| Details |
| When |
Thursday-Sunday, June 3-6 |
| Where |
Muirfield Village Golf Club, Dublin, Ohio |
| Purse |
$2.55 million (Winner: $459,000) |
| Defending champion |
Fred Couples |
| Par |
36-36--72 |
| Yardage |
7,163 |
| Television |
USA: Thursday, 3-6 p.m.; Friday, 4-6 p.m.; CBS: Saturday, 3-6 p.m. ET; Sunday, 2-6 p.m. ET |
| Tournament record |
268 (Tom Lehman, 1994) |
| |
Hole by hole |
| |
Hole |
Par |
Yards |
| |
1 |
4 |
451 |
| |
2 |
4 |
455 |
| |
3 |
4 |
401 |
| |
4 |
3 |
200 |
| |
5 |
5 |
537 |
| |
6 |
4 |
435 |
| |
7 |
5 |
556 |
| |
8 |
3 |
182 |
| |
9 |
4 |
407 |
| |
Out |
36 |
3624 |
| |
10 |
4 |
441 |
| |
11 |
5 |
539 |
| |
12 |
3 |
160 |
| |
13 |
4 |
442 |
| |
14 |
4 |
363 |
| |
15 |
5 |
498 |
| |
16 |
3 |
215 |
| |
17 |
4 |
437 |
| |
18 |
4 |
444 |
| |
In |
36 |
3539 |
| |
Total |
72 |
7163 |
| |
Key holes:
There are plenty of challenging holes on this course, but Nos. 15 and 18 are the keys coming in. No. 15 is a short par 5 which just about everyone can reach in two. Whether they hit the green is another story. The fairway is narrow and the green tiny, leading to lots of trouble. The closing hole is a dogleg right which a landing area guarded by sand on the right and a creek on the left. The green slopes left to right and is guarded by four bunkers. |
It's not a major, but you wouldn't know it by looking at the list of winners of The Memorial. Some of the biggest names in golf have won the tournament over its 23-year history, and there's no reason to believe that won't continue in 1999.
Tournament host Jack Nicklaus, Tom Watson, Hale Irwin and Greg Norman all have two Memorial titles to their credit. Other past winners include 1998 champion Fred Couples, Vijay Singh, Paul Azinger, Tom Lehman, Curtis Strange and Raymond Floyd. There's a few Hall of Famers in that list.
In addition to big names, a couple of other things are givens at The Memorial: hot, humid weather and difficult scoring conditions.
Rain and lightning are not uncommon at this event, which is limited to just 104 players. And with narrow fairways and hard, fast greens, low scores will be hard to come by.
The Memorial serves as a perfect tuneup for the U.S. Open, which is just two weeks away. That's one reason -- in addition to an invitation from Nicklaus -- that so many big names play this event.
David Duval, Tiger Woods, Greg Norman and Ernie Els are among the biggest names returning to action this week. And Nicklaus -- who played two weeks ago in a Senior Tour event -- will play his first PGA Tour event since last summer following hip replacement surgery in January.
The Tour heads to Memphis, Tenn., next week for the St. Jude Classic, which will serve as the final chance for players to get their games in shape prior to the U.S. Open.
| |
Past champions |
| |
Jack Nicklaus' party began in 1976, with Nicklaus one of four players to win the event twice. Here are the most recent winners (x-won in playoff; y-rain shortened): |
| |
Year |
Champion |
| |
1998 |
Fred Couples |
| |
1997 |
y-Vijay Singh |
| |
1996 |
Tom Watson |
| |
1995 |
Greg Norman |
| |
1994 |
Tom Lehman |
| |
1993 |
Paul Azinger |
| |
1992 |
x-David Edwards |
| |
1991 |
x-Kenny Perry |
| |
1990 |
y-Greg Norman |
| |
1989 |
Bob Tway |
| |
1988 |
Curtis Strange |
| |
1987 |
Don Pooley |
| |
1986 |
Hal Sutton |
| |
1985 |
Hale Irwin |
| |
1984 |
x-Jack Nicklaus |
| |
1983 |
Hale Irwin |
| |
1982 |
Raymond Floyd |
| |
1981 |
Keith Fergus |
| |
1980 |
David Graham |
| |
1979 |
Tom Watson |
Fred Couples: The defending champion admits his heart isn't in golf as much any longer, but he is still dangerous, judging by four top-10 finishes in 10 starts this year. He had four rounds in the 60s last year to win by four shots.
David Duval: Before he became a winning machine, Duval was close in this event three times. Duval has a pair of seconds and a third at Memorial over the past four years.
Ernie Els: Els is back on American soil after a couple of weeks on the European Tour. The two-time U.S. Open champion needs to get his game in shape for a run at No. 3.
Jim Furyk: Like Duval, Furyk has played extremely well at this event in recent years without getting a win. He was second in 1997 and fourth last year.
Sergio Garcia: The teen sensation makes his second appearance in the United States since turning pro, and it could be as dramatic as his first. Garcia finished third at the Byron Nelson Classic and began a push to get him named to the European Ryder Cup team.
Scott Hoch: Hoch hasn't won on the PGA Tour in nearly two years, which is surprising given his consistent play. Hoch had made the cut in this event 17 consecutive seasons until the streak came to an end last year.
Tom Lehman: Like Hoch, Lehman hasn't won in quite a while -- the 1996 Tour Championship -- but he's always a threat. His first career win came in this event when he set the tournament record of 20-under in 1994.
Davis Love III: The hot weather should help Love with his back problems, which have resurfaced of late. Love leads the Tour in top-10 finishes this year with eight -- including three seconds -- despite not getting a win.
Andrew Magee: Other than a runnerup finish at the World Match Play, Magee has had a disappointing season. But he comes to a course where he finished second to Couples last year for the second time in 1998.
Greg Norman: The Shark hasn't been seen since his walk up the 18th fairway at Augusta, where he just missed once again. At Muirfield, Norman has a pair of victories and a pair of seconds.
Vijay Singh: The 1997 champion of this event has been playing well -- and often -- in 1999. He has one win among his five top-10 finishes and has become a much better putter since last stepping on this course.
Tiger Woods: Woods returns to the PGA Tour after a brief visit to Europe, where he walked away with the TPC of Europe title. He is second to Love in top-10 finishes this year with seven, including one win.
