The First Look: the Memorial Tournament

FedExCup pacesetter Justin Thomas will tee it up for the first time as the new world No. 1 at the Memorial Tournament, doing so under Jack Nicklaus’ watchful eye as his annual gathering at Muirfield Village again attracts one of the year’s strongest fields. Dustin Johnson, who Thomas nudged aside atop the rankings, and hometown favorite Jason Day, also are part of a Memorial lineup boasting eight of the top 10 in the current world rankings. Tiger Woods, a five time Memorial champion, also returns to Jack’s Place for the first time since 2015. FIELD NOTES Thomas and Day also help give Muirfield Village 12 of the top 15 in the FedExCup standings, not to mention all four of the TOUR’s multiple winners this season. Bubba Watson and Patton Kizzire are the other two-time winners. Rory McIlroy, Branden Grace and Ernie Els are among eight players coming to Muirfield Village following this week’s BMW PGA Championship in England. Kenny Perry, a three-time champion, returns for his first PGA TOUR start since the 2015 Memorial. Sam Burns, winner of the Nicklaus Award a year ago as the top golfer in NCAA Division I, makes his ninth start vs. PGA TOUR competition. He’s twice posted top-12 finishes in 2018, along with a win on the Web.com Tour. Also part of this year’s youth showcase: Former world No. 1 amateur Joaquin Niemann and reigning U.S. Amateur champion Doc Redman. FEDEXCUP Winner receives 500 points. STORYLINES Thomas, fourth last year at Muirfield Village, seeks to continue to build on a season that has brought two wins, a playoff loss and five other top-15 finishes. Woods tries to build on the momentum of a share of 11th at THE PLAYERS Championship. For all his success at Muirfield Village, he hasn’t finished in the top 60 since his 2012 win. Day takes aim again at a first win in his adopted hometown, near where wife, Ellie, grew up. Even a top-10 would be his first at Muirfield Village, besting last year’s T15. Six of the Memorial’s past 14 champions have been international players. Before that, just three of the first 27 came from outside the United States. Hale Irwin, winner of three U.S. Opens and a record 45 PGA TOUR Champions titles, is this year’s Memorial honoree. Wednesday’s ceremony also will recognize journalist Larry Dorman, most noted for his work in the New York Times and Miami Herald. COURSE Muirfield Village Golf Club, 7,392 yards, par 72. Essentially a gift from Jack Nicklaus to his hometown of Columbus, the venue serves as a stage to both honor golf’s history and showcase its current talent. The Memorial’s home since its 1974 opening, Muirfield Village also has stepped up for other top events, making history as the only locale to host all three of U.S. pro golf’s team match-play showcases – Ryder Cup (1987), Solheim Cup (1998) and Presidents Cup (2013). The U.S. Amateur also paid a visit in 1992. Constant fine-tuning by Nicklaus and his design team keeps Muirfield Village perpetually among America’s top 20 courses and the world’s top 50. 72-HOLE RECORD 268, Tom Lehman (1994) 18-HOLE RECORD 61, John Huston (2nd round, 1996) LAST YEAR A rollercoaster weekend ended on a high for Dufner, who punctuated a rally from four shots back on the final day with a 33-foot par save that sealed a three-shot win. Dufner’s fifth PGA TOUR victory was anything but typical, building a five-shot lead through 36 holes and seeing it disappear five holes into his third round. A Saturday 77 left him four shots off the pace, only to rebound with a closing 68 that endured two storm delays. The second came right after he and Rickie Fowler teed off at No. 18, with Dufner in thick rough near a fairway bunker while nursing a two-shot advantage. He only advanced his ball 75 yards from the wet rough, but found the middle of the green with his third before his clinching putt. Fowler (70) and Anirban Lahiri (65) shared second – for Fowler, it was his 10th career runner-up finish. HOW TO FOLLOW TELEVISION: Thursday-Friday, 2:30-6:30 p.m. ET (Golf Channel). Saturday, 12:30-2:45 p.m. (GC), 3-6 p.m. (CBS). Sunday, noon-2:15 p.m. (GC), 2:30-6 p.m. (CBS). PGA TOUR LIVE: Thursday-Friday, 7:30 a.m.-3 p.m. (featured groups), 3-6:30 p.m. (featured holes). Saturday-Sunday, 8:15 a.m.-6 p.m. (featured holes). RADIO: Thursday-Friday, noon-6:30 p.m. ET; Saturday-Sunday, 1-6 p.m. (PGA TOUR Radio on SiriusXM and PGATOUR.com).

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