Golf

Opening round of Memorial tournament ends in six-way tie for the lead as Lowry sits two shots off the top

Lowry rebounded from a slow start with four birdies on the back nine  at the Memorial Tournament in Dublin, Ohio 
Lowry rebounded from a slow start with four birdies on the back nine at the Memorial Tournament in Dublin, Ohio  Lowry rebounded from a slow start with four birdies on the back nine at the Memorial Tournament in Dublin, Ohio 

World number three Cameron Smith features among a six-way tie for the lead after the opening round of the Memorial Tournament in Ohio with Ireland's Shane Lowry in a bunch of players just two shots off the lead.

The Australian split seven birdies with two bogeys en route to a score of five-under 67, which he shares with Canada's Mackenzie Hughes, South Korea's KH Lee and the American trio of Cameron Young, Luke List and Davis Riley.

The opening round at Muirfield Village Golf Club was a fruitful one for the players, with just two strokes separating the top 20 players.

Lowry rebounded from a slow start with four birdies on the back nine after covering the front nine in one over to sit among the logjam on 69.

Meanwhile, Rory McIlroy and England's Luke Donald battled through some inconsistency to finish their opening rounds on two-under par.

Earlier, Japan's 2021 Masters winner Hideki Matsuyama was disqualified from the tournament for the use of a non-conforming club.