DUBLIN, Ohio, May 30 (Reuters) – While Rory McIlroy suffered a nightmare start, South African Charl Schwartzel regained welcome form with his putter to charge into a one-shot lead in Thursday’s opening round at the Memorial Tournament.

Former Masters champion Schwartzel changed his putting grip after just four holes at a sun-drenched Muirfield Village Golf Club, the move reaping instant reward as he went on to fire a sizzling seven-under-par 65.

DUBLIN, Ohio (Reuters) – Rory McIlroy was left shaking his head in frustration and disbelief after battling his way to an opening six-over-par 78 at the Memorial Tournament on Thursday.

The Northern Irish world number two had no real explanation for his struggles on a hot, humid day at Muirfield Village Golf Club but felt his overall game was in better shape than his score reflected.

DUBLIN, Ohio (Reuters) – While Rory McIlroy suffered a nightmare start, South African Charl Schwartzel regained welcome form with his putter to charge into an early one-shot lead in Thursday’s opening round at the Memorial Tournament.

Former Masters champion Schwartzel changed his putting grip after just four holes at a sun-drenched Muirfield Village Golf Club, the move reaping instant reward as he went on to fire a sizzling seven-under-par 65.

DUBLIN, Ohio (Reuters) – When Jack Nicklaus talks, anyone with an interest in golf is well advised to listen and the 18-times major winner delivered in spades as he weighed in on several topics ahead of this week’s Memorial Tournament.

Tournament host of the PGA Tour event staged at Muirfield Village Golf Club, Nicklaus gave reporters his opinions on the recent spat between Tiger Woods and Sergio Garcia, the venue for next month’s U.S. Open and the state of the game in general.

DUBLIN, Ohio (Reuters) – Attention to detail helped Adam Scott clinch his first major title at last month’s Masters and the Australian is adopting the same strategy as he grapples with the implications of the 2016 ban on anchored putting.

Golf’s governing bodies announced the widely expected ban on May 21 after players anchoring long putters had won four of the last six major championships, with Scott the most recent.

DUBLIN, Ohio (Reuters) – In the eyes of many, Tiger Woods and Jack Nicklaus are inextricably linked as the greatest players of all time and it is probably no surprise that Woods has made a habit of flourishing on Nicklaus-designed courses.

This week, Woods is back in the leafy surrounds of Muirfield Village Golf Club for the Memorial Tournament where he is a five-times winner and defending champion at the elite PGA Tour event hosted by Nicklaus.

DUBLIN, Ohio (Reuters) – United States captain Fred Couples has appointed good friend and former Ryder Cup skipper Davis Love III as one of his assistants for this year’s Presidents Cup, the PGA Tour announced on Wednesday.

Love will join fellow tour veteran Jay Haas as part of Couples’ staff for the biennial team competition, which pits a 12-man team from the United States against a line-up of international players from outside Europe.

By Mark Lamport-Stokes

(Reuters) – The royal and ancient game of golf, renowned for its etiquette and self-imposed penalties, has undergone many changes to the rules over its 600-year history but few issues have triggered as much debate as the proposal to outlaw the anchoring of putters.

In a genteel sport where an inadvertent cough on a downswing can create controversy, the announcement by golf’s rule-makers on Tuesday that anchoring would be banned from 2016 has sparked fiery, impassioned division.

May 22 (Reuters) – The royal and ancient game of golf, renowned for its etiquette and self-imposed penalties, has undergone many changes to the rules over its 600-year history but few issues have triggered as much debate as the proposal to outlaw the anchoring of putters.

In a genteel sport where an inadvertent cough on a downswing can create controversy, the announcement by golf’s rule-makers on Tuesday that anchoring would be banned from 2016 has sparked fiery, impassioned division.

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Within the next 24 hours, professional and amateur golfers will likely know whether or not they will be permitted to use long putters anchored to any part of their body from 2016 onwards.

The game’s rulemakers are widely expected to announce the controversial proposed ban on the anchoring technique when they hold simultaneous news conferences on Tuesday, at Far Hills in New Jersey and at Virginia Water in Surrey, England.