Memorial Tournament

Template:Short description Template:Use mdy dates Template:Infobox golf tournament The Memorial Tournament (branded as the Memorial Tournament presented by Workday for sponsorship reasons) 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.<ref name=dactrib>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name=coduicon>Template:Cite news</ref>

HistoryEdit

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 Template:Convert,<ref name=malt76/> 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 statusEdit

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 73 players in 2024 (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 Invitational. Invitational tournaments have smaller fields (between 69 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.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

FieldEdit

Template:Update section In 2016 the field consisted of 120 players invited using the following criteria:<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Memorial winners in the last five years or prior to 1997
The Players Championship and major championship winners in the last five years
The Tour Championship, World Golf Championships, and Arnold Palmer Invitational winners in the past three years
Tournament winners in the past year
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)
Prior year U.S. Amateur winner
Prior year British Amateur winner
Up to four players selected by the tournament from among the money leaders from the other five Federation tours
14 sponsors exemptions – 2 from among graduates of the Korn Ferry Tour Finals, 6 members not otherwise exempt, and 6 unrestricted
Top 50 Official World Golf Ranking as of the Friday before the tournament
Top 70 from prior year's FedEx Cup points list
PGA Tour members whose non-member FedEx Cup points the previous season (excluding WGCs) would have placed them in the top 70
Top 70 from current year's FedEx Cup points list as of the Friday before the tournament
Prior year college player of the year (Jack Nicklaus Award)
Remaining positions filled alternating from current year's and prior year's FedEx Cup point lists

Tournament highlightsEdit

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.<ref name=malt76>Template:Cite news</ref>
1977: Poor weather resulted in a Monday finish for the tournament; host Jack Nicklaus won by two shots over Hubert Green.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
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.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
1984: Jack Nicklaus defeated Andy Bean in a sudden-death playoff to become the first two-time Memorial winner.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
1991: Kenny Perry won for the first time on the PGA Tour, defeating Irwin on the first hole of a sudden-death playoff.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
1993: Paul Azinger birdied the 72nd hole by holing out from a bunker to finish one shot ahead of Corey Pavin.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
1994: Tom Lehman shot a tournament record 268 (-20) for 72 holes on his way to a five-shot victory over Greg Norman.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
2000: Tiger Woods became the first Memorial winner to successfully defend his title, finishing five shots clear of Ernie Els.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
2001: Woods won for a third consecutive year, seven shots ahead of runners-up Paul Azinger and Sergio García.<ref name="NZ_Herald_193188">Template:Cite news</ref>
2005: Bart Bryant saved par from a hazard on the 72nd hole to win by one shot over Fred Couples.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
2007: K. J. Choi shot a final round 65 to win by one shot over Ryan Moore.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref>

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.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref>

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;<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref> 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 Rahm held a six-stroke lead after 54 holes, but was forced to withdraw after testing positive for COVID-19.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>
2024: Scottie Scheffler wins the Memorial, becoming the first since Tom Watson in 1980 to win five PGA Tour events in a season prior to the U.S. Open.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Course layoutEdit

Muirfield Village Golf Club in 2016

Hole	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	Out	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	In	Total
Yards	470	455	401	200	527	447	563	185	412	3,660	471	567	184	455	363	529	201	478	484	3,732	7,392
Par	4	4	4	3	5	4	5	3	4	36	4	5	3	4	4	5	3	4	4	36	72

