One reason Stricker leads

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This article was published 04/06/2011 (5547 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

DUBLIN, Ohio — On a course with such a fine line between birdies and bogeys, Steve Stricker settled for perfection Friday in the Memorial with a hole-in-one that put him in control at Muirfield Village.

Stricker used a 6-iron on the 188-yard eighth hole — his 17th hole of the second round — then birdied his final hole for a 5-under 67. Instead of being part of a five-way tie for the lead, he wound up three shots clear going into the weekend.

“It’s a shock when you see that go in, obviously, but in a good way,” Stricker said. “A great way to finish the round.”

Stricker said the eighth hole has given him fits over the year, which is just as well. So has this tournament. In 11 previous appearances at the tournament Jack Nicklaus created, Stricker never has finished in the top 10.

He is hoping to change that, and shots like his ace certainly help.

Stricker was at 9-under 135, three shots clear of Rory McIlroy (72), Ricky Barnes (70), Jonathan Byrd (67) and the resurgent Rod Pampling of Australia, who lost his PGA Tour card last year and had a bogey-free 66.

Both Canadians missed the cut. Eugene Wong, an amateur from North Vancouver, B.C., shot even par in the second round and finished 8 over for the tournament. Mike Weir of Bright’s Grove, Ont., shot 10 over for the day to finish 14 over for the tournament.

McIlroy already has made 13 birdies over two rounds, proof enough that he’s swinging well and making his share of putts. He also has five bogeys and a sloppy double bogey Friday on the 14th hole, when he pulled his tee shot into the tiny stream left of the fairway and nearly went into the water on his next shot.

“I felt as if I played good enough to shoot something in the 60s, but I just made too many mistakes out there,” McIlroy said.

McIlroy wasn’t alone in the good and bad of Muirfield Village.

Rickie Fowler, the runner-up at the Memorial last year, has only 12 pars in 36 holes. He was at 3-under 141, six shots behind but still very much in the hunt at the halfway points.

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“The conditions are scoreable, but bogeys can creep up on you quickly,” Fowler said. “You can make some birdies, but if there’s a tough pin and you don’t hit the right shot, you’ll make bogeys. It’s a fine line.”

Ryder Cup captain Davis Love III was a great illustration of that. He had six birdies and an eagle and shot 73. Love also hit two into the water on the par-5 11th to make a triple bogey, then took a double bogey on the 17th along with four other bogeys.

Luke Donald, in his debut as the No. 1 player in the world, had another strong rally by finishing with back-to-back birdies for a 69 that left him at 5-under 139, still very much in the hunt. Donald has not finished out of the top 10 in nine straight tournaments.

“Some careless mistakes out there,” Donald said.

— The Associated Press