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:

Dustin Johnson shoots 64 to grab the lead. Comes into interview room and is asked to assess his round. “Um, it was pretty good.” Big smile.

— Jason Sobel (@JasonSobelESPN) June 2, 2016

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:

.@DJohnsonPGA ties career-high most birdies in a rd (10). Has done it 3X before, most recently in R2 & R3 of 2014 WGC-HSBC – which he won.

— PGA TOUR Media (@PGATOURmedia) June 2, 2016

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:

Steve Stricker holds PGA Tour …

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