Field at Memorial is wide open as rainy final round looms

DUBLIN, Ohio – A shootout is at the ready for Sunday’s final round of The Memorial at Muirfield Village.

Now if the final 18 can just avoid a washout.

For the third consecutive round, players went on a scoring binge, raining birdies and eagles on the otherwise menacing track full of sharp teeth. With perfect conditions – smooth, soft greens and fairways, mild winds and pleasant temperatures – the game’s best players were licking their chops.

At the end of a rain-filled and play-delayed evening, 20 players were within 4 shots of the lead, led by the trio of William McGirt, Gary Woodland and 2013 Memorial champion Matt Kuchar, who all sit at 14 under through 54 holes. Four players are at 13 under, including Dustin Johnson.

In a week of scoring, Friday’s cut was a tournament-record low 2 under, and the scoring record of 20 under set by Tom Lehman is in jeopardy.

“Scoring conditions were very good,” said McGirt, who is seeking his first PGA Tour title and shot 8-under-par 64 Saturday that included three birdies and an eagle in his first five holes. “Very little wind. Greens seemed a little bit softer than they were yesterday afternoon. Perfect speed for making putts.

“I've been a little bit surprised, with the scores the first two days, that (tournament host) Jack (Nicklaus) didn't give them a little pep today, but we might see that tomorrow.”

They also might see more bad weather. For the 41st round in the 41-year history of the tournament foul weather delayed, interrupted or canceled play.

When the blimp started heading off into the horizon, everyone knew weather problems were looming, and at 5:02 p.m. ET, the third round was suspended when lightning – followed by heavy rain – entered the area.

Eight players still had to finish their round. Play resumed at 7:30 p.m. and Johnson just had to brush in a 2-footer to complete his round of 68.

Knowing the tournament’s history – and eyeing the radar – Tour officials decided to move up tee times for the final round. Threesomes will go off both tees beginning at 8:30 a.m. ET. Leaders are scheduled to go off at 10:30 a.m.

“I'm not thinking anything differently,” Adam Hadwin said of dealing with potential weather problems. He’s seeking his first Tour title and shot 67 to get to 13 under. “We've all got to play the same golf course, especially going 8:30 to 10:30, threesomes tomorrow. We're all going to have the same weather. So if it's raining, it's raining, we deal with it. If it's sunny, we deal with it as well. So we just go out and play.

“That's one thing I've learned over the last couple of years is to not really prepare too hard for what's about to come. I always think too hard about the weather and how to play. I've learned to just let it come and just go get it.”

A lot of players are within range of going after the handshake and hardware they’d get from Nicklaus for winning.

World No. 1 Jason Day, seeking his fourth Tour title of the year, doubled the last but is within 3 shots after a 68. World No. 3 Rory McIlroy had an indifferent 70 and is within 5 shots. And world No. 2 Jordan Spieth is thinking about the U.S. Open in two weeks after he fell down the leaderboard with a 74 that dropped him to 4 under.

Phil Mickelson is at 10 under after a 69.

“At the start of the day, if they said you're going to shoot a 68, I would have taken it, definitely. I think I played pretty good. I hit a lot better than I did yesterday, and there's a lot of positives going into tomorrow,” said Day, who won The Players in his last start. “I did close the gap on that lead a little bit too, so that's a positive. And I'm pretty sure we're going to have some tough conditions tomorrow. If I can play some good golf tomorrow that could shoot me back into contention and hopefully win the tournament.”

Yes, as Day alluded to, the players likely will be putting on rain gear for the final round. The forecast is not bright, as thunderstorms – some severe – are in the offing.

Dodging weather bullets is an annual ritual here. Local lore holds that Jack Nicklaus built his sweeping Muirfield Village on an ancient Native American burial ground that includes the final resting place of Chief Leatherlips, who was executed by his own Wyandot tribe in 1810 for refusing to take up arms against settlers. Thus, the event is cursed by all things weather.

Rain, wind, fog, hail, snow and even a horde of cicadas have played through the event since the maiden voyage in 1976. The joke in these parts is when the dates for the Memorial roll around, animals start lining up two by two.

If the storms don’t materialize, the course will likely remain vulnerable. The rain that fell Saturday afternoon combined with expected overnight storms will lead the course very soft.

“You're in the Midwest,” Woodland said. “In the summer, I'm from Kansas, we haven't gotten away from rain. You're used to it. You expect it coming in. The golf course is perfect, though. Hopefully, we can dodge the rain tomorrow and we can finish this thing tomorrow.”