Memorial Tournament 2016: Thursday Leaderboard Scores and Highlights

The stars are out this week for the 2016 Memorial Tournament, with Dustin Johnson taking the 18-hole lead with an eight-under-par 64 on Thursday.

Johnson was on fire from the start, hitting three straight birdies to open the first round, and he kept up that performance after making the turn with four straight birdies from Nos. 12 through 15. It's the second straight PGA Tour event he's opened with a 64, joining the AT&T Byron Nelson two weeks ago. 

Here's the leaderboard from Dublin, Ohio, after Thursday's action:

The 31-year-old has not been able to put together four dominant rounds of golf this season despite having six top-10 finishes so far. He's flashed moments of brilliance, but he's been missing the extra gear the top players on tour often find.

Per ESPN.com's Jason Sobel, Johnson didn't brag about his effort Thursday:

No one would have criticized Johnson if he did decide to toot his own horn after posting a 64. Per PGA Tour Media, that score marked his lowest in 31 career rounds at the Memorial, and that was only part of the story:

While things are going to change over the next three days, Mike O'Malley of Golf Digest noted Johnson is on pace to set a new PGA Tour record based off his start to the tournament:

There's not much breathing room for Johnson, though, because Brendan Steele is in the rearview mirror after recording an opening-round 65. 

Steele had one of the best runs of any player Thursday with five birdies in six holes starting on No. 2. He made the turn with a 31 but was all over the map on the back nine with a bogey, a double bogey, three birdies and this shot on the final hole, via the PGA Tour:

The top three players in the world rankings—Jason Day, Jordan Spieth and Rory McIlroy—are all taking part in the Memorial Tournament. Day, Spieth and McIlroy all won their most recent tournaments, though McIlroy's win was on the European Tour.

Spieth and McIlroy got their opening rounds over early. Spieth shot two under par, and McIlroy was right behind him at one under par.

Day, on the other hand, picked up where he left off after his last appearance at The Players Championship. He found another gear on the back nine with three birdies and this eagle on No. 15, which left him within shouting distance of Johnson at six under par, via the PGA Tour:

There was also a vulgar display of power on Day's first tee shot, as Two Inches Short noted on Twitter:

Day was a mad man on the course today, averaging 323.5 yards with his drive and hitting 83 percent of his greens in regulation, per the PGA Tour's official website. Even though he's off the lead after 18 holes, his confidence is sky-high because of how well he's played all season.

Sandwiched between the tremendous trio of stars is Phil Mickelson, who had an excellent start after missing the cut three weeks ago at The Players Championship. He matched Day's accuracy on greens in regulation (83.3 percent) but left a lot to be desired with the putter.

Per the PGA Tour's official website, Mickelson lost 1.62 shots with the putter. It's an amazing stat, considering Lefty still finished with six birdies in the round. 

Consistency will determine whether Mickelson is able to stick around through the weekend. He has had brief moments of success in 2016, only to be undone by one bad round. He was mostly excellent at the Wells Fargo Championship four weeks ago, but a 76 in the third round knocked him out of contention. 

With many players bunched together at the top of the leaderboard, along with stars like Spieth and McIlroy who are capable of dropping a low number on any given day, there is going to be a lot of turnover in the next three days.

Johnson has a knack for stumbling when the pressure mounts, so it's on him to find a way to keep his game and emotions in check to find the winner's circle for the first time since March 2015.