PGA Tour: Jack Nicklaus’ event returns to outdated date

The Memorial Match is returning to its authentic spot on the PGA Tour calendar.

After hanging an settlement with the PGA Tour to stage its occasion the week earlier than the U.S. Open in 2024, Jack Nicklaus introduced Monday that his Memorial Match will happen throughout the first weekend of June.

Meaning the event will start on Memorial Day Monday, two weeks earlier than the U.S. Open.

“The connection the Memorial Match offered by Workday has loved with the PGA Tour is extra like a partnership. The Tour has acted in the very best curiosity of the Memorial Match, and we, in flip, have at all times supported the Tour and its initiatives. That’s the reason a yr in the past when the Tour offered us its new enterprise mannequin, we have been prepared to work with them and transfer the 2024 date to every week earlier than the U.S. Open,” Nicklaus mentioned in a press release.

“Over latest months, now we have had a variety of conversations with Jay Monahan and his crew—ones which have included our presenting sponsor Workday and Co-Founder and Government Chair Aneel Bhusri—and collectively we decided that in the very best curiosity of the Memorial Match, the Tour and its gamers, we’d return to our conventional date and begin Match week on the Memorial Day vacation.”

The Memorial Match presents a grueling take a look at yr in and yr out, nearly serving as a ‘Mini-major.’ This yr’s version actually lived as much as that billing, as Scottie Scheffler fought agency and quick circumstances, in addition to a charging Collin Morikawa, to win by a stroke at 8-under par. Scheffler even mentioned it performed like a U.S. Open, but it surely’s extraordinarily tough for each the thoughts and the physique to play a U.S. Open-type course in back-to-back weeks.

Photograph by Ian Johnson/Getty Pictures

Therefore, at Pinehurst No. 2 this previous week, Scheffler defined why he doesn’t need to play the week earlier than a serious going ahead.

“I believe enjoying the week earlier than, numerous it relies on the golf course, however I believe final week with the golf course the best way it was, it most likely was not the very best prep work for me coming into one other difficult occasion,” Scheffler mentioned Sunday.

“I shot 5-under throughout the first spherical on the Memorial, which might have been the best day, and after that, I used to be 3-under from there on out. I imply, that’s fairly U.S. Open-like, and to play that many rounds, particularly with what I’ve been coping with the weeks main up or the entire season, been enjoying numerous good golf and being in competition, I believe perhaps my prep would have been just a little bit higher for this week if I used to be at residence.”

Apparently, Nicklaus, the 18-time main champion who has received extra of them than anybody else, agreed with this sentiment.

“After I performed, I not often performed every week earlier than any main championship. So I’m requested to be a part of placing on a golf event in every week that I’d by no means play,” Nicklaus mentioned earlier than his event.

“From a sponsor’s standpoint, Memorial Day has been what our identify is, and we have been round Memorial Day. [Monday] is generally an enormous day gallery-wise for us as a result of it was Memorial Day, and we had perhaps a thousand folks right here [this year on Monday].”

Now Nicklaus will get his want, as his event will welcome the PGA Tour’s greatest gamers two weeks earlier than Oakmont Nation Membership in Pittsburgh—one other brutally powerful course—will host the 2025 U.S. Open.

And better of all, Scheffler, now understanding that the 2025 Memorial aligns together with his plans, might be there defending his title, too.

Jack Milko is a golf employees author for SB Nation’s Taking part in By means of. Remember to take a look at @_PlayingThrough for extra golf protection. You possibly can observe him on Twitter @jack_milko as effectively.