Memorial Tournament facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Memorial Tournament

Tournament information
Location	Dublin, Ohio
Established	1976; 49 years ago (1976)
Course(s)	Muirfield Village Golf Club
Par	72
Length	7,392 yards (6,759 m)
Tour(s)	PGA Tour
Format	Stroke play
Prize fund	US$20,000,000
Month played	June
Tournament record score
Aggregate	268 Tom Lehman (1994)
To par	−20 as above
Current champion
Scottie Scheffler

The Memorial Tournament is a big golf competition on the PGA Tour. It was started in 1976 by the famous golfer Jack Nicklaus. The tournament is played at Muirfield Village Golf Club in Dublin, Ohio. Jack Nicklaus himself designed this golf course. The course is in a neighborhood called Muirfield Village. There's even a statue of Nicklaus teaching a young golfer there.

History of the Memorial Tournament

Jack Nicklaus grew up near Columbus, Ohio. He opened the Muirfield Village golf course in May 1974. Two years later, in 1976, the first Memorial Tournament was held there. The course was quite long for its time, measuring 7,072 yards.

Nicklaus wanted to create a tournament that was important worldwide, like the Masters Tournament. He also wanted it to help people in need. The tournament raises money for charities, especially Nationwide Children's Hospital. This hospital helps many children and adults in Ohio.

A special part of the tournament is honoring past golfers each year. A plaque for each honored golfer is placed near the clubhouse. Jack Nicklaus was honored in 2000. His wife, Barbara Nicklaus, was honored in 2025.

What is Invitational Status?

The Memorial Tournament is one of only five tournaments on the PGA Tour with "invitational" status. This means it has fewer players than most other tournaments. For example, in 2024, only 73 players competed, while most tournaments have 156 players.

The other invitational tournaments are the Arnold Palmer Invitational, the RBC Heritage, Charles Schwab Challenge, and the Genesis Invitational. These special tournaments can choose their players more freely. They don't have to follow the usual PGA Tour rules for picking players. Also, players cannot qualify for these events on the Monday before the tournament.

In June 2014, the PGA Tour decided that the winner of the Memorial Tournament gets a three-year exemption. This means they can play in the tournament for three more years without needing to qualify. This is a big deal, similar to winning a World Golf Championships event.

How Players Get Invited

In 2016, 120 players were invited to the Memorial Tournament. Players are invited based on different achievements. For example, past winners of the Memorial Tournament are invited. Winners of major championships and other big tournaments in recent years also get invitations.

Players who were part of the U.S. or European Ryder Cup teams, or the U.S. or International Presidents Cup teams, are also invited. Top players from the Official World Golf Ranking and the FedEx Cup points list also get a spot. The tournament also invites some players through "sponsor exemptions."

Exciting Tournament Moments

• 1976: Roger Maltbie won the very first Memorial Tournament. He beat Hale Irwin in a four-hole playoff. On one hole, his ball hit a post and bounced onto the green, helping him stay in the game!
• 1977: Bad weather caused the tournament to finish on a Monday. Host Jack Nicklaus won by two shots.
• 1980: David Graham made a birdie on the last hole to win by one shot. He beat Tom Watson, who was trying to win for the second time in a row.
• 1984: Jack Nicklaus won the Memorial for the second time. He defeated Andy Bean in a sudden-death playoff.
• 1991: Kenny Perry won his first PGA Tour event. He beat Hale Irwin in a sudden-death playoff.
• 1993: Paul Azinger won by hitting his ball from a bunker directly into the hole on the last shot.
• 1994: Tom Lehman set a tournament record with a score of 268 (-20). He won by five shots.
• 2000: Tiger Woods became the first player to win the Memorial two years in a row.
• 2001: Woods won for a third year in a row! He finished seven shots ahead of the runners-up.
• 2012: Tiger Woods made an amazing chip-in shot on the 16th hole. This helped him win by two shots. It was his 73rd PGA Tour win, tying Jack Nicklaus for second most wins ever.
• 2014: Hideki Matsuyama won in a playoff. He was the first Japanese PGA Tour winner since 2008.
• 2016: William McGirt won his first PGA Tour event after playing in 165 tournaments.
• 2020: Jon Rahm won, and this victory made him the number one golfer in the world for the first time.
• 2021: Jon Rahm had a big lead but had to withdraw from the tournament. He tested positive for COVID-19.
• 2024: Scottie Scheffler won the Memorial. He was the first golfer since Tom Watson in 1980 to win five PGA Tour events in a season before the U.S. Open.

