About the Memorial Tournament

The top eight players (sans Tiger Woods and Adam Scott) and the rest of the PGA entourage are in central Ohio this week for the Memorial Tournament. The tournament, played at Jack Nicklaus-designed Muirfield Country Club, is closely associated with Nicklaus. Nicklaus grew up in the Columbus suburb of Upper Arlington and graduated from Ohio State University. Nicklaus established the tournament in 1976 and designed it to benefit a number of central Ohio charities, primarily the Columbus Children’s Hospital.

Below are a few facts about the Memorial Tournament:

• The tournament was originally played over Memorial Day weekend (hence the name), but Ohio’s spring storms consistently interfered with play and it was moved back one week.

• K.J. Choi is the defending champion.
  
• The tournament record belongs to Tom Lehman, who finished at -20 in 1994.
  
• Tiger Woods has won the tournament three times; Nicklaus, Tom Watson, and Hale Irwin have won two times.
• Muirfield is a par 72, 7366-yard course.

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