The Memorial Tournament, a PGA Tour golf competition, was established by Jack Nicklaus in 1976. It is played on a Nicklaus-designed course at Muirfield Village Golf Club in Dublin, Ohio, United States. The golf course winds through Muirfield Village, a large neighbourhood home to a 1999 bronze sculpture of Nicklaus coaching a young player in the wide Muirfield Drive median.
What is the format of the Memorial Tournament?
A total of 120 participants in the field play stroke play over the course of four days in the Memorial Tournament. The tournament is a 36-hole cut to the top 50 and ties plus any player within 10 shots of the lead. With only 120 participants, the Memorial Tournament features a smaller field than most full-field open tournaments, which typically have 156 players. The Memorial Tournament is one of only five tournaments designated by the PGA Tour as 'invitational' events.
After the second round, the field, including ties, are reduced to the top 65 players. The winner receives a three-year exemption from the PGA Tour, which is one more than other Tour events and puts them on level with the champions of the Arnold Palmer Invitational, The Tour Championship, and the World Golf Championships. This resolution was passed in June 2014.
What is the history behind the Memorial Tournament?
During the 1966 Masters event, Jack Nicklaus expressed his wish to establish a tournament, like The Masters, that would attract golfers from all over the world and be influenced by the game's traditions and history. Additionally, he wanted philanthropic donations to be made by the event to Columbus and Ohio-based organisations that assisted underprivileged people and children. Nicklaus' Muirfield Village golf course hosted the inaugural Memorial Tournament in 1976, two years after the golf course opened in 1974. At 7,072 yards (6,467 metres), the par-72 course was quite long for the mid-1970s.
The Memorial Tournament's principal charity beneficiary is Nationwide Children's Hospital. An annual ceremony honouring former golfers is one of the tournament's attractions. At Muirfield, a plaque commemorating each honoree is placed close to the clubhouse; Nicklaus was the 2000 recipient.
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FAQs on Memorial Tournament
A. The Memorial Tournament is annually held at Muirfield Village Golf Club in Dublin, Ohio, United States.
A. The Memorial Tournament was first played in 1976.
A. Jon Rahm, Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlroy, Patrick Cantlay, and Xander Schauffele are the favourites to win the Memorial Tournament in 2025.
