The Memorial Tournament Notes – 2015

 

2015 the Memorial Tournament presented by Nationwide Pre-Tournament Notes
Celebrating 40 years (1976-2015)

Dates: June 1-7, 2015
Where: Muirfield Village Golf Club, Dublin, Ohio
Par/Yards: 36-36–72/7,392 yards
Field: 120
Defending champion: Hideki Matsuyama
Purse: $6,200,000; Winner’s Share: $1,116,600
Format: 72-hole stroke play
FedExCup: 500 points to the winner
Website: www.thememorialtournament.com
Facebook: the Memorial Tournament
Twitter: @MemorialGolf

The Host

• Golf legend Jack Nicklaus, who grew up in nearby Upper Arlington and played collegiate golf at Ohio State, has hosted the Memorial Tournament since its inception in 1976.
• Nicklaus’ signature course, Muirfield Village Golf Club, was recognized as the No. 6 course in the 2012 PGA TOUR player survey by Golf World. Muirfield village hosted the 2013 Presidents Cup, as well as the 1987 Ryder Cup, 1992 U.S. Amateur and 1998 Solheim Cup.
• On March 24, Mr. Nicklaus was honored with the Congressional Gold Medal, the highest civilian honor granted by the United States Congress.
  • Nicklaus has long exemplified all that is great about our sport by his actions on and off of the golf course.
  • He is the seventh athlete and the third golfer, joining Byron Nelson and Arnold Palmer, to receive this prestigious honor.

How the Memorial Tournament presented by Nationwide was won in 2014

• Hideki Matsuyama, who began the final round two strokes back, birdied the par-4 18th hole for the fourth day in a row in the final round to force sudden death with Kevin Na. Na had posted his 13-under score nearly two hours earlier.
• Matsuyama’s par at 18 on the first extra hole was good for the win.

Defending champion Hideki Matsuyama

• Matsuyama became the fourth Japanese-born player to win on the PGA TOUR, joining Ryuji Imada (2008 AT&T Classic), Shigeki Maruyama (2001 Greater Milwaukee Open, 2002 AT&T Byron Nelson Championship, 2003 Wyndham Championship) and Isao Aoki (1983 Sony Open in Hawaii).
• Matsuyama won his first career PGA TOUR title in his 26th start at the age of 22 years, 3 months and 7 days, supplanting Tiger Woods as the event’s youngest winner.
• Matsuyama’s win marked just the fifth playoff in Memorial Tournament history, and first since David Edwards defeated Rick Fehr in 1992.
• With the win, Matsuyama became only the fifth player to make the Memorial Tournament his maiden PGA TOUR victory, joining Keith Fergus (1981), Kenny Perry (1991), Tom Lehman (1994) and Justin Rose (2010).
• Other than Roger Maltbie who won the inaugural edition of the Memorial Tournament in 1976, Matsuyama is the first player to win the event in his first start.
• In his first experience competing at Muirfield Village GC at the 2013 Presidents Cup, Matsuyama went 1-3-1 in his matches.

A glance at the field

• 23 of the top 30 in the current FedExCup standings, including No. 1 Jordan Spieth.
• 17 of the top 30 players in the Official World Golf Ranking, including six of the top 10.
• 16 different major winners.
• Past Memorial champions: Hideki Matsuyama (2014), Matt Kuchar (2013), Tiger Woods (2012, 2009, 1999-2001), Steve Stricker (2011), Justin Rose (2010), Kenny Perry (2008, 2003, 1991), K.J. Choi (2007), Carl Pettersson (2006), Ernie Els (2004), Jim Furyk (2002) and Vijay Singh (1997).
• Nine players with 10 or more career PGA TOUR victories: Tiger Woods (79), Phil Mickelson (42), Vijay Singh (34), Ernie Els (19), Jim Furyk (17), Kenny Perry (14), Justin Leonard (12), Steve Stricker (12) and Adam Scott (11).
• Six of the eight FedExCup champions are in the field, including the first five winners: 2014 Billy Horschel; 2011 Bill Haas; 2010 Jim Furyk; 2009 Tiger Woods; 2008 Vijay Singh; 2007 Tiger Woods

