Memorial Tournament
Tournament information
LocationDublin, Ohio
Established1976
Course(s)Muirfield Village Golf Club
Par72
Length7,392 yards (6,759 m)[1]
Tour(s)PGA Tour
FormatStroke play
Prize fundUS$20,000,000
Month playedJune
Tournament record score
Aggregate268 Tom Lehman (1994)
To par−20 as above
Current champion
Norway Viktor Hovland
Location Map
Muirfield Village GC is located in the United States
Muirfield Village GC
Muirfield Village GC
Location in the United States
Muirfield Village GC is located in Ohio
Muirfield Village GC
Muirfield Village GC
Location in Ohio

The Memorial Tournament is a PGA Tour golf tournament founded in 1976 by Jack Nicklaus. It is played on a Nicklaus-designed course at Muirfield Village Golf Club in Dublin, Ohio, a suburb north of Columbus. The golf course passes through a large neighborhood called Muirfield Village, which includes a 1999 bronze sculpture of Nicklaus mentoring a young golfer located in the wide median of Muirfield Drive.[2][3]

History

The greater Columbus area is where Jack Nicklaus spent most of his early life. The golf course he designed at Muirfield Village, north of Columbus, was opened in May 1974, and two years later it hosted the first Memorial Tournament. The par-72 course was 7,072 yards (6,467 m),[4] a considerable length for the mid-1970s.

At the Masters Tournament in 1966, Nicklaus had spoken of his desire to create a tournament that, like The Masters, had a global interest, and was inspired by the history and traditions of the game of golf. He also wanted the tournament to give back in the form of charitable contributions to organizations benefiting needy adults and children throughout Columbus and Ohio. The primary charitable beneficiary of the tournament is Nationwide Children's Hospital.

One of the features of the tournament is a yearly induction ceremony honoring past golfers. A plaque for each honoree is installed near the clubhouse at Muirfield; Nicklaus himself was the 2000 honoree.

Invitational status

The Memorial Tournament is one of only five tournaments given "invitational" status by the PGA Tour, and consequently it has a reduced field of only 120 players (as opposed to most full-field open tournaments with a field of 156 players). The other four tournaments with invitational status are the Arnold Palmer Invitational, the RBC Heritage, Charles Schwab Challenge, and the Genesis Open. Invitational tournaments have smaller fields (between 120 and 132 players), and have more freedom than full-field open tournaments in determining which players are eligible to participate in their event, as invitational tournaments are not required to fill their fields using the PGA Tour Priority Ranking System. Furthermore, unlike full-field open tournaments, invitational tournaments do not offer open qualifying (aka Monday qualifying).

In June 2014, the PGA Tour approved a resolution to grant the winner a three-year exemption, one more than other regular Tour events and on par with winners of the World Golf Championships, The Tour Championship and the Arnold Palmer Invitational.[5]

Field

The field consists of 120 players invited using the following criteria:[6]

  1. Memorial winners in the last five years or prior to 1997
  2. The Players Championship and major championship winners in the last five years
  3. The Tour Championship, World Golf Championships, and Arnold Palmer Invitational winners in the past three years
  4. Tournament winners in the past year
  5. Playing member of last named U.S. Ryder Cup team, European Ryder Cup team, U.S. Presidents Cup team, and International Presidents Cup team (non-PGA Tour members qualifying in this category count against unrestricted sponsor exemptions)
  6. Prior year U.S. Amateur winner
  7. Prior year British Amateur winner
  8. Up to four players selected by the tournament from among the money leaders from the other five Federation tours
  9. 14 sponsors exemptions – 2 from among graduates of the Web.com Tour Finals, 6 members not otherwise exempt, and 6 unrestricted
  10. Top 50 Official World Golf Ranking as of the Friday before the tournament
  11. Top 70 from prior year's FedEx Cup points list
  12. PGA Tour members whose non-member FedEx Cup points the previous season (excluding WGCs) would have placed them in the top 70
  13. Top 70 from current year's FedEx Cup points list as of the Friday before the tournament
  14. Prior year college player of the year (Jack Nicklaus Award)
  15. Remaining positions filled alternating from current year's and prior year's FedEx Cup point lists

