DUBLIN, Ohio -- Whether its his health or his personal life, Rory McIlroy is not easily distracted when hes on top of his game. McIlroy made two eagles and three birdies on the back nine at Muirfield Village -- along with a double bogey -- on his way to a 9-under 63 and a three-shot lead Thursday after the opening round of the Memorial. A week ago, McIlroy began his week at Wentworth by announcing he and tennis star Caroline Wozniacki had broken off their engagement. Then, he went out and won the BMW Championship for his strongest win in more than two years. At the Memorial, McIlroy caught his spikes in the turf on his second shot at the seventh hole and felt pain the rest of the round, especially when he had to put a little extra pop into tee shots or long irons. He was limping when he walked off the stage after talking about how he made five birdies and two eagles after hurting his knee. It was the lowest opening round in 39 years at the Memorial. "I dont think its anything more than just being confident with my game," McIlroy said. "I was expecting this to happen. Ive been playing well. Ive been posting good numbers, good rounds. And I knew my game was close. And honestly, I dont think its anything to do with whats happening off the golf course. Its just Ive been trending in the right direction, and its starting to all come together." Masters champion Bubba Watson, Chris Kirk and Paul Casey each had a 66 while playing in calmer and slightly softer morning conditions. Keegan Bradley was at 67, notable not because it was his best score at Muirfield Village but because it was his first time in his four years on the PGA Tour that he did not use a belly putter. Adam Scott, who won at Colonial last week in his debut at No. 1 in the world, lost momentum with a shot into the water for double bogey on No. 9, and he missed some birdie and eagle chances on the back nine that would have allowed him to stay close with McIlroy. He settled for a 69. Phil Mickelson also looked sharp -- at least for 15 holes. He was at 5 under after a birdie on the 15th hole -- at the time, just one shot out of the lead. But he hit into the water on the par-3 16th and did well to escape with bogey. He came up short on the 17th and muffed two flops shots on his way to double bogey. And he finished with another double bogey by three-putting the 18th. That gave him a 72. "Just threw away a good round," Mickelson said. Canadian Mike Weir finished the day at 1-over 73. The course began to get firm under a hot sun late in the afternoon, which didnt appear to bother McIlroy. Jordan Spieth picked up birdies on the par 5s, had a good par save on the 16th and squeezed out a 69 that left him pleased. "Anything under par is a good score," Spieth said. "Obviously, Rory didnt think that." McIlroy was more than nine shots better than the field average. His only scare came on the seventh hole when his spikes caught and applied a little more torque on his knee. McIlroy said he had never experienced that before, though he felt some ice and work in the fitness trailer should take care of it. "The inside of it is sore, a little swollen," McIlroy said. "Some treatment and I should be fine for the morning." The golf after that was simply spectacular. From the deep rough right of the 10th fairway, he hammered a shot to the middle of the green and it caught a slope and settled 4 feet away. He hit 4-iron to 25 feet on the par-5 11th and holed a 25-foot birdie putt in the centre of the cup. He holed a tough 15-foot birdie on the 13th, and then hit a towering 5-iron to 15 feet on the par-5 15 for another eagle. McIlroy picked up his final birdie with a 12-foot birdie after a great tee shot to the deceptively tough front pin on the par-3. He finished his round with an 8-foot putt to save par from the bunker. His only blunder came on the 14th when he tugged a wedge too hard and too far left into a plugged lie in the bunker. He played well away from the flag to avoid going down the slope and into the water, but left it in the sand. His next shot had to be good to get within 6 feet of the flag, and it wasnt. The ball ran off the green and down a slope. He had to get up-and-down for a double bogey. McIlroy answered by smashing another tee shot into the fairway and hitting that high 5-iron onto the green for eagle, erasing the double bogey. Its just one round, but considering it was McIlroy, it was an attention-getter. McIlroy is one of those players who can follow up a win with more great play. When he won the PGA Championship by eight shots in 2012, that was the start of three victories in four starts against the strongest fields of the year. Cheap Nike Basketball Jerseys . 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"But I was pleased with the way our guys stuck with it and fought through it." San Jose had to fly out Friday morning because the new NHL labour agreement requires teams to take three full days off for the holiday break. The Sharks were flat early, and the Coyotes jumped on them, creating numerous good scoring chances in the first period to go up 1-0. The Sharks found their rhythm after they fought back. In regulation, Brent Burns had a goal and an assist, and Joe Thornton had two assists. Once San Jose hit the shootout, Logan Couture and Marleau scored, and Antti Niemi stopped Radim Vrbata and Oliver Ekman-Larsson for the Sharks second win in their past seven road games. "Its been tough for us on the road, so for us to go out and get the two points was nice," Marleau said. The Coyotes were much better in their own end than previously against the Sharks, allowing 28 shots in regulation after giving up 101 combined in a pair of games in San Jose earlier this season. Phoenix pulled out a victory in one of those first two games, but couldnt earn the extra point Friday after struggling in the shootout. David Moss had two goals, and Vrbata scored late in the third period to help Phoenix earn a point in its fourth straight game -- all after regulation. "The last time we got two points on San Jose, we probably didnt deserve those two points," Coyotes coach Dave Tippett said. "Tonight, I thought that game was a toss-up. Unfortunately, we didnt get the extra point, but we put the work in to get the two points." With their early travel, the Sharks seemed a step slow in the openingg period, and the Coyotes jumped on them, generating several good scoring chances.dddddddddddd San Jose gave them an extra one midway through the period, when Sharks forward Matt Nieto flipped an errant pass right to Moss, who whirled around in the slot and beat Niemi. The Sharks nearly scored early in the second period when a shot by Justin Braun hit the left post, bounced off a stick and hit the right post before being cleared away. They did get one through after a Coyotes turnover. Thornton ended up with the stray puck, skated up the middle and found Pavelski, who beat Smith over the glove shoulder from the left circle. The next two goals came quickly. Phoenix answered 68 seconds after Pavelskis goal when Moss fought off Nieto and redirected a shot from David Schlemko past Niemi. San Jose responded on a power play two minutes after that, tying it when Marleau gathered a pass from Tommy Wingels and beat Smith with a wrist shot from between two defenders. The Sharks made a big push to start the third period, and Burns scored midway through, one-timing a feed from Pavelski behind the net that went through Phoenix defenceman Derek Morris legs. Phoenix again had an answer, scoring with just over 6 minutes left on a power play when Mike Ribeiro sent a pass through traffic to Vrbata, who scored his 11th of the season from the left circle to tie it at 3-all. Smith made a big save on Burns after a turnover right in front in overtime, but couldnt stop Couture or Marleau in the shootout. "Theyre such a good team, those first two lines have really good players," Vrbata said. "We played much tighter defensively and didnt give them much. Obviously, (they scored) three goals, but its a good team." NOTES: Friday night was the 10th anniversary of the Coyotes first game at Jobing.com Arena -- a 3-1 loss to Nashville. ... Thornton, the NHL assists leader with 37, has five in his past two games. ... Coyotes captain Shane Doan missed his ninth straight game because of Rocky Mountain Fever. He skated Friday morning, but no timetable has been set for his return. ... Couture has gone seven games without a point, leaving him stuck on 99 goals and 98 assists for his career. ' ' '