Pro Golf Now
Fansided

Memorial Tournament 2017: 5 groups to watch in Rounds 1 & 2

By Luke Norris

Apr 5, 2016; Augusta, GA, USA; Phil Mickelson and Dustin Johnson prepare to tee-off on the 1st hole during a practice round for the 2016 Masters at Augusta National GC. Mandatory Credit: Rob Schumacher-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 5, 2016; Augusta, GA, USA; Phil Mickelson and Dustin Johnson prepare to tee-off on the 1st hole during a practice round for the 2016 Masters at Augusta National GC. Mandatory Credit: Rob Schumacher-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
3 of 6
Next
Memorial
Jan 12, 2017; Honolulu, HI, USA; PGA golfers Justin Thomas and Jordan Spieth walk together on the 16th hole during the first round of the Sony Open golf tournament at Waialae Country Club. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports /

4. Kevin Kisner, Jordan Spieth, Justin Thomas

1st Round: 10th tee, 8:26 a.m.

2nd Round: 1st tee, 1:16 p.m.

With five combined PGA TOUR wins in the 2016-2017 season, the trio of Kevin Kisner, Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas is definitely a group to keep an eye on the first couple of days.

Kisner is the most recent winner of this group and just happens to be the most recent winner on the tour as a whole after winning last week’s Dean & DeLuca Invitational. Following a pair of 3-under 67s last Thursday and Friday, the 22nd-ranked player in the world shot an even-par 70 on Saturday to keep himself in contention but was still three shots behind leader Webb Simpson entering Sunday. But a final-round 66 that included six birdies, including a stretch in which he birdied four of six holes, was good enough to give him a one-shot victory over a trio of competitors, one of whom is one of his playing partners for the first two rounds at the Memorial.

After missing three out of four cuts, Jordan Spieth finally seemed at ease in the final round at the Dean & DeLuca and finished just one shot behind Kisner at 9-under. Spieth made six birdies in his opening round but was unable to go low due to making four bogeys and a double for an even-par 70. He got off to a bad start on Friday, bogeying three of the first five holes, but fought back nicely with five birdies to get to 2-under and followed it up with another 68 on Saturday. Sunday, however, Spieth looked like a two-time major champion with a bogey-free 65, hitting some great shots and making some nice putts and if he can bring that game to the Memorial, he’ll be tough to beat come Sunday afternoon.

Since winning the SBS Tournament of Champions and the Sony Open earlier this year, world No. 13 Justin Thomas has been in a bit of a slump. Well, a slump for him anyway. Following his back-to-back victories, he missed three of five cuts and hasn’t finished higher than 22nd in his last three tournaments, his most recent finish being a tie for 75th at THE PLAYERS Championship.

Home/PGA