DUBLIN – J.T. Poston didn’t just survive the Memorial Tournament wind Friday at Muirfield Village. He weaponized it.

On a day when Jack Nicklaus’ demanding Dublin, Ohio, layout turned nasty, Poston delivered the round of the tournament so far, carding a 7-under 65 with eight birdies to grab the 36-hole lead at 9-under 135. That left him one shot clear of Ryan Gerard and nine shots better than the field average, a ridiculous gap considering how uncomfortable the conditions became.

Tommy Fleetwood was asked afterward if the course felt harder.

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“Is that a question?” Fleetwood replied. “Yeah, we’ll expand on that. It was pretty brutal, actually.”

Justin Thomas, who needed a clutch finish at No. 18 just to make the cut, didn’t soften the review either.

“I can’t put into words how hard that was,” Thomas said. “That was the hardest round of golf that I can remember, major, non-major, it was just insane.”

Poston, though, looked like he had unlocked a cheat code. A week earlier, he switched into what he called the “left dash ball Titleist makes,” hoping it would give him more control in windy conditions.

“It’s supposed to help me a little bit in the wind,” Poston said. “So we felt like today was going to be a good test of that and it obviously performed really well. We had a couple shots that I felt like didn’t quite hit them perfect and it hung in there pretty well.”

The ball helped. The putter finished the job.

“Both,” Poston said. “The ball got me there, the putter helped me get it in the hole.”

Poston needed only 24 putts, gained four strokes on the field with the flatstick and poured in 134 feet worth of putts. Only two of his eight birdie putts came from inside 10 feet.

“Yeah, sure,” Poston said with a laugh when asked if he liked seeing the wind. “It’s hard to say I wasn’t when you shoot 65.”

Gerard shot 69 and sits alone in second, remembering the exact moment the day flipped.

“Seven fairway,” Gerard said. “I was spraying sunscreen and all of a sudden it started going all over the place. And my caddie was like, ‘Oh, I guess it’s windy now.’”

Scottie Scheffler salvaged a 72 after saying he felt like he might shoot 90, while Rory McIlroy stumbled to 74. Sam Burns is three back after another 69, with Fleetwood following after a 73.

Gerard called it a grind, built on “grimy up-and-downs.”

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“I hit it in two hazards off the tee on par 5s on the back nine and hit both greens in regulation from 240-plus,” he said. “But it’s just kind of keeping yourself in the hole – it’s not easy – and allowing yourself to be positive.”

Then came the perfect summary.

“Mentally and physically this place is a monster, not only because it’s a big walk and I’m dealing with nine million allergies or whatever they’re putting out there,” Gerard said. “So it’s a test of patience.”