As the PGA tour ramps up towards the second major of the year, the U.S. Open, it stopped as it does every year for the Memorial tournament hosted by Jack Nicklaus. And as ever, an invite from Jack was enough to ensure one of the strongest fields of the season, including the big three of the moment, Jason Day, Jordan Speith and Rory McIlroy who came in having each won their last tournament and potentially vying for the coveted World number one ranking.
When it comes to memories and Jack Nicklaus, the golfing world has many to choose from, including the famous battle with Tom Watson at Turnberry in 1977, in what became known as “The Duel In The Sun”, we were hoping that the 2016 Memorial tournament would remind us of those two golfing icons going almost shot to shot over the final round, and to see if one of the big three would steal a march on the others and score a psychological edge before the US Open. As so often occurs, what the viewing public hope for and what actually happens are two totally different things. Tiger Woods may not be on the scene at the moment, but Golf is in rude health, even without taking into account Day, Speith and McIlroy, Dustin Johnson, Matt Kuchar, Bubba Watson, Rickie Fowler, Sergio Garcia and Justin Rose are just a few of the names who on their day can dominate any event and any golf course.
However, Nicklaus’ 2016 Memorial tournament would end up being most memorable for William McGirt, who came into this tournament having not won on the PGA tour before and having finished last week at the DEAN & DELUCA in a tie for 47th place at one over par, but found some impressive form down the stretch as others were falling aside to finish in a tie for first place at 15 under before clinching his maiden victory in the playoff. McGirt had hung around the top of the leaderboard throughout the tournament as both Johnson and Kuchar had been leading, but in the Sunday afternoon pressure both fell away. Johnson in particular was part of another Memorial tournament memory as having driven into the bushes and having no drop zone behind him decided to attempt to hit the ball out over the adjacent cart path and back to the fairway, however he could not get enough club on the ball to reach the fairway and instead the ball rolled back down the cart path before finally coming to a rest almost 100 yards back down the hole.
Johnson recovered enough to finish third on his own and one shot outside the playoff, but it is another example of some of the cruel luck he has endured when he has been in contention for some of the big tournaments, surely his time will come soon, maybe at Oakment in two weeks’ time. But what of the big three what happened to them, were they ever in contention for the Memorial tournament title? Actually they were, well one of them was in particular, but not the one who finished highest on the leaderboard. Jason Day on a pure eyeball test alone was showing why he was the current number one, hitting some huge tee shots and magnificent approach shots right up to the 18th in round three. He was sitting just a few shots back when his attempted chip not only didn’t make the green but rolled right back past him and further down the slope, for a Memorial tournament memory the Australian will want to forget. I doubt he let that affect his game on the Sunday, but somehow he never really got going on the Sunday and finished with a final round of two over to leave himself down the field at nine under par.
Speith, was the one whose game was supposed to be better suited to the Memorial tournament, but in a kind of reversal of fortunes with McGirt, last week’s winner finished way down the field on three under with several doubts and questions about the short game, the same short game that had seen him need just nine putts over the final nine holes the previous week. As for McIlroy we got to see both the good and the bad side of the young Irishman. Despite winning his own tournament at The K Club last time out he was not happy with his putting stroke and came to the Memorial tournament having switched back to the more traditional right hand below left putting grip he had used for most of his career. A change like that can take time to bed in and when he opened up at two under and already six shots back, it was a reasonable question as to if he had done the right thing. Then in round two, Rory roared back, firing a 66 with a few opportunities missed that had Rory himself saying it could have been a 63 or 64.
Round three McIlroy was more sedate a two under round seemed to leave him well out of contention. But then in the final round, Rory did it again, as mentioned above a lot of golfers were slipping back down the leaderboard whereas Rory was firing it round in 68 to leave him 13 under for the tournament and take the early clubhouse lead. Due to finishing so far in advance of the leaders you would not have been surprised to hear he had already left the building, but everyone fell back towards him or past him and in the end he finished in a share of fourth.
Following the Memorial Tournament there is one more tournament, The St Jude Classic to go before the U.S. Open, it will have been McIlroy who came away the happiest apart from McGirt of course. It might just prove that the opening shots fired this summer in the battle for number one were at the Memorial tournament, in which case, Advantage McIlroy.
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