Dublin, Ohio …
Martin Laird brilliantly grabbed two eagles with the space five holes to shoot a 71 on day one of the Jack Nicklaus hosted Memorial in Dublin, Ohio.
Laird had been two over–par after just four holes in the bright but windy conditions before landing his 5–wood 242–yard second shot at the 11th hole to four–feet and holed the first eagle putt in the Muirfield Village course.
Then after a birdie at the 14th, Laird then reached the green with his 230–yard second shot at the par five 15th hole and then sunk the 16–foot eagle attempt.
”I think that was the second time I have managed two eagles in the one round but to have been two–over through four holes I said to myself that there is a couple of reachable par 5s and that I needed to make the most of them and I did”, he said.
“They were not easily reachable but were reachable so it was great to take advantage of both and standing here now really pleased.
“The margin for error around this golf course is very fine and you only have to be a yard or two out and your dead compared to landing a shot stiff.”
The effort handed Laird, and contesting the event for a sixth time, but a first in two years, trailing six shots behind the clubhouse leading and former Memorial champion, David Lingmerth and American Jason Dufner.
Russell Knox, and the only other Scot in the field, began horribly in taking a triple bogey “7” after a wild first tee shot right that cannoned off a tree and then over a cart path. He chipped out and then after finding the green in five strokes two–putted from 12–feet.
However to his enormous credit Knox knuckled down be even at the turn on route to a respectable one under 71.
