Luke Donald rides 6-birdie streak to shoot 64 for 3-shot lead after opening round at Memorial

Donald needs just 20 putts to lead by 3

DUBLIN, Ohio — Luke Donald had so many birdies that he struggled to keep track.

“I really got on a hot streak. What was I, 8 under for 10 holes?” he said after the opening round of the Memorial Tournament on Thursday. “No, nine holes — 8 under for nine holes. That doesn’t happen very often.”

Neither does someone taking just 20 putts to play 18 holes — a record at difficult Muirfield Village Golf Club. Or someone shooting an 8-under 64, the lowest ever in the opening round of the tournament.

The remarkable round left Donald, who played in the first group off the tee, three shots ahead of Jim Furyk, Jason Day, Thomas Aiken and Ted Purdy. Tiger Woods was lurking five shots off the pace.

Woods hit 13 of 14 fairways, showing a spurt of accuracy to counter those who question his driving. It may be one more sign that he’s rounding into shape after being sidelined for eight months following knee surgery last summer.

“You know, the swing is starting to come around,” said Woods, a three-time Memorial winner. “I’m starting to feel good now. It’s been a long time. I’m starting to get my power back. Everything is starting to come around now.”

While Woods’ strong play was noticed, it was Donald’s round that turned heads. Forget those videos you can buy in the back of golf magazines; Donald put on a putting clinic.

“You start putting well and you start believing in yourself a bit,” said the 31-year-old native of Hermel Hempstead, England. “Confidence on the greens breeds confidence. You keep making more putts. Putting is very mental. Once you feel like you’re a good putter, then it becomes easier.”

Before a boring two-putt par on the 18th, he had one-putted the previous nine holes.

After holing a wedge from 48 yards on the second hole for birdie, he made putts of 15, 10, 25, 12, 6 and 8 feet during his birdie streak from the par-3 eighth hole through the par-4 13th. He had a spectacular par at 14 — hitting his drive into the creek off the tee, taking a drop, knocking it to 10 feet and then ramming in the par putt.

For good measure, he birdied the next two holes with putts of 1 foot and 20 feet.

Just seeing the number 64 on the board so early was a stunner for all those who followed.

“That was amazing,” said defending champion Kenny Perry, who had a 72. “That’s rough when you walk to the first tee and you’re already eight behind. It’s like, welcome to the PGA Tour!”

Perry was 8 under a year ago — for 72 holes instead of one morning.

Furyk, who won the 2002 Memorial, made the most of his 400th career PGA Tour start by shooting his best opening round in his 14 appearances at the tournament. He finished with birdies on three of the last four holes.

“Maybe not as crisp as I would like, but I did a good job scoring,” he said. “I kept the ball in front of me and out of trouble.”

Day, who missed a playoff at the Colonial last week by just a stroke, seemed headed for a tie for the lead before bogeying the last two holes. Steve Marino and Stewart Cink were at 68. Joining Woods at 69 were British Amateur champion Reinier Saxton and Mike Weir.

David Duval even made a quick rise to the top of the leaderboard, turning in 5 under before putting up two double-bogeys on the way home to post a 71.

Everyone else was talking about Donald’s short game and Woods’ suddenly arrow-straight driving.

The former said he’d never had a better putting day — not even close. Woods was encouraged that he was drawing closer to being his old self.

“It’s getting better each and every week,” said Woods, who has yet to regain his length off the tee since his injury. “It’s taken a lot longer than I thought it would, but then again, most people who play other sports take two years to come back. So this is a little bit different.”