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Tournament Stats:
Memorial Tournament
May 26 - June 1, 2008
Muirfield Village Golf Club
Columbus, Ohio
Par: 72 / Yardage: 7,265
Purse: $6 million with $1,080,000 going to the winner
Defending Champion: Carl Pettersson
Results & Scores 2007 Memorial Tournament
Box Score of 2007 Memorial Tournament
Tournament facts:
Tournament Record:268 (Tom Lehman in 1994)
54-Hole Record:
198 (Scott Hoch in 1987)
36-Hole Record:
131 (Scott Hoch in 1987)
Low round of tournament:
61 (John Huston in the second round of the 1996 Memorial Tournament)
Tournament information:
This is the 33rd annual Memorial Tournament. The first one was played in 1976 and it has always been played at Muirfield Village. There are close ties between the Memorial Tournament and Jack Nicklaus. The tournament was a long-time vision of Nicklaus, who grew up playing the famous Scioto Country Club, which hosted the 1926 U.S. Open. But the course wasn't large enough to hold a major championship so Nicklaus built Muirfield Village with that in mind. In some ways the Memorial mirrors the Masters beacuse it's the tournament that Nicklaus always thought was the best run on a great course. The tournament got its name because every year a different golfer was supposed to be recognized for their contribution to the game of golf. The first Memorial Tournament honoree was Bobby Jones in 1976. Beginning in 2002, two honorees were selected annually, a male and female golfer. The 2008 honorees for the Memorial Tournament will be Tony Jacklin, Ralph Guldahl, Charles Blair Macdonald and Craig Wood. Also being recognized with the journalism award will be Ken Bowden.
Course information:
During the 1996 Masters, Jack Nicklaus told told some of his closet friends that he wanted to bring a major championship to the Columbus area. Unfortunately,the best course in town -- The Scioto Country Club -- was not big enough to hold a tournament that Nicklaus envisioned. At the time he was just getting into course designing he knew just enough to be dangerous on the subject. He also envisioned that his course would have some of the same characteristics that Augusta National had, plus Nicklaus wanted the event to mirror Augusta. After the Masters, Nicklaus and his trusted friends made secert site surveys around the Columbus area and found the site he thought was perfect, on the Northeastern part of two. In 1967 with his own money, Nicklaus started buying the land that would be Muirfield Village.
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By 1970, Nicklaus realized that he had a future in building golf courses. Out of this realization, Golden Bear Inc. was born. Golden Bear Inc. was an amalgam of three separate entities, two of which were previously owned by Nicklaus. In 1972, under the supervision of Golden Bear Inc., construction began in Dublin, Ohio. The project encountered many delays, including exorbitant amounts of rain that ultimately postponed the completion of the project until late 1973. Jack Nicklaus played the inaugural round of golf at Muirfield in October of 1973. Fittingly, his round was marred by heavy rain storms. The course officially opened on May 24, 1974 with an exhibition match between Nicklaus and Tom Weiskopf. Nicklaus shot a 66, which stood as the course record until 1979.
Over the years, Muirfield Village has racked up numerous prestigious awards, but none more noteworthy than a stellar 16th among "America's 100 Greatest Golf Courses," as ranked by Golf Digest. But the most important accolade that Muirfield Village gets every year is when it is voted one of the five best sites by PGA Tour players, not only because the course is great, but because how well the players are pampered here. It goes beyond even the PGA Tour rules. It's the only tournament on Tour that bans equipment manufacturers, tournament representatives and the media from the practice facilities and locker rooms.
When Nicklaus built the course in the '70s he had championships in mind and, of course, a yearly PGA Tour event. Along with the Memorial, which got started in 1976, the course has held just about every other major tournament, except for a U.S. Open or a PGA Championship. Other championships that have been held at Muirfield include the 1986 U.S. Junior Amateur, the 1987 Ryder Cup Matches, the 1992 U.S. Amateur, the 1995 Wendy's Three-Tour Challenge and the 1998 Soleim Cup.
The par 72 course has 69 bunkers, with water coming into play on 11 holes. In general, Muirfield Village plays a long, challenging 7,265 yards. With a course rating of 76.3 and a slope rating of 149, it is one of the most difficult venues on Tour.
Nicklaus didn't just design this course with the golfer in mind; he was one of the first designers to account for the fan. The 220-acre venue strategically incorporates hills and mounds that allow fans to look downward upon most of the action. This set up mirrors most traditional stadium-seating arrangements found at major sporting events.
The Buzz:
For years, this event and tournament creator Jack Nicklaus prided itself on having a great field. Unfortunately this year things didn't work out. First and foremost, Tiger Woods had surgery. He wanted to play but, as he said in a press conference on Tuesday, his game wasn't ready yet. Of course, Tiger will play in the U.S. Open, but that doesn't help Jack Nicklaus and the Memorial this week. Another marquee name that can't play is Vijay Singh, who had problems with his ribs for the last couple of weeks, which is preventing him from playing. Another top player not in the field is Adam Scott, who is taking some time off in Australia. What many don't understand is that Scott will play in the U.S. Open without playing in any competitive event since the Players Championship.One player, Ernie Els, a former Memorial champ, was originally out, but now is back in. Els has had a rocky year, even with his win at the Honda Classic. Many thought that he was going to take the week off. He even said Monday on his Web site that he would take the week off. But on Tuesday that got changed and he is expected to play.
Despite all of the news of those that won't play, Nicklaus should be happy that seven players in last week's BMW PGA in England are playing this week. Those making the trip are Paul Casey, Luke Donald, Richard Green, Anton Haig, James Kingston, Justin Rose and Graeme Storm
Here are some things to look for this week:
Here are some of the secrets that it will take to play well this week at the Memorial Tournament:
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Key stat for the winner:
Those that do well in majors, do well at Muirfield Village. Of the 25 different champions of the Memorial, 16 have won a total of 62 major championships. What's more, 11 of the last 15 Memorial champions have been a winner of a major championship. - In the history of the Memorial only one leader after the first round has won (Ernie Els in 2004). Eleven second-round leaders have won and 15 third-round leader have won. Since 1994, only three 54-hole leaders have failed to win (2001, 2002 and last year).
- Seven of the last 11 winners were in the top four in greens hit.
- Overpowering the par fives is crucial. The last 11 winners have played the par 5s in a average of 9-under.
- Five of the last six winners have been in the top-10 in driving accuracy, which proves the point that you have to drive the ball well at Muirfield Village.
- In its 32-year history there have only been three playoffs, the last coming in 1992. The next year was the last one that had a dramatic finish when Paul Azinger holed out of the bunker on the final hole to win by one. Since then every Memorial has been won by at least two shots or more.
- Only eight times in the history of the Memorial has a player shot four rounds in the 60s with six of them winning. The last time that happened was in 2005 when Bart Bryant prevailed.