It’s the Memorial Tournament week – the last stop before the 2024 U.S. Open, and as a Signature Event, the field in central Ohio is stacked.
The limited 73-player set will feature the PGA Tour’s biggest names, including the likes of Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlroy, Xander Schauffele, and defending champion Viktor Hovland, among others.
Below, you’ll find more details to help you get primed for the 2024 edition of the Memorial Tournament.
PGA Tour At-a-Glance
Name: the Memorial Tournament
Title Sponsor: Nationwide Insurance
Tour Debut: 1976
Dates: June 6-9, 2024
Where: Dublin, Ohio
Course: Muirfield Village GC
Distance: Par 72, 7,392 yards
Architect: Jack Nicklaus
Format: Stroke, 72-holes, no cut
Purse: $20,000,000
Winning Share: $4,000,000
Defending Champion: Viktor Hovland
How to Follow the Memorial Tournament
TELEVISION: Thu-Fri: 2-6 p.m. (GOLF); Sat-Sun: 12:30-2:30 p.m. (GOLF), 2:30-6 p.m. (CBS)
STREAMING: Thu-Fri: 7 a.m.-6 p.m. (ESPN+); Sat-Sun: 7:30 a.m.-6 p.m. (ESPN+)
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PGA TOUR RADIO: Thu-Fri: 12-6 p.m.; Sat-Sun: 1-6 p.m.
(PGA TOUR Radio on SiriusXM and PGATOUR.com/liveaudio)
LINKS: Website | Instagram | Facebook | X/Twitter
Memorial Tournament History
As one of the most respected names in the history of the game, Jack Nicklaus’ gift to the golf world, and to a central Ohio community that embraced him, has grown into one of the most important events outside of the four majors.
The Memorial, considered one of the two best non-majors on the schedule, continuously draws a very strong field, and even bigger crowds, the latter a testament to a Muirfield Village course design that made fan experience a priority.
Debuting in 1976, just two years after Muirfield Village opened, the inaugural edition of the Memorial was a brutal test as only two players, Roger Maltbie and Hale Irwin, were able to avoid an over-par score. Both finished at level-par 288 with Maltbie eventually edging Irwin on the fourth sudden-death extra hole.
The following year featured the first victory for tournament host Nicklaus, who would also win the 1984 edition.
Other notable winners have included the aforementioned Irwin, Tom Watson, Raymond Floyd, Greg Norman, Curtis Strange, Paul Azinger, Tom Lehman, Vijah Singh, Fred Couples, Ernie Els, Justin Rose, Tiger Woods, Bryson DeChambeau, Patrick Cantlay and Jon Rahm.
Woods holds the tournament record with five victories, followed by Kenny Perry, who won three times. Four players, including Nicklaus and Cantlay, have claimed two Memorial titles.
One of the unique 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.
Every honoree is an off the chart historical name, but some of the most iconic names include Arnold Palmer, Seve Ballesteros, Lee Trevino, Ben Hogan, Byron Nelson, and Sam Snead, among others.
The Course: Muirfield Village
Founded by Jack Nicklaus, and opened in 1974, Muirfield Village Golf Club is a par-72 track, measuring 7,392 yards for the tour pros.
Acting as the home base of the Ohio legend, the property and golf course was named after Muirfield, Scotland – where Nicklaus won the first of his three British Open titles in 1966 to complete the first of his three career grand slams.
The Nicklaus-designed signature golf course has hosted the PGA Tour’s Memorial Tournament since its inception in 1976, with the Golden Bear, himself, acting as the tournament host.
A bronze sculpture of Nicklaus mentoring a young golfer, unveiled in 1999, is located in the wide median of Muirfield Drive.
The private pro-style layout is regularly ranked as one of the top golf courses in the state of Ohio.
The Skinny
Name: Muirfield Village Golf Club
Locale: Dublin, Ohio
Established: 1974
Type: Private
Holes: 18
Par: 36/36/72
Par 3s: 4 (4, 8, 12, 16)
Par 4s: 10 (1, 2, 3, 6, 9, 10, 13, 14, 17, 18)
Par 5s: 4 (5, 7, 11, 15)
Length: 7,329 yards
Greens: Bentgrass/Poa annua
Fairways: Bentgrass/Poa annua
Designed by: Jack Nicklaus
Website: mvgc.org
The Field: Overview
Contested at the acclaimed Muirfield Village Golf Club and hosted by PGA Tour legend Jack Nicklaus, the star-studded gathering in Dublin, Ohio will feature all of the PGA Tour’s top-ranked players including this year’s two major winners: Scottie Scheffler (Masters) and Xander Schauffele (PGA).
The major-winning duo will be joined by a plethora of marquee names, such as two-time Memorial winner Patrick Cantlay and defending champion Viktor Hovland. Additional big names include Rory McIlroy, Collin Morikawa, Max Homa, Jordan Spieth, Justin Thomas, Tommy Fleetwood, and Ludvig Aberg.
Cantlay (2019, 2021) and Hovland (2023) headline a pack of six former Memorial winners in the field – a group which also features Billy Horschel (2022), Hideki Matsuyama (2014), Matt Kuchar (2013) and Justin Rose, who won way back in 2010.
Other familiar names teeing it up this week include Matt Fitzpatrick, Brian Harman, Shane Lowry, Wyndham Clark, Rickie Fowler, Jason Day, and Tom Kim, among others.
Up Next: U.S. Open
The U.S. Open, the 2024 season’s third major, will be contested at Pinehurst No. 2 in North Carolina. Wyndham Clark will defend his 2023 title.
Credits: Joel Cook, Jeff Shain, PGA Tour Media, Getty Images
