Defending Champion Allen Opens Memorial with Dominant -5 at Red Mountain
Defending champion Jennifer Allen fired a 986-rated 54 (-5) to seize a commanding four-stroke lead after Round 1 of The Memorial Championship presented by Discraft at Red Mountain - South in Scottsdale, AZ. The tournament, relocated from its traditional Vista del Camino venue due to construction, tested the FPO field on a demanding 7,398-foot desert layout where the field averaged 63.0 (+4). Allen, a Gilbert, AZ local, was briefly challenged when Ashley Phelps took sole possession of the lead on Hole 3, but she reclaimed a share on Hole 4 and took sole control for good with a birdie on the 246-foot ace-run Hole 5.
Only two of the eight players broke par on the Sonoran Desert course, with Ohn Scoggins sitting second at 1-under 58 despite a 948-rated round that was 37 points below her average. The technical terrain proved punishing, highlighted by the 951-foot Hole 7 playing as the hardest at a 5.12 average. Kona Star Montgomery and Violet Main are tied for third at 1-over 60, with Montgomery mounting a comeback after an out-of-bounds drive led to a double-bogey on Hole 1.
Throughout the field, the desert layout created separation, as Phelps faded to 5th at +5 after her early lead, and Sarah Isaac struggled to an 815-rated round, 46 points below her average. With two rounds remaining, Allen's significant cushion positions her strongly to defend her 2025 title, but Scoggins' pedigree as the top-ranked player in the 2026 Global Masters Series means the four-stroke gap is far from insurmountable on Red Mountain South's unpredictable terrain.