Muirfield Village Golf Course Layout

Source:

Winners and Honorees

Year	Winner	Score	To par	Margin of victory	Runner(s)-up	Winner's share ($)	Honoree(s)
2025	Scottie Scheffler (2)	278	−10	4 strokes	Ben Griffin	4,000,000	Barbara Nicklaus
2024	Scottie Scheffler	280	−8	1 stroke	Collin Morikawa	4,000,000	Juli Inkster Tom Weiskopf
2023	Viktor Hovland	281	−7	Playoff	Denny McCarthy	3,600,000	Larry Nelson
2022	Billy Horschel	275	−13	4 strokes	Aaron Wise	2,160,000	Charlie Sifford
2021	Patrick Cantlay (2)	275	−13	Playoff	Collin Morikawa	1,674,000	Nick Price Gene Littler Ted Ray
2020	Jon Rahm	279	−9	3 strokes	Ryan Palmer	1,674,000
2019	Patrick Cantlay	269	−19	2 strokes	Adam Scott	1,638,000	Judy Rankin
2018	Bryson DeChambeau	273	−15	Playoff	An Byeong-hun Kyle Stanley	1,602,000	Hale Irwin Jock Hutchison Willie Turnesa
2017	Jason Dufner	275	−13	3 strokes	Rickie Fowler Anirban Lahiri	1,566,000	Greg Norman Tony Lema Ken Venturi Harvie Ward
2016	William McGirt	273	−15	Playoff	Jon Curran	1,530,000	Johnny Miller Leo Diegel Horton Smith
2015	David Lingmerth	273	−15	Playoff	Justin Rose	1,116,000	Nick Faldo Dorothy Campbell Jerome Travers Walter Travis
2014	Hideki Matsuyama	275	−13	Playoff	Kevin Na	1,116,000	Annika Sörenstam Jim Barnes Joe Carr Willie Park Sr.
2013	Matt Kuchar	276	−12	2 strokes	Kevin Chappell	1,116,000	Raymond Floyd
2012	Tiger Woods (5)	279	−9	2 strokes	Andrés Romero Rory Sabbatini	1,116,000	Tom Watson
2011	Steve Stricker	272	−16	1 stroke	Brandt Jobe Matt Kuchar	1,116,000	Nancy Lopez
2010	Justin Rose	270	−18	3 strokes	Rickie Fowler	1,080,000	Seve Ballesteros
2009	Tiger Woods (4)	276	−12	1 stroke	Jim Furyk	1,080,000	JoAnne Carner Jack Burke Jr.
2008	Kenny Perry (3)	280	−8	2 strokes	Mathew Goggin Jerry Kelly Justin Rose Mike Weir	1,080,000	Tony Jacklin Ralph Guldahl Charles B. Macdonald Craig Wood
2007	K. J. Choi	271	−17	1 stroke	Ryan Moore	1,080,000	Louise Suggs Dow Finsterwald
2006	Carl Pettersson	276	−12	2 strokes	Zach Johnson Brett Wetterich	1,035,000	Michael Bonallack Charles Coe Lawson Little Henry Picard Paul Runyan Denny Shute
2005	Bart Bryant	272	−16	1 stroke	Fred Couples	990,000	Betsy Rawls Cary Middlecoff
2004	Ernie Els	270	−18	4 strokes	Fred Couples	945,000	Lee Trevino Joyce Wethered
2003	Kenny Perry (2)	275	−13	2 strokes	Lee Janzen	900,000	Julius Boros William C. Campbell
2002	Jim Furyk	274	−14	2 strokes	John Cook David Peoples	810,000	Kathy Whitworth Bobby Locke
2001	Tiger Woods (3)	271	−17	7 strokes	Paul Azinger Sergio García	738,000	Payne Stewart