Tournament highlights

  • 1976: Roger Maltbie won the inaugural Memorial Tournament, defeating Hale Irwin in a four-hole aggregate playoff. On the third extra hole Maltbie's errant approach shot appeared headed for the gallery when it hit a post, causing the ball to bounce onto the green, where both parred to remain tied; Maltbie then birdied the 18th hole to win the playoff.[4]
  • 1977: Poor weather resulted in a Monday finish for the tournament; host Jack Nicklaus won by two shots over Hubert Green.[7]
  • 1980: David Graham birdied the 72nd hole to edge Tom Watson by one shot; Watson was bidding to become the first Memorial champion to defend his title.[8]
  • 1984: Jack Nicklaus defeated Andy Bean in a sudden-death playoff to become the first two-time Memorial winner.[9]
  • 1991: Kenny Perry won for the first time on the PGA Tour, defeating Irwin on the first hole of a sudden-death playoff.[10]
  • 1993: Paul Azinger birdied the 72nd hole by holing out from a bunker to finish one shot ahead of Corey Pavin.[11]
  • 1994: Tom Lehman shot a tournament record 268 (-20) for 72 holes on his way to a five-shot victory over Greg Norman.[12]
  • 2000: Tiger Woods became the first Memorial winner to successfully defend his title, finishing five shots clear of Ernie Els.[13]
  • 2001: Woods won for a third consecutive year, seven shots ahead of runners-up Paul Azinger and Sergio García.[14]
  • 2005: Bart Bryant saved par from a hazard on the 72nd hole to win by one shot over Fred Couples.[15]
  • 2007: K. J. Choi shot a final round 65 to win by one shot over Ryan Moore.[16]
  • 2012: Woods birdied three of the last four holes, including a chip in on the 16th hole, to turn a two-shot deficit into a two-shot victory. The win was Woods' 73rd PGA Tour victory, which tied Jack Nicklaus for second most PGA Tour wins.[17]
  • 2013: Defending champion Woods posted a third round back nine score of 44, the worst in his career. He finished 20 shots behind winner Matt Kuchar.
  • 2014: Hideki Matsuyama won in a playoff against Kevin Na;[18] he was the first Japanese PGA Tour winner since 2008.
  • 2015: In the third round, Tiger Woods shot an 85, the worst round of his professional career. Three-time winner Kenny Perry played his last PGA Tour event.
  • 2016: William McGirt won for the first time on the PGA Tour after 165 starts.
  • 2020: Jon Rahm's win elevated him to the world number one ranking for the first time in his career.
  • 2021: Defending champion Jon Rahm held a six-stroke lead after 54 holes but was forced to withdraw after testing positive for COVID-19.[19]

Course layout

Muirfield Village Golf Club in 2016

Hole123456789Out101112131415161718InTotal
Yards4704554012005274475631854123,6604715671844553635292014784843,7327,392
Par444354534364534453443672

Source:[1]

