DUBLIN, Ohio — Bo Van Pelt would love to have a dream come true. Hideki Matsuyama would love to relive a dream.
And what better place for it to happen than Muirfield Village at the Memorial, where the two are tied for the lead after the first round?
“I’ve been coming to Memorial since I was about 9 or 10 years old,’’ Van Pelt said Thursday after shooting a scorching 8-under-par 64 in Thursday’s opening round of the Memorial, which is about a two-hour drive from where he grew up in Richmond, Ind. “My dad used to let me skip school and come to practice rounds. This is really where I started dreaming about playing professional golf. You’re kind of coming out of a wet spring in Indiana and getting excited about summer golf.
“I used to sit up on that range and chase these guys down and get autographs and balls. Other than the Masters, this tournament means more to me than any one I’ve ever played.’’
It means a lot to Matsuyama, the 23-year-old from Japan who won the Memorial in a playoff last year — his only PGA Tour victory.
For the 40-year-old Van Pelt, he has come to expect performing well at Muirfield — where he has played 12 times with his best finish a tie for third in 2005 and 2010 with seven top-25 finishes and just two missed cuts.
For Matsuyama, he had somewhat dim expectations entering Thursday’s opening round based on his practice sessions leading up to it.
“Up until [Wednesday] I was not hitting the ball very well,’’ Matsuyama said. “I was not chipping it well, I was not putting it well. I don’t know what happened overnight, but we just caught magic.’’
Matsuyama shot 32 on each side, with eight birdies and no blemishes on his card.
A year ago, with the tournament seemingly under control, Matsuyama stumbled on his way home in the final round, with a double bogey on No. 16, a bogey on 17 and a poor drive on No. 18, where he rallied with a birdie to force a playoff with Kevin Na. He won the playoff on the first extra hole with a 10-foot par putt.
“Really, I didn’t think a lot about last year,’’ Matsuyama said.
The leaderboard is stacked with a lot of red numbers — but not from Tiger Woods or Phil Mickelson. Woods overcame a 4-over-par 40 on his first nine (the back) and shot 73. Mickelson doubled his last hole, the 18th, to fall to an even-par 72.
Jason Dufner and Russell Knox are tied for second behind Van Pelt and Matsuyama at 6-under par. Seven players — including Ryan Moore, Ken Duke, Harris English, Kevin Kisner and Brendon Todd — are 5-under.
Jordan Spieth, one of the hottest players in the game and the No. 2-ranked player in the world, is right in the mix after shooting a 4-under-par 68. He is one of nine players at 4-under — including Keegan Bradley, Justin Rose, Erik Compton and Lucas Glover.
Spieth felt his round should have been better, though, irritated by a bogey on the par-5 seventh hole when he mis-clubbed, hitting hybrid short of the green instead of hitting 3-wood.
“It was a really solid round of golf,’’ Spieth said. “So it was kind of a tough finish to swallow after such a great round of golf. But I’m still in good position after Day 1. If I were to shoot 4-under the next three rounds, I guarantee you I’d win the tournament. I’m pleased with the way I played.’’
No one played better than Van Pelt, who carded 10 birdies and shot 30 on the front nine. Van Pelt, who has one career PGA Tour win in 384 starts, spoke of being “burned out a little bit’’ from the game after a strong year in 2012.
“I played a bunch of golf for three years and had played pretty well and I think I just tired of playing,’’ Van Pelt said. “I went through it in college. I quit playing in college and I never thought I’d play again.’’
Then days like Thursday come and change an entire outlook. “I’m excited about playing,’’ Van Pelt said. “I’m not quite done yet, I guess.’’