The First Look: the Memorial Tournament presented by Workday

The PGA TOUR heads to Jack’s Place for this week’s Memorial Tournament presented by Workday, a Designated event at Muirfield Village GC in central Ohio.

The Memorial Tournament, hosted by 18-time major champion Jack Nicklaus, is one of the PGA TOUR’s longest-running events at the same venue, having debuted at Muirfield Village in 1976.

With its reputation as one of the TOUR’s most demanding tests and history of illustrious winners, the Memorial has evolved into an essentially can’t-miss stop on most players’ calendars. This week, the top five players on the Official World Golf Ranking will all tee it up in Dublin, Ohio, just outside Columbus.

Five-time winner of the Memorial Tournament Tiger Woods perhaps said it best.

“This one in particular is very special to him; it’s very special to us as players,” Woods said. “Obviously because of what he’s done to the golf course, but more so what he’s meant to us as players.”

Woods won’t compete this week, but the 120-player field is certain to put on a show at Muirfield Village.

FIELD NOTES: Billy Horschel returns to defend his title from 2022. His four-stroke victory marked his seventh PGA TOUR title; he arrives in central Ohio at No. 108 on this year’s FedExCup standings … World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler heads to Muirfield Village after a tie for third at the Charles Schwab Challenge in his home Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex, one stroke back of a playoff between Emiliano Grillo and Adam Schenk. Scheffler’s Sunday at Colonial CC included a hole-in-one at the par-3 eighth hole. Grillo and Schenk will each compete this week as well, aiming to continue the hot hand … World No. 2 Jon Rahm, who won the 2020 Memorial Tournament by three strokes, will tee it up at Muirfield Village, as will world No. 3 Rory McIlroy … Two-time winner of the Memorial Tournament Patrick Cantlay (2019, 2021) heads back to central Ohio aiming to maintain this developing trend of winning every other year here. Cantlay stands No. 4 on the Official World Golf Ranking. World No. 5 Xander Schauffele, with four top-20 finishes in five starts at the Memorial, eyes his first title here … World No. 6 Max Homa will not compete, but for good reason: his sister Maddie is getting married this weekend.

SPONSOR EXEMPTIONS: Ohio natives Justin Lower and Bo Hoag will play on sponsor exemptions; Lower, a TOUR member this year, grew up in Canal Fulton, Ohio, and played collegiately at Malone University. Hoag, currently competing on the Korn Ferry Tour, grew up in Columbus and played at nearby Ohio State; his grandpa and Jack Nicklaus were good friends … Akshay Bhatia, 21, will debut at the Memorial Tournament. Bhatia began the season on the Korn Ferry Tour and holds TOUR Special Temporary Membership on the strength of a runner-up finish at the Puerto Rico Open … Past Memorial winners to receive sponsor exemptions include K.J. Choi (2007), William McGirt (2016) and Jason Dufner (2017) … Stewart Cink will compete after finishing third in his PGA TOUR Champions debut at last week’s KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship … Upcoming Ryder Cup captains Zach Johnson and Luke Donald will tee it up in central Ohio … Sponsor exemptions are rounded out by Peter Malnati, Brandt Snedeker and Kevin Streelman.

STORYLINES:

1. STAR POWER

Each of the world’s top-five players will compete at the Memorial, in a tournament that has a recent track record of big names taking the title. Three of the past four Memorial victories (Cantlay in 2019, Rahm in 2020, Cantlay in 2021) are by players who currently reside in the world’s top five. Although not in this week’s field, Tiger Woods famously made Muirfield Village his stomping grounds with five victories (1999, 2000, 2001, 2009, 2012). Past winners here also include tournament host Jack Nicklaus, Tom Watson, Hale Irwin, Ernie Els, Vijay Singh, Jim Furyk and Fred Couples. The champion roll call reads as a who’s who of golf greats, and one can expect this week’s leaderboard to take a similar shape.

2. WORLDLY FLAIR

One of the Memorial Tournament’s enduring traditions is Jack Nicklaus’ emphasis on inviting some of the game’s intriguing young talent to test their mettle against the world’s best at Muirfield Village. ChrisGotterup, last year’s Jack Nicklaus Award winner as Division I Collegiate Player of the Year, is set to compete. Gotterup, who played four years at Rutgers before transferring to Oklahoma for his fifth year in 2021-2022, is a Korn Ferry Tour rookie this season. He stands No. 32 on that circuit’s points list. Also set to compete are reigning U.S. Amateur winner Sam Bennett, who finished T16 at last month’s Masters Tournament, and reigning Amateur champion Aldrich Potgieter. Also competing in central Ohio as money list leaders from international tours are Kazuki Higa, NicolaiHojgaard, Thriston Lawrence and David Micheluzzi.

3. CHASE FOR TOP 50

With just 12 events remaining before the FedExCup Playoffs, there’s more emphasis than ever on qualifying for the postseason. After a decade-plus of the top 125 advancing to the first FedExCup Playoffs event, this season will see just 70 players advance to the first Playoffs event, the FedEx St. Jude Championship in early August. After the FedEx St. Jude, the top 50 will advance to the second Playoffs event, the BMW Championship. The top-50 cutoff is quite pivotal, as these players will gain access to next year’s Designated events with elevated purses. The Memorial Tournament offers elevated FedExCup points, 550 to the winner, meaning that strong play at Muirfield Village will go even further toward improving one’s position on the season-long points race.

FEDEXCUP: Winner receives 550 FedExCup points.

COURSE: Muirfield Village GC, par 72, 7,533 yards. The Jack Nicklaus/Desmond Muirhead design has held a spot on the PGA TOUR calendar since 1976, two years after the course opened in 1974. The venue’s name is inspired by Muirfield, Scotland, where Nicklaus won his first of three Open Championship titles in 1966. It’s known for its thick rough, firm greens and Nicklaus’ mindset to innovate his track to fit the modern game while remaining playable for amateurs. This marks the event’s third playing since its second renovation.

72-HOLE RECORD: 268, Tom Lehman (1994)

18-HOLE RECORD: 61, John Huston (Round 2, 1996)

LAST TIME: Billy Horschel authored a trademark performance of precision at the 2022 Memorial Tournament, finishing 13 under in demanding conditions for a four-stroke victory over Aaron Wise. Horschel rose to the top of the leaderboard with a third-round, 7-under 65 and then remained steady in a closing 72 that featured a 53-foot eagle from the back of the green on the par-5 15th hole. The victory helped propel Horschel, a University of Florida alum, to a spot on his first Presidents Cup team. Patrick Cantlay and Joaquin Niemann shared third place at 7 under, with five players sharing fifth place at 6 under – Max Homa, Will Zalatoris, Daniel Berger, Denny McCarthy and Sahith Theegala.

HOW TO FOLLOW: (All times ET)

Television: Thursday-Friday, 2 p.m.-6 p.m. (Golf Channel). Saturday-Sunday, 12:30 p.m.-2:30 p.m. (Golf Channel), 2:30 p.m.-6 p.m. (CBS)

PGA TOUR LIVE:

PGA TOUR LIVE is available exclusively on ESPN+

• Main Feed: primary tournament-coverage featuring the best action from across the course
• Marquee Group: new “marquee group” showcasing every shot from each player in the group
• Featured Groups: traditional PGA TOUR LIVE coverage of two concurrent featured groups
• Featured Holes: a combination of par-3s and iconic or pivotal holes

Radio: Thursday-Friday, 12 p.m.–6 p.m. ET. Saturday-Sunday, 1 p.m.-6 p.m. (PGA TOUR Radio on SiriusXM and PGATOUR.com/liveaudio)