|
PGA - the Memorial Tournament Preview
From The Sports Network
| DATES: Thursday, May 31st through Sunday, June 3rd |
| SITE: Muirfield Village Golf Club, Dublin, Ohio |
| COURSE ARCHITECT: Jack Nicklaus and Desmond Muirhead (1974) |
| Hole-By-Hole: | 1 - Par 4 470 yds | 10 - Par 4 471 yds | |
| 2 - Par 4 455 yds | 11 - Par 5 567 yds | |
| 3 - Par 4 401 yds | 12 - Par 3 184 yds | |
| 4 - Par 3 200 yds | 13 - Par 4 455 yds | |
| 5 - Par 5 527 yds | 14 - Par 4 363 yds | |
| 6 - Par 4 447 yds | 15 - Par 5 529 yds | |
| 7 - Par 5 563 yds | 16 - Par 3 201 yds | |
| 8 - Par 3 185 yds | 17 - Par 4 478 yds | |
| 9 - Par 4 412 yds | 18 - Par 4 444 yds | |
| ------------- | ------------- | |
| 36 3,660 yds | 36 3,692 yds | |
| Annual: | 37th |
| Television: | Golf Channel - Thursday/Friday -- 3-6 p.m. (et), |
| | - Saturday/Sunday -- 12:30-2:30 p.m. (et), |
| | CBS - Saturday/Sunday -- 3-6 p.m. (et) |
| Defending Champion: | Steve Stricker |
| Runner-Up: | Brandt Jobe, Matt Kuchar |
| Tournament Record: | 268 (Tom Lehman, 1994) |
| 54-Hole Record: | 198 (Scott Hoch, 1987) |
| 36-Hole Record: | 131 (Scott Hoch, 1987; Rickie Fowler, 2010) |
| Course Record: | 61 (John Huston, 1996) |
| Total Purse: | $6,200,000 |
| Shares: | 1st Place - $1,116,000; 2nd Place - $669,600; 3rd Place - $421,600 |
| 2011 Finish |
| Player | Score | Player | Score |
| Steve Stricker | 272 | Gary Woodland | 278 |
| Brandt Jobe | 273 | Six players at | 280 |
| Matt Kuchar | 273 | | |
| Dustin Johnson | 276 | | |
| Rory McIlroy | 277 | | |
| Past Memorial Tournament Winners |
| Year | Winner (Score) -- Runners-Up |
| 2011 | Steve Stricker (272) -- Brandt Jobe, Matt Kuchar |
| 2010 | Justin Rose (270) -- Rickie Fowler |
| 2009 | Tiger Woods (276) -- Jim Furyk |
| 2008 | Kenny Perry (280) -- Mathew Goggin, Jerry Kelly, Justin Rose, Mike Weir |
| 2007 | K.J. Choi (271) -- Ryan Moore |
| 2006 | Carl Pettersson (276) -- Zach Johnson, Brett Wetterich |
| 2005 | Bart Bryant (272) -- Fred Couples |
| 2004 | Ernie Els (270) -- Fred Couples |
| 2003 | Kenny Perry (275) -- Lee Janzen |
| 2002 | Jim Furyk (274) -- John Cook, David Peoples |
| 2001 | Tiger Woods (271) -- Paul Azinger, Sergio Garcia |
| 2000 | Tiger Woods (269) -- Ernie Els, Justin Leonard |
| 1999 | Tiger Woods (273) -- Vijay Singh |
| 1998 | Fred Couples (271) -- Andrew Magee |
| 1997 | #Vijay Singh (202) -- Jim Furyk, Greg Norman |
| 1996 | Tom Watson (274) -- David Duval |
| 1995 | Greg Norman (269) -- David Duval, Mark Calcavecchia, Steve Elkington |
| 1994 | Tom Lehman (268) -- Greg Norman |
| 1993 | Paul Azinger (274) -- Corey Pavin |
| 1992 | *David Edwards (273) -- Rick Fehr |
| 1991 | *Kenny Perry (273) -- Hale Irwin |
| 1990 | #Greg Norman (216) -- Payne Stewart |
| 1989 | Bob Tway (277) -- Fuzzy Zoeller |
| 1988 | Curtis Strange (274) -- David Frost, Hale Irwin |
| 1987 | Don Pooley (272) -- Curt Byrum |
| 1986 | Hal Sutton (271) -- Don Pooley |
| 1985 | Hale Irwin (281) -- Lanny Wadkins |
| 1984 | *Jack Nicklaus (280) -- Andy Bean |
| 1983 | Hale Irwin (281) -- Ben Crenshaw, David Graham |
| 1982 | Raymond Floyd (281) -- Peter Jacobsen, Wayne Levi, Roger Maltbie |
| 1981 | Keith Fergus (284) -- Jack Renner |
| 1980 | David Graham (280) -- Tom Watson |
| 1979 | Tom Watson (285) -- Miller Barber |
| 1978 | Jim Simons (284) -- Bill Kratzert |
| 1977 | Jack Nicklaus (281) -- Hubert Green |
| 1976 | *Roger Maltbie (288) -- Hale Irwin |
