The Starter, Round 1: The Memorial Tournament

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Jun. 3, 2010

The first round of the Memorial Tournament presented by Morgan Stanley is set to begin Thursday. Here's a preview:

WEATHER UPDATES

PLAY HAS RESUMED (11:20 a.m. ET): The players are back on the course. Conditions are damp, of course, but there is no rain falling.

AFTERNOON TEE TIMES PUSHED BACK (10:50 a.m. ET): Due to the weather delay, afternoon tee times will be delayed for two hours. That means Tiger Woods, who was originally scheduled to tee off at 12:44, will now tee off at 2:44 p.m.

RANGE OPEN, PLAY TO RESUME SOON (10:32 a.m. ET): With the lightning cells now having passed through the area, the range is now open. Players are expected to be back in position and ready to play at 11:20 a.m. ET.

UMBRELLA TIME (10:10 a.m. ET): It's pouring at Muirfield Village, but the fans who have come out to the course came prepared, as the photo below shows. Still no word on when the rain will let up.

PLAY SUSPENDED (9:16 a.m. ET): Inclement weather forced the suspension of player early in the first round at Muirfield Village. All players were pulled off the course.

At the time of the suspension, Andres Romero held the lead at 4 under through his first five holes. Jeff Overton and Vijay Singh were one shot back. All 60 players in the morning wave had teed off.

Groups We're Watching

Tee time	Players
12:44 p.m. ET No. 1		Jason Bohn, Steve Stricker, Tiger Woods Woods has won this tournament four times, while Stricker is returning from more than a month off following a shoulder injury.
8:04 a.m. ET, No. 10		Phil Mickelson, Hunter Mahan, Bill Haas Mickelson is coming off his first missed cut in a year. All three players are looking for their second win of 2010.
8:15 a.m. ET, No. 1		Rory McIlroy, Ernie Els, Sean O'Hair McIlroy is making his Memorial debut, while Els is seeking his third win of the year. O'Hair hasn't had a top-10 since January.

MORE ROUND 2: Tee times | Inside the field | Inside the course

WEATHER IMPACT: There is a 70 percent chance of precipitation for Thursday's first round. While that might cause havoc with the schedule, it should also help slow down the greens at Muirfield Village. "I've got to get used to these greens," Ernie Els said after the skins game on Wednesday. "This is even quicker than Augusta."

Thursday's forecast

Scattered T-storms
Temp: 79 high/61 low
Chance of precipitation 60 percent. Winds from SW at around 9 mph.

U.S. OPEN PREP: Besides wanting to win Jack's tournament for the first time in his career, Phil Mickelson thinks Muirfield Village is a perfect spot to prepare for the U.S. Open in two weeks. "I think course management is critical here," he said. "I think the short game and the opportunity to hit shots into these greens, it's one of the best golf courses, best shot values that we play. Because of that, it really couldn't be a better spot to get ready for a major championship like the U.S. Open."

EXPERIENCE COUNTS: No player in the field has more rounds at Muirfield Village at par or below than Kenny Perry. His 51 rounds at par or better at the Memorial ranks second to Jay Haas' 68. Should Perry win this week, he would tie Tiger Woods with most Memorial wins at four.

EXPERT PREVIEW: PGA TOUR NETWORK on-site correspondent Michael Collins previews Thursday's action:

Looking at the first round, it's all about questions. Can Phil straighten out his driver? Can Tiger make four rounds healthy? Can another young gun get into contention on a course he's never seen? Can we make through a tournament without Mother Nature sticking her nose in and stopping play? Okay, that last one was just for me.

As far as Mother Nature is concerned, there are severe scattered thunderstorms in the forecast for Thursday and no matter how perfect the greens are right now, a bunch of rain could make them a bit bumpy.

Rory McIlroy played the skins game Wednesday -- his first -- and his first round with Tiger Woods. Afterwards, I asked him what the one thing that surprised how about the day, and he replied, "How much fun it was." With one win under his belt already, if the 21-year-old is having fun on this golf course, could another Sunday 62 be out of the question? Let's get Thursday done first.

INSTRUCTOR'S CORNER: Ed Brill, head instructor at TOUR Academy Hilton Head Island, analyzes the playing conditions this week:

The players definitely look at Muirfield Village as one of the best and favorite courses they play all year on TOUR. Here's a look at who should make a big splash this week.

Obviously we have Tiger back this week and certainly Phil is not going to miss two cuts in a row, is he? Those two are in a separate class. Nobody has really stepped up to challenge those two. So who other than the big two should we look for this week?

K.J. Choi could be a strong pick this week. He played well last week -- other than a quadruple-bogey on the 18th. Dustin Johnson is a bomber who obviously can do a lot of other things as well. Jim Furyk has played well at Jack's place in the past also.

I've never been to Murifield, but I know you have to drive it in the fairway or the rough could eat you up. Controlling the driver is not the easiest thing to do. Hitting 3- or 5-wood off the tee is easier and giving up a few yards for accuracy is a smart move. Don't try to hit the driver too hard either. A thought I like to ingrain in our students at the TOUR Academies is swing as hard and fast as you want, but, you must maintain your balance.

The Film Room

	PGA TOUR Today: June 3, 2010 Defending champion Tiger Woods is looking for his fifth career title at Muirfield Village. Watch it
	Interview: Tiger Woods Tiger Woods met with the media before the start of the 2010 Memorial Tournament presented by Morgan Stanley. Watch it
	Interview: Adam Scott Adam Scott, fresh off his first victory in two years, spoke of how Dave Stockton's putting instruction helped put him back in the winners' circle. Watch it