Sports

Charl Schwartzel atones for late mistake and leads at Muirfield Village

Associated Press
Published | Updated

Scott Piercy watches his tee shot on the 18th hole during the first round of the Memorial golf tournament Thursday, May 30, 2013, in Dublin, Ohio. (AP Photo/Jay LaPrete) (The Associated Press)

Charl Schwartzel, of South Africa, hits from the 13th fairway during the first round of the Memorial golf tournament Thursday, May 30, 2013, in Dublin, Ohio. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings) (The Associated Press)

Charl Schwartzel didn't want to see a good round go to waste. A birdie on his final hole Thursday in the Memorial allowed him to feel good about his game, and it gave him the early lead.

Schwartzel bounced back from a double bogey on the par-3 eighth hole with one last birdie for a 7-under 65. That gave him a one-shot lead over Scott Piercy among the early starters on a muggy day.

Tiger Woods, the defending champion and a five-time winner, was among those playing in the afternoon.

Piercy is one of the longer hitters on tour, so it would seem his game would be a good fit for the Memorial. He hasn't had much luck, so he decided to scale back off the tee. And it worked.