| Top Contenders in the Field |
| Player | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 |
| Steve Stricker | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | mc | --- | T-27 | T-17 | Won |
| Brandt Jobe | --- | --- | --- | T-67 | T-4 | --- | --- | --- | --- | T-2 |
| Dustin Johnson | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | 68th | T-14 | T-33 | 4th |
| Rory McIlroy | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | T-10 | 5th |
| Webb Simpson | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | T-48 | mc | T-7 |
| Luke Donald | --- | T-45 | mc | --- | --- | T-35 | T-6 | T-14 | --- | T-7 |
| Bo Van Pelt | --- | --- | mc | T-3 | T-46 | T-23 | T-30 | mc | T-3 | T-13 |
| Phil Mickelson | T-9 | --- | --- | --- | T-4 | wd | T-20 | --- | T-5 | T-13 |
| Hunter Mahan | --- | --- | 61st | --- | --- | --- | mc | T-14 | mc | T-13 |
| Ricky Barnes | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | T-3 | T-18 |
| Brian Davis | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | mc | mc | 67th | T-18 |
| Rickie Fowler | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | 2nd | T-22 |
| Ryan Moore | --- | --- | --- | --- | T-31 | 2nd | T-10 | mc | T-5 | T-22 |
| K.J. Choi | T-32 | T-13 | 5th | T-8 | T-62 | Won | T-53 | 13th | T-52 | T-22 |
| Charl Schwartzel | --- | --- | --- | --- | T-62 | T-62 | --- | T-27 | --- | T-22 |
| Stewart Cink | T-9 | 6th | T-40 | T-45 | T-12 | T-5 | T-30 | T-8 | T-8 | T-30 |
| Camilo Villegas | --- | --- | --- | --- | mc | T-31 | --- | T-34 | T-28 | T-30 |
| Vijay Singh | T-4 | T-4 | T-24 | mc | T-38 | T-15 | --- | mc | T-12 | T-37 |
| Davis Love III | --- | --- | T-16 | mc | T-29 | mc | T-60 | T-5 | T-52 | T-37 |
| Bubba Watson | --- | --- | --- | --- | T-34 | T-23 | mc | T-23 | T-33 | T-42 |
| Ernie Els | T-13 | T-13 | Won | T-45 | T-68 | T-15 | mc | T-8 | mc | 61st |
| Justin Rose | --- | --- | 4th | T-75 | T-14 | --- | T-2 | mc | Won | mc |
| Jim Furyk | Won | T-24 | --- | T-8 | T-18 | T-23 | T-39 | 2nd | T-10 | mc |
| Carl Pettersson | --- | T-34 | --- | T-34 | Won | T-31 | T-10 | mc | T-28 | mc |
| Keegan Bradley | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | mc |
| Tiger Woods | T-22 | T-4 | 3rd | T-3 | --- | T-15 | --- | Won | T-19 | --- |
| Louis Oosthuizen | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Sports Network Selections |
| Pick to Win - Luke Donald |
| Darkhorse - Jonas Blixt |
| |
| Last week's Pick to Win (Rickie Fowler) - Finished tied for 5th |
| Last week's Darkhorse (Pat Perez) - Finished tied for 63rd |
| |
| NOTES: |
|
One of the finest fields of the season will be on hand this week for the 37th
staging of the Memorial Tournament, hosted by Jack Nicklaus. Seven of the
top-10 and 15 of the top-20 players in the world are competing, including
world No. 1 Luke Donald.
Donald won the BMW PGA Championship on the European Tour last week for the
second straight year. That win moved him past Rory McIlroy for the top spot in
the world rankings. Donald has played extremely well in 2012, coming off his
fabulous 2011. He has three straight top-10 finishes worldwide and has one
victory each on the PGA Tour and European Tour in 2012.
McIlroy is coming off two straight missed cuts at The Players Championship on
the PGA Tour and BMW PGA Championship on the European Tour. It is the first
time McIlroy has missed two straight cuts in over two years.