Miscellaneous Player Notes

• Phil Mickelson will make his 15th start at the Memorial where he has made 11 cuts, missed one cut and had two WDs (2007 and 2012). His three top 10s came in 2002/T9, 2006/T4, 2010/T5.
  • Of the stroke-play events on TOUR in which Mickelson has competed more than 10 times, the U.S. Open (24 starts), BMW Championship (17 starts), WGC-Bridgestone Invitational (16 starts), the Memorial (14 starts), The Barclays (13 starts), Shriners Hospitals for Children Open (12 starts) and the Wells Fargo Championship (12) are the only ones to have never surrendered him victory.
• Reigning Masters champ Jordan Spieth will make his third start at the Memorial (T63/2013 and T19/2014).
  • He only has three under-par rounds at Muirfield Village out of eight total rounds.
• Tiger Woods will make his 15th career start at the Memorial after missing the event in 2014.
  • Woods has made the cut each of the 14 previous times he has played at Muirfield Village GC.
  • He has five wins and eight top 10s.
• Rickie Fowler will make his first start on TOUR since winning THE PLAYERS Championship.
  • He will make his sixth start at the Memorial where his only missed cut came in 2014.
  • He finished second in 2010 which represents his only top 10.
• Steve Stricker will make his 15th start at the Memorial where he won in 2011.
  • His only missed cut in the event came in 2007.
  • Stricker has made four starts on TOUR this season and is looking for his first top 25
• 2014 FedExCup champion Billy Horschel will make his third start at the Memorial (T41/2013 and T15/2014).
  • He has five of eight under-par rounds at Muirfield Village GC.
  • Horschel only has one top 10 in 17 starts on TOUR this season after recording eight in 2013 and five in 2014.

Miscellaneous Tournament Notes

• In the 39-year history of the Memorial Tournament, only eight International players have won at Muirfield Village Golf Club, most recently Hideki Matsuyama in 2014 and Justin Rose in 2010.
• Kenny Perry’s victory in 2008 came at the age of 47 years, 9 months and 22 days, making him the tournament’s oldest champion. Last year Hideki Matsuyama (22 years, 3 months and 7 days) supplanted Tiger Woods (1999 at 23 years, 5 months and 7 days) as the youngest champion in tournament history, winning the event in.
• Tiger Woods holds the longest active streak of consecutive cuts made at the Memorial having made the cut in each of his 14 times playing the event.
• The tournament record at the Memorial Tournament is 268 (-20) by Tom Lehman in 1994 while the course record at Muirfield Village Golf Club is 61 (-11) by John Huston in 1996.
• The 54-hole leader/co-leader has gone on to victory 18 of 38 times at the Memorial Tournament. The 1997 event was shortened to 54 holes due to inclement weather.
• Tiger Woods is the only player to win the Memorial Tournament five times (1999, 2000, 2001, 2009 and 2012). Kenny Perry won the Memorial Tournament three times (1991, 2003, 2008) while Jack Nicklaus (1977, 1984), Tom Watson (1979, 1996), Hale Irwin (1983, 1985) and Greg Norman (1990, 1995) all won twice.
• With consecutive wins in 1999-2001, Tiger Woods is the only player in Memorial Tournament history to successfully defend his title at Muirfield Village Golf Club.

Charity

• For 40 years, Muirfield Village Golf Club and the Memorial Tournament have been committed to giving back to central Ohio and points beyond.
• Each year, a portion of the proceeds from the Tournament is passed on to Central Ohio charities, principally Nationwide Children’s Hospital and Dispatch Charities.

Memorial Tournament Honoree

• The Captains Club announced that six-time major championship winner Sir Nick Faldo had been selected as the Honoree for the 2015 Memorial Tournament presented by Nationwide. Between 1987 and 1995 Faldo won three British Opens and three Masters Tournaments.
• While winning 39 tournaments around the world, including six events on the PGA TOUR, Faldo’s focus was on the major championships.
• In one stretch between 1988 and 1993, Faldo was never out of the top 20 in a Grand Slam event.

Memorial Tournament Journalism Award

• Donald W. (Doc) Giffin, the longtime personal assistant to golf legend Arnold Palmer, was chosen to receive the 2015 Memorial Golf Journalism Award. Giffin, 86, will be honored at the Memorial Tournament presented by Nationwide.
• Giffin, who began his career in newspapers and served for a time as the traveling press secretary for the tournament division of the PGA of America, the forerunner to the PGA TOUR, will be the 49th person to receive the Memorial Golf Journalism Award, which was started in 1982.
• Earlier this year, Giffin also received the 2015 William D. Richardson Award, presented annually by the Golf Writers Association of America, for contributions to the game of golf.
• The Memorial Golf Journalism Award was created to honor and pay tribute to golf journalists, electronic as well as print media, who have served their profession with conspicuous honor and made a major contribution and impact on golf journalism.