Winners and honorees

YearWinnerScoreTo parMargin of
victory		Runner(s)-upWinner's
share ($)		Honoree(s)[20]
2023Norway Viktor Hovland281−7PlayoffUnited States Denny McCarthy3,600,000Larry Nelson
2022United States Billy Horschel275−134 strokesUnited States Aaron Wise2,160,000Charlie Sifford[lower-alpha 1]
2021United States Patrick Cantlay (2)275−13PlayoffUnited States Collin Morikawa1,674,000Nick Price
Gene Littler[lower-alpha 1]
Ted Ray[lower-alpha 1]
2020Spain Jon Rahm279−93 strokesUnited States Ryan Palmer1,674,000
2019United States Patrick Cantlay269−192 strokesAustralia Adam Scott1,638,000Judy Rankin
2018United States Bryson DeChambeau273−15PlayoffSouth Korea An Byeong-hun
United States Kyle Stanley		1,602,000Hale Irwin
Jock Hutchison[lower-alpha 1]
Willie Turnesa[lower-alpha 1]
2017United States Jason Dufner275−133 strokesUnited States Rickie Fowler
India Anirban Lahiri		1,566,000Greg Norman
Tony Lema[lower-alpha 1]
Ken Venturi[lower-alpha 1]
Harvie Ward[lower-alpha 1]
2016United States William McGirt273−15PlayoffUnited States Jon Curran1,530,000Johnny Miller
Leo Diegel[lower-alpha 1]
Horton Smith[lower-alpha 1]
2015Sweden David Lingmerth273−15PlayoffEngland Justin Rose1,116,000Nick Faldo
Dorothy Campbell[lower-alpha 1]
Jerome Travers[lower-alpha 1]
Walter Travis[lower-alpha 1]
2014Japan Hideki Matsuyama275−13PlayoffUnited States Kevin Na1,116,000Annika Sörenstam
Jim Barnes[lower-alpha 1]
Joe Carr[lower-alpha 1]
Willie Park Sr.[lower-alpha 1]
2013United States Matt Kuchar276−122 strokesUnited States Kevin Chappell1,116,000Raymond Floyd
2012United States Tiger Woods (5)279−92 strokesArgentina Andrés Romero
South Africa Rory Sabbatini		1,116,000Tom Watson
2011United States Steve Stricker272−161 strokeUnited States Brandt Jobe
United States Matt Kuchar		1,116,000Nancy Lopez
2010England Justin Rose270−183 strokesUnited States Rickie Fowler1,080,000Seve Ballesteros
2009United States Tiger Woods (4)276−121 strokeUnited States Jim Furyk1,080,000JoAnne Carner
Jack Burke Jr.
2008United States Kenny Perry (3)280−82 strokesAustralia Mathew Goggin
United States Jerry Kelly
England Justin Rose
Canada Mike Weir		1,080,000Tony Jacklin
Ralph Guldahl[lower-alpha 1]
Charles B. Macdonald[lower-alpha 1]
Craig Wood[lower-alpha 1]
2007South Korea K. J. Choi271−171 strokeUnited States Ryan Moore1,080,000Louise Suggs
Dow Finsterwald
2006Sweden Carl Pettersson276−122 strokesUnited States Zach Johnson
United States Brett Wetterich		1,035,000Michael Bonallack
Charles Coe[lower-alpha 1]
Lawson Little[lower-alpha 1]
Henry Picard[lower-alpha 1]
Paul Runyan[lower-alpha 1]
Denny Shute[lower-alpha 1]
2005United States Bart Bryant272−161 strokeUnited States Fred Couples990,000Betsy Rawls
Cary Middlecoff[lower-alpha 1]
2004South Africa Ernie Els270−184 strokesUnited States Fred Couples945,000Lee Trevino
Joyce Wethered[lower-alpha 1]
2003United States Kenny Perry (2)275−132 strokesUnited States Lee Janzen900,000Julius Boros[lower-alpha 1]
William C. Campbell
2002United States Jim Furyk274−142 strokesUnited States John Cook
United States David Peoples		810,000Kathy Whitworth
Bobby Locke[lower-alpha 1]
2001United States Tiger Woods (3)271−177 strokesUnited States Paul Azinger
Spain Sergio García		738,000Payne Stewart[lower-alpha 1]
2000United States Tiger Woods (2)269−195 strokesSouth Africa Ernie Els
United States Justin Leonard		558,000Jack Nicklaus
1999United States Tiger Woods273−152 strokesFiji Vijay Singh459,000Ben Hogan[lower-alpha 1]
1998United States Fred Couples271−174 strokesUnited States Andrew Magee396,000Peter Thomson
1997Fiji Vijay Singh202[lower-alpha 2]−142 strokesUnited States Jim Furyk
Australia Greg Norman		342,000Gary Player
1996United States Tom Watson (2)274−142 strokesUnited States David Duval324,000Billy Casper
1995Australia Greg Norman (2)269−194 strokesUnited States Mark Calcavecchia
United States David Duval
United States Steve Elkington		306,000Willie Anderson[lower-alpha 1]
John Ball[lower-alpha 1]
James Braid[lower-alpha 1]
Harold Hilton[lower-alpha 1]
John Henry Taylor[lower-alpha 1]
1994United States Tom Lehman268−205 strokesAustralia Greg Norman270,000Mickey Wright
1993United States Paul Azinger274−141 strokeUnited States Corey Pavin252,000Arnold Palmer
1992United States David Edwards273−15PlayoffUnited States Rick Fehr234,000Joseph Dey[lower-alpha 1]
1991United States Kenny Perry273−15PlayoffUnited States Hale Irwin216,000Babe Zaharias[lower-alpha 1]
1990Australia Greg Norman216[lower-alpha 2]E1 strokeUnited States Payne Stewart180,000Jimmy Demaret[lower-alpha 1]
1989United States Bob Tway277−112 strokesUnited States Fuzzy Zoeller160,000Henry Cotton[lower-alpha 1]
1988United States Curtis Strange274−142 strokesSouth Africa David Frost
United States Hale Irwin		160,000Patty Berg
1987United States Don Pooley272−163 strokesUnited States Curt Byrum140,000Old Tom Morris[lower-alpha 1]
Young Tom Morris[lower-alpha 1]
1986United States Hal Sutton271−174 strokesUnited States Don Pooley100,000Roberto De Vicenzo
1985United States Hale Irwin (2)281−71 strokeUnited States Lanny Wadkins100,000Chick Evans[lower-alpha 1]
1984United States Jack Nicklaus (2)280−8PlayoffUnited States Andy Bean90,000Sam Snead
1983United States Hale Irwin281−71 strokeUnited States Ben Crenshaw
Australia David Graham		72,000Tommy Armour[lower-alpha 1]
1982United States Raymond Floyd281−72 strokesUnited States Peter Jacobsen
United States Wayne Levi
United States Roger Maltbie
United States Gil Morgan		63,000Glenna Collett-Vare
1981United States Keith Fergus284−41 strokeUnited States Jack Renner63,000Harry Vardon[lower-alpha 1]
1980Australia David Graham280−81 strokeUnited States Tom Watson54,000Byron Nelson
1979United States Tom Watson285−33 strokesUnited States Miller Barber54,000Gene Sarazen
1978United States Jim Simons284−41 strokeUnited States Billy Kratzert50,000Francis Ouimet[lower-alpha 1]
1977United States Jack Nicklaus281−72 strokesUnited States Hubert Green45,000Walter Hagen[lower-alpha 1]
1976United States Roger Maltbie288EPlayoffUnited States Hale Irwin40,000Bobby Jones[lower-alpha 1]