2000	Tiger Woods (2)	269	−19	5 strokes	Ernie Els Justin Leonard	558,000	Jack Nicklaus
1999	Tiger Woods	273	−15	2 strokes	Vijay Singh	459,000	Ben Hogan
1998	Fred Couples	271	−17	4 strokes	Andrew Magee	396,000	Peter Thomson
1997	Vijay Singh	202	−14	2 strokes	Jim Furyk Greg Norman	342,000	Gary Player
1996	Tom Watson (2)	274	−14	2 strokes	David Duval	324,000	Billy Casper
1995	Greg Norman (2)	269	−19	4 strokes	Mark Calcavecchia David Duval Steve Elkington	306,000	Willie Anderson John Ball James Braid Harold Hilton John Henry Taylor
1994	Tom Lehman	268	−20	5 strokes	Greg Norman	270,000	Mickey Wright
1993	Paul Azinger	274	−14	1 stroke	Corey Pavin	252,000	Arnold Palmer
1992	David Edwards	273	−15	Playoff	Rick Fehr	234,000	Joseph Dey
1991	Kenny Perry	273	−15	Playoff	Hale Irwin	216,000	Babe Zaharias
1990	Greg Norman	216	E	1 stroke	Payne Stewart	180,000	Jimmy Demaret
1989	Bob Tway	277	−11	2 strokes	Fuzzy Zoeller	160,000	Henry Cotton
1988	Curtis Strange	274	−14	2 strokes	David Frost Hale Irwin	160,000	Patty Berg
1987	Don Pooley	272	−16	3 strokes	Curt Byrum	140,000	Old Tom Morris Young Tom Morris
1986	Hal Sutton	271	−17	4 strokes	Don Pooley	100,000	Roberto De Vicenzo
1985	Hale Irwin (2)	281	−7	1 stroke	Lanny Wadkins	100,000	Chick Evans
1984	Jack Nicklaus (2)	280	−8	Playoff	Andy Bean	90,000	Sam Snead
1983	Hale Irwin	281	−7	1 stroke	Ben Crenshaw David Graham	72,000	Tommy Armour
1982	Raymond Floyd	281	−7	2 strokes	Peter Jacobsen Wayne Levi Roger Maltbie Gil Morgan	63,000	Glenna Collett-Vare
1981	Keith Fergus	284	−4	1 stroke	Jack Renner	63,000	Harry Vardon
1980	David Graham	280	−8	1 stroke	Tom Watson	54,000	Byron Nelson
1979	Tom Watson	285	−3	3 strokes	Miller Barber	54,000	Gene Sarazen
1978	Jim Simons	284	−4	1 stroke	Billy Kratzert	50,000	Francis Ouimet
1977	Jack Nicklaus	281	−7	2 strokes	Hubert Green	45,000	Walter Hagen
1976	Roger Maltbie	288	E	Playoff	Hale Irwin	40,000	Bobby Jones

Note: Green highlight indicates scoring records.
Source:

Golfers with Multiple Wins

Eight golfers have won the Memorial Tournament more than once:

• Tiger Woods has won 5 times (1999, 2000, 2001, 2009, 2012).
• Kenny Perry has won 3 times (1991, 2003, 2008).
• Jack Nicklaus has won 2 times (1977, 1984).
• Hale Irwin has won 2 times (1983, 1985).
• Greg Norman has won 2 times (1990, 1995).
• Tom Watson has won 2 times (1979, 1996).
• Patrick Cantlay has won 2 times (2019, 2021).
• Scottie Scheffler has won 2 times (2024, 2025).

See also

In Spanish: Memorial Tournament para niños