American and world No. 4 Bubba Watson is playing for the first time in five
weeks. Watson, who won the Masters in April, has finished in the top-20 in all
nine events he has played this year.
Four-time champion Tiger Woods is playing for the first time since finishing
tied for 40th at the Players Championship three weeks ago. Woods has finished
tied for 40th, missed the cut, and tied for 40th in his last three events,
which marks the worst three-tournament stretch of his career.
Muirfield Village, designed by Nicklaus and Desmond Muirhead, is ranked 19th
by Golf Digest in America's 100 greatest courses. Muirhead passed away in 2002
at the age of 79 of cardiac arrest following respiratory failure. Muirhead
also designed the Dinah Shore Course at Mission Hills where the Kraft Nabisco
Championship on the LPGA Tour is played.
Each year the Memorial Tournament is dedicated to a person, living or
deceased, who has played the game with conspicuous honor. The 2012 honoree is
Hall of Famer Tom Watson, who has 39 victories on the PGA Tour, including
eight major championships.
Last year, Steve Stricker fired four rounds in the 60s to beat fellow
Americans Brandt Jobe and Matt Kuchar by one stroke. Stricker finished at 16-
under-par 272. Prior to 2011, Stricker had played this tournament 11 times and
had never posted a top-10 finish, which was the most starts without a top-10
for Stricker at any PGA Tour event. Stricker was the first player to post four
rounds in the 60s since Bart Bryant did it en route to winning the title in
2005.
In 2010, Justin Rose finally captured his first PGA Tour win. The Englishman
closed with a flawless six-under 66 in the final round at Muirfield Village to
overcome a four-shot deficit and beat Rickie Fowler by three. Rose finished
with an 18-under 270, the lowest score posted in eight years. It was his first
win in 162 starts on the PGA Tour. Rose became the seventh non-American
champion in the history of this event, joining Korean K.J. Choi, Swede Carl
Pettersson, South African Ernie Els, Fijian Vijay Singh, and Australians David
Graham and Greg Norman.
In 2009, Woods birdied the final two holes to win this event for the fourth
time. Woods closed with a seven-under 65, which was the low round of the final
day. Woods' final-round 65 tied the lowest final round by a winner in
tournament history. Choi (2007) and Jim Furyk (2002) also fired 65s in the
final round when they won. Woods is the all-time money leader at this event
with $3,918,448 in earnings. Kenny Perry is second with $3,226,342.
Perry erased a three-shot deficit in the final round of 2008 to rally and win
the title for the third time in his career. Perry closed with a three-under 69
to collect a two-shot win over Mathew Goggin, Jerry Kelly, Rose and Mike Weir.
He finished at eight-under-par 280, the highest winning score since Hale Irwin
won in 1985 with 281. Perry also won this tournament in 1991 and 2003 and
joined Woods as the only players to win Nicklaus' tournament at least three
times.
Perry's win in 2008 marked the sixth time that a player has won this event
in his 40s and the second time that Perry has done it. The others are Nicklaus
(1984), Greg Norman (1995), Tom Watson (1996), Perry (2003) and Bart Bryant
(2005). Perry became the oldest winner in tournament history at 47 years, nine
months and 22 days old.
In 2007, Choi converted a five-foot par save at the 72nd hole to ward off Ryan
Moore and win the title. Choi fired a final-round, seven-under 65 to finish at
17-under-par 271. Choi's five-stroke comeback tied David Edwards and Furyk for
the biggest final-round comeback in tournament history. Edwards rallied from a
five-shot deficit on the final day for victory in 1992 and Furyk turned the
trick in 2002.
In 2004, Els joined Watson and tournament host Nicklaus as the only players to
have won the British Open at Muirfield in Scotland and this event at Muirfield
Village in Ohio.
Roger Maltbie is the only player to win in his first appearance, when he
captured the tournament in its inaugural season (1976). Jay Haas, the 2006 and
2007 Champions Tour Player of the Year, made the cut in 27 of 29 Memorials, an
event record. Haas tied for 29th in his last Memorial in 2006.
There have been only four playoffs, the last coming in 1992 when Edwards
defeated Rick Fehr on the second extra hole. There have been 19 tournaments
played since the last extra session, the longest active playoff drought on the
PGA Tour.
The PGA Tour moves to Memphis, Tennessee next week for the FedEx St. Jude
Classic, the final tune-up for the U.S. Open, as Harrison Frazar defends his
title.
05/29 16:01:14 ET
|
As of May 29, 2012, at 04:01 PM ET
|
Carfind