Source:<ref name=course16/>

Winners and honoreesEdit

Year	Winner	Score	To par	Margin of victory	Runner(s)-up	Winner's share ($)	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
2025	Template:Flagicon				Template:Flagicon	4,000,000	Barbara Nicklaus
2024	Template:Flagicon Scottie Scheffler	280	−8	1 stroke	Template:Flagicon Collin Morikawa	4,000,000	Juli Inkster Tom Weiskopf Template:Efn
2023	Template:Flagicon Viktor Hovland	281	−7	Playoff	Template:Flagicon Denny McCarthy	3,600,000	Larry Nelson
2022	Template:Flagicon Billy Horschel	275	−13	4 strokes	Template:Flagicon Aaron Wise	2,160,000	Charlie Sifford Template:Efn
2021	Template:Flagicon Patrick Cantlay (2)	275	−13	Playoff	Template:Flagicon Collin Morikawa	1,674,000	Nick Price Gene Littler Template:Efn Ted Ray Template:Efn
2020	Template:Flagicon Jon Rahm	279	−9	3 strokes	Template:Flagicon Ryan Palmer	1,674,000	Nick Price Gene Littler Template:Efn Ted Ray Template:Efn
2019	Template:Flagicon Patrick Cantlay	269	−19	2 strokes	Template:Flagicon Adam Scott	1,638,000	Judy Rankin
2018	Template:Flagicon Bryson DeChambeau	273	−15	Playoff	Template:Flagicon An Byeong-hun Template:Flagicon Kyle Stanley	1,602,000	Hale Irwin Jock Hutchison Template:Efn Willie Turnesa Template:Efn
2017	Template:Flagicon Jason Dufner	275	−13	3 strokes	Template:Flagicon Rickie Fowler Template:Flagicon Anirban Lahiri	1,566,000	Greg Norman Tony Lema Template:Efn Ken Venturi Template:Efn Harvie Ward Template:Efn
2016	Template:Flagicon William McGirt	273	−15	Playoff	Template:Flagicon Jon Curran	1,530,000	Johnny Miller Leo Diegel Template:Efn Horton Smith Template:Efn
2015	Template:Flagicon David Lingmerth	273	−15	Playoff	Template:Flagicon Justin Rose	1,116,000	Nick Faldo Dorothy Campbell Template:Efn Jerome Travers Template:Efn Walter Travis Template:Efn
2014	Template:Flagicon Hideki Matsuyama	275	−13	Playoff	Template:Flagicon Kevin Na	1,116,000	Annika Sörenstam Jim Barnes Template:Efn Joe Carr Template:Efn Willie Park Sr.Template:Efn
2013	Template:Flagicon Matt Kuchar	276	−12	2 strokes	Template:Flagicon Kevin Chappell	1,116,000	Raymond Floyd
2012	Template:Flagicon Tiger Woods (5)	279	−9	2 strokes	Template:Flagicon Andrés Romero Template:Flagicon Rory Sabbatini	1,116,000	Tom Watson
2011	Template:Flagicon Steve Stricker	272	−16	1 stroke	Template:Flagicon Brandt Jobe Template:Flagicon Matt Kuchar	1,116,000	Nancy Lopez
2010	Template:Flagicon Justin Rose	270	−18	3 strokes	Template:Flagicon Rickie Fowler	1,080,000	Seve Ballesteros
2009	Template:Flagicon Tiger Woods (4)	276	−12	1 stroke	Template:Flagicon Jim Furyk	1,080,000	JoAnne Carner Jack Burke Jr.
2008	Template:Flagicon Kenny Perry (3)	280	−8	2 strokes	Template:Flagicon Mathew Goggin Template:Flagicon Jerry Kelly Template:Flagicon Justin Rose Template:Flagicon Mike Weir	1,080,000	Tony Jacklin Ralph Guldahl Template:Efn Charles B. Macdonald Template:Efn Craig Wood Template:Efn
2007	Template:Flagicon K. J. Choi	271	−17	1 stroke	Template:Flagicon Ryan Moore	1,080,000	Louise Suggs Dow Finsterwald
2006	Template:Flagicon Carl Pettersson	276	−12	2 strokes	Template:Flagicon Zach Johnson Template:Flagicon Brett Wetterich	1,035,000	Michael Bonallack Charles Coe Template:Efn Lawson Little Template:Efn Henry Picard Template:Efn Paul Runyan Template:Efn Denny Shute Template:Efn
2005	Template:Flagicon Bart Bryant	272	−16	1 stroke	Template:Flagicon Fred Couples	990,000	Betsy Rawls Cary Middlecoff Template:Efn
2004	Template:Flagicon Ernie Els	270	−18	4 strokes	Template:Flagicon Fred Couples	945,000	Lee Trevino Joyce Wethered Template:Efn
2003	Template:Flagicon Kenny Perry (2)	275	−13	2 strokes	Template:Flagicon Lee Janzen	900,000	Julius Boros Template:Efn William C. Campbell
2002	Template:Flagicon Jim Furyk	274	−14	2 strokes	Template:Flagicon John Cook Template:Flagicon David Peoples	810,000	Kathy Whitworth Bobby Locke Template:Efn
2001	Template:Flagicon Tiger Woods (3)	271	−17	7 strokes	Template:Flagicon Paul Azinger Template:Flagicon Sergio García	738,000	Payne Stewart Template:Efn
