The Memorial this week is the latest PGA Tour event to feature early-round pairings featuring "impressive" star power, but the players' opinions of such groupings early in tournaments "are mixed," according to Rob Oller of the COLUMBUS DISPATCH. Jason Day, Dustin Johnson and Rory McIlroy are playing together this week, and McIlroy said, "There’s so much buzz and hype around the group on a Thursday and Friday when there doesn’t need to be. And that could affect some players." McIlroy, who earlier this month at The Players played the opening rounds with Justin Thomas and Jordan Spieth, added, "The featured players at the Players sort of backfired a little bit. You want these top guys playing on a Sunday, not a Thursday. So whatever is the best way to get those guys to that point, it’s good for them, good for the tournament, good for everyone.” Thomas yesterday said the feature groups "doesn't really help or hurt." Tiger Woods, who was grouped with Phil Mickelson and Rickie Fowler at The Players, said, "Whether I’m playing in one of these new marquee groups, or in years past where they didn’t have those groups ... I felt like I still had to deal with large galleries and a lot of people moving inside the ropes" (COLUMBUS DISPATCH, 5/31). In Jacksonville, Garry Smits notes Thursday ratings for The Players on Golf Channel were up 45% "over the previous year" in part due to live afternoon coverage of the Woods-Mickelson-Fowler threesome and were the "highest for the first round" since the event moved to May in '07. Additionally, the "attendance boost for Thursday and Friday helped push the overall figure to more than 200,000" (FLORIDA TIMES-UNION, 5/31).
POWER PLAYERS: In Palm Springs, Larry Bohannan wondered if it is a "good thing or a bad thing" that there have been 13 different winners for 13 LPGA events this season. Additionally, the winners have represented six different countries -- South Korea, the U.S., Thailand, New Zealand, Canada and Sweded. With four major championships "remaining in the season, it is possible the LPGA might still find an identity" for the '18 season "other than any player can win in any given week." However, it would "help that cause if a name player" like Lexi Thompson, Michelle Wie or Inbee Park "would contend for the title" in the U.S. Women’s Open this week in Birmingham (Palm Springs DESERT SUN, 5/30).
