How did Rickie Fowler perform in Memorial Tournament Round 1?

Rickie Fowler is competing at the Memorial Tournament this week at Muirfield. He had qualified for the tournament through sponsor's exemption.

Fowler had been struggling with his form for quite some time. However, it seems like he may stage a turnaround this week, given his performance in Round 1 of the Memorial Tournament.

He started his campaign at the Signature event this week on a high note. Despite a rocky opening round, the ace golfer managed to hold his own. He started his round on Thursday (May 29) with a bogey on the par-4 1st hole. However, the American soon recovered with a birdie on the par-4 3rd hole.

The next few holes saw major dips and rises in his performance as Fowler recorded two consecutive birdies on the 6th and 7th holes, followed by a bogey on the par-3 8th hole and another birdie on the par-4 9th hole.

However, the rollercoaster in the 36-year-old's opening round was just getting started when he reached the 9-hole mark. In the next nine holes, Fowler hit two birdies, two bogeys, and one double to close his day.

In total, he shot six birdies, four bogeys, and one double bogey to score even par. He is currently placed T14 after the completion of Round 1 on Thursday, May 29. Ben Griffin is currently leading the standings with a total score of 7-under.

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"Will it come out dead or with no spin?" - Rickie Fowler's battle against mud balls

Rickie Fowler (Source: Imagn)

The past few days, Muirfield has been facing severe downpours, resulting in the golfers having to struggle against mud balls this week at the Memorial Tournament. Rickie Fowler was vocal about his battle against them during his opening round on Thursday (May 29).

Playing on the par-4 14th hole, the ace golfer was faced with the "worst" mud ball of his round.

"It was probably the worst one of the day, and it was interesting," he said via Golf Digest.

Mud balls are not easy to tackle, as due to the added weight, their movement in the air becomes unpredictable. They can curve differently due to the mud sticking to them. To make things even tougher for Fowler, the narrow green he was aiming for was flanked by water on both sides.

Given the position, his wedge would have hit the ball where the mud had clung on, making the golfer wonder how the shot would go.

"Will it come out dead or with no spin?"

Fowler had a very small target area, given that there was a bunker lined up against the green as well. He talked about how the wedge shot wasn't as easy as it may have appeared to people.

"People watching were thinking, ‘It’s just a simple wedge shot.’ But there was a lot there,"

Fortunately for the golfer, the ball didn't misbehave and landed on the greens. Rickie Fowler eventually ended up closing the hole at even par.