Goggin falls back into a tie with Perry

DUBLIN, Ohio — The first sign of hope at the Memorial came from the scoreboard, which showed Mathew Goggin coming back to the pack after a blazing start. The second sign came from a gray sky that promised relief from a brutal test of golf.

Goggin birdied four of the first five holes before strapping in for a wild ride of birdies and bogeys that ultimately added up to an even-par 72 that tied him for the lead with two-time champion Kenny Perry, who recovered from a rugged start for a 71.

They were at 7-under 137, one shot clear of Jerry Kelly.

All those scores seemed so much lower on a Muirfield Village course that felt like a major with its ankle-deep rough that swallowed up errant shots and greens as slick as glass.

Only three players broke 70 Friday, with Johnson Wagner turning in a 67. Twenty players couldn’t break 80.

Goggin is the 36-hole leader for the first time on the PGA Tour, and part of him wishes he had it alone. He was bogey-free through seven holes, but then made only two pars the rest of the way. Three straight bogeys preceded a birdie, and he followed that with a double bogey into the water at No. 12, then two more birdies.

“I had seven birdies today, so that was the same,” Goggin said, alluding to his 65 in the opening round. “The five bogeys and a double, well, that was probably a negative.”

Perry knows all about the latter. He faced the brunt of the wind, and it showed when he bogeyed three of his first five holes, slipping down the leaderboard with so many others. But on the par-5 15th, he hooked a 3-wood into the gallery — a good place to miss because the pin was to the right — then watched his chip from the hill tumble into the cup on its last turn for eagle.