AVERAGE, BELOW AVERAGE: Tiger Woods, who shot 71, hits a tee shot in the first round of the Memorial Tournament yesterday. Rory McIlroy, the No. 2 player in the world, struggled, shooting a 78. (
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DUBLIN, Ohio — The symmetry of the moment was too rich to ignore.
Tiger Woods, on top of the golf world again with the No. 1 world ranking, four wins already this year and a swing that seems to be reconstructed just to his liking, was striding to the first tee at Muirfield Village to begin his Memorial opening round yesterday.
As Woods was about to embark on his 1:16 p.m. tee time, just down a hill from the first tee box on the ninth green was Rory McIlroy, whose game has taken a precipitous tumble since he reached No. 1 last year, playing his the final hole of his miserable opening-round 78.
One of the oldest axioms in tournament golf for players is they cannot win it on the first day but they can lose it.
The 6-over McIlroy posted effectively ended his chances of winning his first tournament of the year and will most likely leave him on the wrong side of the cut line.
Woods, the defending champion seeking his sixth victory in 14 career starts at the Memorial, shot a 1-under 71 to position himself for a second-round run with an early tee time this morning when the conditions should be calmer.
There were some moments when it looked like Woods would make a move yesterday, but he had a three-putt bogey on the par-5 15th and bogeyed 18, his last hole.
“It was probably the highest score I could have shot,’’ Woods said. “I played a lot better than my score indicates. Hopefully [today] I can clean up and make a few more putts and get a roll.’’
Woods and everyone else trails leader Charl Schwartzel, who shot a 7-under 65, and Scott Piercy, who is 6-under.
McIlroy, who has not been the same since he made the celebrated and lucrative equipment change to Nike clubs, is 0-for-2013 using his new swoosh sticks.
On a day when 40 players shot under par, McIlroy’s round was captured perfectly on the ninth green when, after hitting his best approach shot of the day to four feet, he lipped out the birdie putt.
“Yeah, that’s sort of how it’s been,’’ McIlroy said. “It was just a bit of a struggle out there. The game just isn’t all there at the minute, but I’m working hard and I’m trying to figure things out and hopefully they’ll come around soon.’’
McIlroy four-putted the 12th hole (his third of the round), hit a ball in the water on No. 3, missed the four-footer for birdie on No. 9 and missed another four-footer on No. 13.
“I don’t really have many explanations for this,’’ McIlroy said. “I felt like my game was good. I felt like I was coming in here and hitting the ball well. Right at the moment it’s not happening for me. It’s probably lack of confidence more than anything else.’’
McIlroy, who headed straight to the range to practice after his round, said he needs to shoot “something like 66 or 65 to probably make the weekend.’’
McIlroy entered 2013 with high expectations after having won his second career major championship and becoming No. 1 in 2012.
“Coming off the back of last year, I was playing very well and winning a few times, won a major championship … of course you want to come into this year and try and do the same sort of things,’’ McIlroy said. “It just hasn’t really happened. Obviously I haven’t lived up to my own expectations this year. But I’m working hard to try to live up to them and working hard to try and get the game back to where I know it can be.’’
McIlroy, who missed the cut at last week’s BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth in England, described his demeanor as “pretty frustrated.’’
“I’m trying not to let it get to me,” he said. “A few bad rounds of golf isn’t going to ruin anything. But I’d definitely like to start playing [better].’’
Just six players in the 120-man field shot a worse score than McIlroy yesterday, so it’s got to get better for him.