2000	Template:Flagicon Tiger Woods (2)	269	−19	5 strokes	Template:Flagicon Ernie Els Template:Flagicon Justin Leonard	558,000	Jack Nicklaus
1999	Template:Flagicon Tiger Woods	273	−15	2 strokes	Template:Flagicon Vijay Singh	459,000	Ben Hogan Template:Efn
1998	Template:Flagicon Fred Couples	271	−17	4 strokes	Template:Flagicon Andrew Magee	396,000	Peter Thomson
1997	Template:Flagicon Vijay Singh	202Template:Efn	−14	2 strokes	Template:Flagicon Jim Furyk Template:Flagicon Greg Norman	342,000	Gary Player
1996	Template:Flagicon Tom Watson (2)	274	−14	2 strokes	Template:Flagicon David Duval	324,000	Billy Casper
1995	Template:Flagicon Greg Norman (2)	269	−19	4 strokes	Template:Flagicon Mark Calcavecchia Template:Flagicon David Duval Template:Flagicon Steve Elkington	306,000	Willie Anderson Template:Efn John Ball Template:Efn James Braid Template:Efn Harold Hilton Template:Efn John Henry Taylor Template:Efn
1994	Template:Flagicon Tom Lehman	268	−20	5 strokes	Template:Flagicon Greg Norman	270,000	Mickey Wright
1993	Template:Flagicon Paul Azinger	274	−14	1 stroke	Template:Flagicon Corey Pavin	252,000	Arnold Palmer
1992	Template:Flagicon David Edwards	273	−15	Playoff	Template:Flagicon Rick Fehr	234,000	Joseph Dey Template:Efn
1991	Template:Flagicon Kenny Perry	273	−15	Playoff	Template:Flagicon Hale Irwin	216,000	Babe Zaharias Template:Efn
1990	Template:Flagicon Greg Norman	216Template:Efn	E	1 stroke	Template:Flagicon Payne Stewart	180,000	Jimmy Demaret Template:Efn
1989	Template:Flagicon Bob Tway	277	−11	2 strokes	Template:Flagicon Fuzzy Zoeller	160,000	Henry Cotton Template:Efn
1988	Template:Flagicon Curtis Strange	274	−14	2 strokes	Template:Flagicon David Frost Template:Flagicon Hale Irwin	160,000	Patty Berg
1987	Template:Flagicon Don Pooley	272	−16	3 strokes	Template:Flagicon Curt Byrum	140,000	Old Tom Morris Template:Efn Young Tom Morris Template:Efn
1986	Template:Flagicon Hal Sutton	271	−17	4 strokes	Template:Flagicon Don Pooley	100,000	Roberto De Vicenzo
1985	Template:Flagicon Hale Irwin (2)	281	−7	1 stroke	Template:Flagicon Lanny Wadkins	100,000	Chick Evans Template:Efn
1984	Template:Flagicon Jack Nicklaus (2)	280	−8	Playoff	Template:Flagicon Andy Bean	90,000	Sam Snead
1983	Template:Flagicon Hale Irwin	281	−7	1 stroke	Template:Flagicon Ben Crenshaw Template:Flagicon David Graham	72,000	Tommy Armour Template:Efn
1982	Template:Flagicon Raymond Floyd	281	−7	2 strokes	Template:Flagicon Peter Jacobsen Template:Flagicon Wayne Levi Template:Flagicon Roger Maltbie Template:Flagicon Gil Morgan	63,000	Glenna Collett-Vare
1981	Template:Flagicon Keith Fergus	284	−4	1 stroke	Template:Flagicon Jack Renner	63,000	Harry Vardon Template:Efn
1980	Template:Flagicon David Graham	280	−8	1 stroke	Template:Flagicon Tom Watson	54,000	Byron Nelson
1979	Template:Flagicon Tom Watson	285	−3	3 strokes	Template:Flagicon Miller Barber	54,000	Gene Sarazen
1978	Template:Flagicon Jim Simons	284	−4	1 stroke	Template:Flagicon Billy Kratzert	50,000	Francis Ouimet Template:Efn
1977	Template:Flagicon Jack Nicklaus	281	−7	2 strokes	Template:Flagicon Hubert Green	45,000	Walter Hagen Template:Efn
1976	Template:Flagicon Roger Maltbie	288	E	Playoff	Template:Flagicon Hale Irwin	40,000	Bobby Jones Template:Efn

Note: Green highlight indicates scoring records.
Source:<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Multiple winnersEdit

Seven men have won the Memorial Tournament more than once through 2024:

5 wins: Tiger Woods (1999, 2000, 2001, 2009, 2012)
3 wins: Kenny Perry (1991, 2003, 2008)
2 wins: Jack Nicklaus (1977, 1984), Hale Irwin (1983, 1985), Greg Norman (1990, 1995), Tom Watson: (1979, 1996), Patrick Cantlay (2019, 2021)

NotesEdit

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ReferencesEdit

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External linksEdit

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