PGA Tour: Jack Nicklaus’ event returns to outdated date

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

After putting 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.

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

“The connection the Memorial Match introduced 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 12 months in the past when the Tour introduced us its new enterprise mannequin, we have been prepared to work with them and transfer the 2024 date to per week earlier than the U.S. Open,” Nicklaus mentioned in an announcement.

“Over current months, now we have had quite a lot of conversations with Jay Monahan and his workforce—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 might return to our conventional date and begin Match week on the Memorial Day vacation.”

The Memorial Match presents a grueling check 12 months in and 12 months out, virtually serving as a ‘Mini-major.’ This 12 months’s version definitely 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, however it’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 Photographs

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

“I feel enjoying the week earlier than, a whole lot of it depends upon the golf course, however I feel final week with the golf course the way in which 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 a whole lot of good golf and being in rivalry, I feel possibly my prep would have been a little bit bit higher for this week if I used to be at dwelling.”

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

“After I performed, I not often performed per week earlier than any main championship. So I’m requested to be a part of placing on a golf event in per 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 title is, and we have been round Memorial Day. [Monday] is often an enormous day gallery-wise for us as a result of it was Memorial Day, and we had possibly a thousand individuals 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 robust course—will host the 2025 U.S. Open.

And better of all, Scheffler, now figuring out that the 2025 Memorial aligns along with his plans, will likely be there defending his title, too.

Jack Milko is a golf workers author for SB Nation’s Taking part in By. Make sure you take a look at @_PlayingThrough for extra golf protection. You’ll be able to observe him on Twitter @jack_milko as properly.