Bryson DeChambeau's 423-yard drive lights up disappointing opening round at Memorial

It says so much about the ever-growing fascination with Bryson DeChambeau and his outrageous transformation that despite Tiger Woods shooting under par in his first competitive round in five months the most incredulous talk after the first day of the Memorial focused on one drive by the younger American.

But then, it is not every day that the PGA Tour charts a 423-yard which the golfer later claims he did not catch properly.  “Yeah I hit it a little high on the clubface,” DeChambeau said, about the tee-shot on the 473-yard first (his 10th) that found the centre of the fairway and left him 45 yards to the pin.

Woods, himself, would no doubt roll his eye at that, having played a practice round with his Ryder Cup teammate on Wednesday and so witnessing at first hand the big-hitting rebirth of the 26-year-old they now call “DeRambo”. As it was, Woods outscored him by two shots with a one-under 71 that was highly commendable considering his inaction since before the lockdown.

In tough conditions, Woods birdied the first - of course, he did - and then looked comfortable for the rest of the round. If his putter had obliged, the 44-year-old would have signed for a couple of shots fewer, but his tee-to-green form on the whole was impressive. He birdied the 18th as well, with a lovely approach to 12 feet.

Woods is five off the lead set by Tony Finau, with Ryan Palmer on five-under, but having basically given the rest of the circuit a five-week headstart as he waited to make his own personal restart he could not be too disappointed.

With no fans, this was almost alien territory for one of the most scrutinised sportsmen who has ever lived, and his multitude of admirers will be relieved that he showed no sign of the back stiffness that blighted his early season.

Playing alongside Woods, Rory McIlroy, the world No 1, fired a two-under 70, featuring four birdies and two bogeys. The Northern Irishman arrived in Ohio following a two-week break after a mediocre three tournaments following the resumption. There were back-to-back 25-footers on the 12th and 13th, for a par and birdie, and there was another fine par save on the 17th.

McIlroy’s shortgame appeared extremely sharp and if he can straighten up his driving - he hit seven of the 14 fairways - he will undoubtedly be a factor on the weekend.

This was more than satisfactory for McIIroy as Muirfied Village was difficult. Jack Nicklaus’s course hosted last week’s event, the Workday Charity Open, and it sums up the variation in challenge that Sunday’s winner Collin Morikawa went from shooting 19-under to a four-over 76. “We got back here on Tuesday and you already saw the greens get about a foot, foot and a half faster,” he said. “The rough has obviously just kept growing. And it played a lot windier."