World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler’s quest for a historic third straight title at the Memorial Tournament got off to a frustrating start Thursday as difficult conditions at Muirfield Village left him six shots off the lead after an uneven opening round.

Scheffler, who has won the last two editions of the tournament, carded a 1-over-par 73 and found himself chasing a quartet of leaders headed by Wyndham Clark, J.J. Spaun, Tommy Fleetwood and Ryan Gerard, who each fired 5-under-par 67s.

The two-time Masters champion appeared poised to join the select group of players under par until costly mistakes late in his round derailed his momentum. A poor wedge shot led to a bogey on the 14th hole before disaster struck at the par-3 16th, where a shot he believed was perfectly struck took a hard bounce into the water, resulting in a double bogey.

Clearly frustrated, Scheffler could only watch in disbelief as he made the long walk to the drop area, repeatedly seeking answers from longtime caddie Ted Scott.

“I don’t think you understand how frustrating that is,” Scheffler told Scott after the unlucky bounce.

“I do,” Scott replied.

The demanding conditions at Muirfield Village played a significant role in the scoring. Strong afternoon winds and firm greens made the course particularly difficult, with only 22 players managing to break par. Six of the seven players who shot in the 60s teed off before 10 a.m. and avoided the worst of the gusty conditions.

Among the leaders, Ryan Gerard produced one of the day’s most entertaining rounds. His card featured an eagle on a par-5, a double bogey on a par-3, five consecutive birdies on the back nine, and just five pars all day.

“The small misses often lead to big punishments at this golf course,” Gerard said. “I don’t think we aimed at a flag stick on the back nine and shot 5 under. You’re picking small targets around either the edge of a bunker or a rake or some guy wearing a bright-colored shirt in the background or a TV tower.”

Fleetwood also impressed with a bogey-free 67, the lowest round of his five appearances at the Memorial. Despite hitting only seven greens in regulation, the Englishman relied on a superb short game and timely breaks to stay blemish-free.

“I got the most out of the round,” Fleetwood said. “I got away with a couple of poor misses. Hit the pin a couple of times when it was going past. I shot 5 under, so it couldn’t have been that bad. I was just getting a little frustrated at the end not being able to execute the iron shots that I wanted to.”

Meanwhile, Nick Taylor overcame a mid-round stumble that included a double bogey at the par-5 seventh and a bogey at the eighth. The Canadian steadied himself with a bogey-free back nine and capped his round with one of only seven birdies recorded on the difficult finishing hole.