Xander Schauffele says there’s one part of his game he really needs to ‘clean up’ despite strong start at the Memorial

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Xander Schauffele has claimed there’s one part of his game that he really needs to “clean up” despite his strong start at the Memorial Tournament.

The 2024 PGA Championship winner carded a four-under-par 68 and is sat two shots back of leader Adam Hadwin.

Scottie Scheffler also impressed at Muirfield Village, shooting a 67 to place himself firmly in contention ahead of the weekend.

Schauffele, who produced a bogey-free round on Thursday, was left disappointed with one part of his game, which he says needs cleaning up over the weekend.

Xander Schauffele unhappy with one part of his game after 68 at Muirfield Village

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Talking to the media after his round in Dublin, Ohio, Schauffele admitted he wanted to hit the centre of the club more with his longer shots.

“I putted really well,” he said. “I am going to go the range after this, after we finish talking, and hit the centre of the club face a little more. Find the centre of the fairway and some more greens.”

Despite his frustration, the 30-year-old was happy with how his short game performed on Thursday.

He added: “I’m happy with how I played and happy with how I stuck in there and really happy with how my short game bailed me out on a day where it could have been a lot worse.

“I know I need to clean up some of that longer stuff. This course is really hard, and the wind is supposed to blow pretty hard tomorrow, even more so than today, so I know I need to clean it up.”

Xander Schauffele doesn’t look like he’s taken time off

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After some people had predicted a slow start from the PGA Championship winner at the Memorial, Schauffele answered any lingering concerns emphatically during his first round.

The American will be thrilled with his return to competitive golf – and it looks like he’s never been away after his victory at Valhalla.

After appearing to be disappointed after shooting four under, Schauffele could once again stake a claim for victory at Muirfield Village.

If he can clean up his ball-striking on Friday, he will no doubt give Scheffler and Hadwin something to think about heading into the final two rounds of Jack Nicklaus’ signature event.