
“I’ve had two kind of really good finishes, and then a bunch of very moderate golf up around that,” Moore said. “I’d like to make it a little bit more consistent. I’m a guy that can be up there, like top 5s and top 10s, and either I’ve had it or haven’t had it this year, which is a little unusual for me.”
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There was nothing missing from his game on Day 1 at Muirfield Village. Moore birdied five of his first seven holes and played his closing nine in increasingly difficult conditions in 2 under par for the early lead.
His 7-under 65 was his best opening round of the season and was an encouraging start on a course that Moore admits can be a challenge for him being a mid-length player.
“For me, I hit it pretty short and it’s not rolling. It’s playing 5-, 6-irons into holes I’m used to hitting 7-, 8-(irons) into,” Moore said. “The greens are receptive. You’re hitting that 6-iron, it’s not one hopping 3 or 4 yards, it’s hitting and stopping within 10 feet, which is nice for me.”