Marquee Names Seek To Bust Long Winless Droughts at the Memorial

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Jordan Spieth
Jordan Spieth chips onto the green on the 18th hole during the third round of The Memorial Tournament at Muirfield Village Golf Club on June 01, 2019 in Dublin, Ohio. Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images

Four of the five names atop the Memorial leaderboard are Martin Kaymer (-15), Adam Scott (-13), Jordan Spieth (-11), and Hideki Matsuyama (-11).

Three (Kaymer, Scott, and Spieth) of the above mentioned players are members of the ultra-exclusive club of former world No. 1s – three of only 23 players to have done so in the last 33 years (since 1986), while the fourth (Matsuyama) reached world No. 2.

Martin Kaymer
Martin Kaymer hits a shot on the 9th hole during the second round of The Memorial Tournament at Muirfield Village Golf Club on May 31, 2019 in Dublin, Ohio. Photo by Sam Greenwood/Getty Images

Combined, they own 70 worldwide wins, including six major titles, five Wold Golf Championships titles, four FedExCup Playoff victories, two PLAYERS Championships, and two TOUR Championships, all with an average age of just 31 (meaning these aren’t four guys ready for the Champions Tour any time soon).

Yet, despite their marquee names, and major accomplishments, none among the four has hoisted a trophy over the past two seasons – at minimum, with Kaymer owning the longest winless drought at five years.

Adam Scott
Adam Scott reacts to his putt on the 8th hole during the third round of the Memorial Tournament at Muirfield Village Golf Club on June 1, 2019 in Dublin, Ohio. Photo by Keyur Khamar/PGA TOUR via Getty Images

For Scott it’s been three years (2016 WGC-Cadillac) since his last win, while Spieth (2017 Open) and Matsuyama (2017 WGC-Bridgestone) are in the midst of two-season dry spells.

Martin Kaymer – 15 Career Wins, 2 Majors, 1 WGC, World No.1
Adam Scott – 27 Career Wins, 1 Major, 2 WGCs, World No.1
Jordan Spieth – 14 Career Wins, 3 Majors, World No.1
Hideki Matsuyama – 14 Career Wins, 2 WGCs, World No.2

Of note, Patrick Cantlay is the fifth player in the top-5, and while he does not have the resume of the aforementioned foursome, he’s a marquee name as well (with the highest world ranking among the five leaders at No. 15), and in the midst of a winless drought himself, having not won since his maiden PGA Tour title at the Shriners in 2017.

Hideki Matsuyama
Hideki Matsuyama plays a shot during the third round of The Memorial Tournament at Muirfield Village Golf Club on June 01, 2019 in Dublin, Ohio. Photo by Sam Greenwood/Getty Images

Will one of these world-class golfers finally break through, and shake Jack’s hand on Sunday afternoon? Kaymer believes it will come down to who best handles the pressure… along with a little luck.

“I mean, all of them, if you take Jordan, if you take Adam, or Matsuyama I think was up there, too, they have won huge tournaments and they’ve been out of it for quite some time,” said Kaymer.

“They’re good enough to win any week. And it’s the same for me. It’s just a matter of how much can you handle Saturday and Sunday. And you need a little bit of luck here and there as well.”

Time will tell.

Final-round play gets underway on the Golf Channel at noon with CBS picking up the action at 2:30 pm.

Final-Round Pairings

1:50 pm: Martin Kaymer (-15), Adam Scott (-13)
1:40 pm: Hideki Matsuyama (-11), Patrick Cantlay (-11)
1:30 pm: Jordan Spieth (-11), Marc Leishman (-9)

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