DUBLIN, Ohio — Erik Compton considers the Memorial a special week no matter how he plays, knowing his second heart transplant came from a donor in Ohio.
The opening round was even sweeter with three birdies on the back nine late yesterday afternoon at Muirfield Village for a 5-under 67, leaving him one-shot out of the lead after a day that featured a timely rally by Rory McIlroy and a surprising departure by Phil Mickelson, who withdrew from the tournament due to mental fatigue.
When the day ended, Scott Stalling was atop the leaderboard with a 66 and hardly anyone noticed.
Compton has been an amazing story as long as he has played golf. He had his first heart transplant at 12, played in the Walker Cup after a solid career at Georgia, nearly died from a heart attack on his way home from the golf course in 2007, had a second transplant in May 2008, and earned his PGA Tour card for the first time last year through the Nationwide Tour.
Coming off back-to-back missed cuts that cost him his No. 1 ranking and ramped up the scrutiny, McIlroy took a quadruple bogey on his third hole of the tournament. The next 15 holes were much better, and he rallied for a 71.
Tiger Woods, playing in the group behind him, chopped up the 18th hole for a double bogey and still managed a 2-under 70.
Mickelson wasn’t anywhere near those scores, and when his round ended, he was nowhere near the golf course. Mickelson walked out of the scoring hut after signing for a 79 — his worst score ever at the Memorial — and said playing three straight weeks, followed by a trip to Europe for his wife’s 40th birthday, took too much out of him and he needed extra rest with the U.S. Open only two weeks away.
Rory McIlroy, DUBLIN, Ohio online, Erik Compton, heart transplant, first heart transplant, Mickelson, transplant, heart attack
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