Note: Green highlight indicates scoring records.
Source:[21][22]

Multiple winners

Seven men have won the Memorial Tournament more than once through 2021.

Notes

References

  1. 1 2 "Course map". Memorial Tournament. 2016. Retrieved June 1, 2016.
  2. ↑ "Jack Nicklaus tribute sculpture". (Ohio): Dublin Arts Council. Archived from the original on March 29, 2016. Retrieved June 2, 2016.
  3. ↑ "Jack Nicklaus – Dublin Icon". (Ohio): City of Dublin. August 9, 2013. Retrieved June 2, 2016.
  4. 1 2 Roger Maltbie wins Memorial
  5. ↑ "Boost to Arnie and Jack tourneys". ESPN. Associated Press. June 3, 2014.
  6. ↑ "2015–16 PGA Tour Player Handbook & Tournament Regulations" (PDF). October 5, 2015. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 12, 2016.
  7. ↑ Nicklaus wins Memorial Golf
  8. ↑ Graham outlasts Watson!
  9. ↑ White, Gordon S. Jr. (May 28, 1984). "Nicklaus win in playoff". The New York Times. p. B-25. Archived from the original on 2016-03-06.
  10. ↑ Perry defeats Irwin in Memorial
  11. ↑ Golf; Azinger's 'Miracle' Shot From Bunker Wins by 1
  12. ↑ Lehman devours Memorial
  13. ↑ Another first for Woods
  14. ↑ "Golf: Woods crushes Memorial field". The New Zealand Herald. June 5, 2001. Retrieved October 23, 2011.
  15. ↑ "Bryant earns second career tour victory". ESPN.
  16. ↑ "K.J. Choi wins the Memorial". UPI.
  17. ↑ "Tiger Woods rallies to win Memorial, ties Jack Nicklaus with 73 PGA Tour victories". PGA of America.
  18. ↑ "Hideki Matsuyama wins the Memorial Tournament in a playoff". PGA Tour.
  19. ↑ "Jon Rahm tests positive for COVID-19, withdraws from Memorial with six-shot lead". golfweek.usatoday.com. 5 June 2021. Retrieved 5 June 2021.
  20. ↑ "The Memorial Tournament Honorees". The Memorial Tournament. Retrieved May 27, 2021.
  21. ↑ Memorial Tournament – Winners Archived 2014-12-04 at the Wayback Machine – at www.pgatour.com
  22. ↑ "Retrospective: scoreboard". Memorial Tournament. Archived from the original on February 4, 2013. Retrieved June 1, 2012.

40°08′25″N 83°08′29″W / 40.1404°N 83.1414°W / 40.1404; -83.1414

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