Justin Suh turned pro out of college about the same time as Collin Morikawa, Viktor Hovland and Matthew Wolff.
All four had similarly impressive credentials.
But while Morikawa, Hovland and Wolff made an almost immediate splash as pros, it’s been a slower rise for Suh.
If his play so far at the Memorial Tournament is an indication, the Californian might be ready to take that next step.
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Suh (rhymes with “Uh”) shot a 6-under 66 Friday at Muirfield Village to take the second-round lead at 8-under.
Suh, 25, was a two-time All-American at USC. His first professional event was the 2019 Memorial, in which he missed the cut. Not much went right for him after that, including battling a wrist injury.
But while his contemporaries flourished, Suh didn’t get discouraged.
“I think everyone’s on their own path,” he said. “So for me to just realize that and just focus on myself, I knew I had to get better because obviously the golf I was playing in 2019 sucked.”
He joined the Korn Ferry Tour and was its top player last year to earn his PGA Tour card. Suh has consistently made cuts this year, earning weekend play 18 out of 22 times entering this week, with two top-10 finishes. He led at the Honda Classic by one shot after the second round before tying for fifth for his best finish.
“I think this year I’ve put myself in this position a few times,” Suh said. “I didn’t do great on the weekends as (much) as I would have hoped. But I think over time and with experience, it will get me probably a little bit more comfortable. You learn a little bit more about yourself and how well you can handle the situation.”
On Friday, Suh had seven birdies with only one bogey. His biggest shot might have been on the first hole when he drained a 17-foot putt from the fringe for par.
“That was a big momentum swinger right off the bat,” Suh said. “I hit a horrible chip to the front edge. It was actually a tricky putt. It was breaking heavy in the beginning, then straightened out. For that to go in, I thought it put a little more pep in my step for the next 17 holes.”
He was tied with Hideki Matsuyama before making a 9-foot birdie putt on No. 18
Morikawa said he’s not surprised that Suh is establishing himself now.
“Recently, he’s been playing really well. The four of us – me, Wolff, Viktor and himself – came out all at the same time,” the two-time major champion said. “Obviously, not everyone’s going to have a trajectory that immediately gets (success on) the PGA tour , but he’s worked his way up.
“He’s the Korn Ferry Tour Player of the Year and that shows a lot. If you look at the history of those players who have won that award, they’ve all turned out to be pretty good players. There’s no doubt in my mind (about him). I see all the time how good he is.”
At the Memorial, he’s showing it.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Justin Suh takes Memorial lead as he looks for breakthrough