DUBLIN, Ohio — While Rory McIlroy suffered a nightmare start, South African Charl Schwartzel regained welcome form with his putter to charge into a one-shot lead in Thursday's opening round at the Memorial Tournament. Former Masters champion Schwartzel changed his putting grip after just four holes at a sun-drenched Muirfield Village Golf Club, the move reaping instant reward as he went on to fire a sizzling seven-under-par 65. Long-hitting American Scott Piercy mixed eight birdies with two bogeys to card a 66 but world No. 2 McIlroy, seeking his first victory of the year, battled to a 78 that included a four-putt for an ugly double-bogey at the par-three 12th. Top-ranked Tiger Woods, a five-time winner of the elite PGA Tour event hosted by Jack Nicklaus, launched his title defense with a 71 on a muggy afternoon at Muirfield Village where the slick greens became tougher and bumpier for the late starters. Schwartzel, who missed the cut at last week's Crowne Plaza Invitational, was delighted to regain form on the greens as he piled up 10 birdies, one bogey and a surprising double-bogey at the par-three eighth to take early control of the tournament. “The birdie on the last definitely will make my evening a lot better,” the 28-year-old South African told reporters after ending his round by sinking a curling 12-footer at the par-four ninth. Schwartzel decided to change his putting grip after three-putting from just six feet to bogey the par-four 13th, and he promptly birdied the next four holes. “I flushed it for the first four holes and two-putted for birdie on 11,” he said. “And hit it close on 13, looked like I was going to go two under and I made bogey. But I went to the next hole, changed the grip and they (the putts) started pouring in. So it worked.” Schwartzel, the 2011 Masters champion, was one of only 12 players in the 120-strong field who dipped under 70 on a tricky day for scoring in hot, breezy conditions. While Schwartzel and a few others flourished on the challenging Nicklaus-designed layout, McIlroy huffed and puffed as he plummeted toward the bottom of the leaderboard after repeatedly leaking shots to the right. McIlroy, whose best finish on the 2013 PGA Tour was a runner-up spot at last month's Texas Open, missed the cut at last year's Memorial Tournament and knows what he needs to do in Friday's second round if he is to avoid a repeat. Woods finished two strokes better than Masters champion Adam Scott of Australia and three-timemajor Ernie Els of South Africa, who played alongside Schwartzel in a high-profile grouping. Chinese sensation Guan Tianlang bogeyed two of his last three holes for a 72 while England's Lee Westwood returned a 76. — Reuters
