Memorial Tournament 2020: Tony Finau Leads at 6 Under After Round 1

For the second week in a row, the PGA Tour set up shop at Muirfield Village Golf Club in Dublin, Ohio.

Anyone in the field who thought they already had the course figured out, however, was quickly proved wrong Thursday.

Only days after Collin Morikawa shot 19 under and defeated Justin Thomas in a playoff at the Workday Charity Open, low scores were scarce in the opening round of The Memorial Tournament. 

The greens were playing faster, the rough was thicker and the list of pros who were eaten up in Round 1 was much longer. 

Morikawa (four over), for instance, shot a 76, while Thomas (two over) mustered a 74.

"It's not even remotely close to the same," Thomas told Mike McAllister of PGATour.com. "It was a totally, totally different golf course," Thomas added. "The course is in fantastic shape right now. It's very tough."

That's not to say the course was a challenge for everyone. Round 1 leader Tony Finau (six under) put together nine birdies, while Tiger Woods (one under) finished under par in his first PGA event since the Genesis Invitational in February. 

Here's a look at the leaderboard heading into Friday's action: 

Memorial Tournament Leaderboard Round 1

1. Tony Finau (-6)

2. Ryan Palmer (-5)

T3. Brendan Steele (-4)

T3. Gary Woodland (-4)

T5. Charles Howell III (-3)

T5. Lucas Glover (-3)

T5. Jon Rahm (-3)

T8. Luke List (-2)

T8. Mark Hubbard (-2)

T8. Ryan Moore (-2)

T8. Max Homa (-2)

T8. Jordan Spieth (-2)

T8. Patrick Cantlay (-2)

T8. Patrick Rodgers (-2)

T8. Jimmy Walker (-2)

T8. Rory McIlroy (-2)

T8. Harris English (-2)

Notables: T18. Tiger Woods (-1), T25 Phil Mickelson (E), T25. Brooks Koepka (E), T42. Bryson DeChambeau (+1), T59. Justin Thomas (+2), T95. Collin Morikawa (+4), T125. Dustin Johnson (+8), T127. Rickie Fowler (+9). 

Highlights

Woods announced his return right away with a birdie on his first hole.

It was a quick up-and-down and got the five-time Memorial winner comfortable early. Woods went birdie-par-birdie-par-par through his first five holes before running into trouble with bogeys on No. 6 and No. 8.

When his third bogey of the day at No. 16 threatened to keep him at or above par for the round, Woods responded with his fourth and final birdie at No. 18.

"It felt good," Woods told reporters afterward. "I was a little bit rusty, but felt like overall it was a good start. I was very pleased the way I drove it, my feel for my irons. I just didn't quite hit the putts hard enough."

Finau and Gary Woodland battled down the stretch for the top spot. 

Despite five birdies through his first 11 holes, Woodland couldn't beat par on the remaining seven attempts, ending the round with a bogey on No. 18. 

Finau had six birdies on the back nine alone, stumbling briefly with a bogey on No. 16 before recovering on Nos. 17 and 18.

The leader hit 72.2 percent of his greens in regulation and gained 4.416 strokes off his putts, giving him the smallest amount of breathing room heading into Friday.

Bryson DeChambeau skipped the Workday Charity Open after winning the Rocket Mortgage Classic a week earlier, but it was clear the layoff didn't affect his approach in the tee box. 

After launching an opening drive of 353 yards at hole No. 10, DeChambeau uncorked a rocket on No. 1, going 423 yards for his second 400-yard shot of the day. He recorded one of his two birdies on the day on No. 1, and he hit just 61.1 percent of his greens in regulation. 

That's despite an average driving distance of 331 yards. 

Round 2 tees off at 6 a.m. ET, with coverage airing on PGA Tour Live from 6 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. ET, when the broadcast will move to the Golf Channel.

Woods is grouped with Rory McIlroy and Brooks Koepka and has a tee time of 7:17 a.m. ET.