PGA Tour: Jack Nicklaus’ match returns to outdated date

The Memorial Tournament is returning to its unique 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 Tournament will happen through the first weekend of June.

That means the tournament will begin on Memorial Day Monday, two weeks earlier than the U.S. Open.

“The relationship the Memorial Tournament introduced by Workday has loved with the PGA Tour is extra like a partnership. The Tour has acted in the most effective curiosity of the Memorial Tournament, and we, in flip, have at all times supported the Tour and its initiatives. That is why a 12 months in the past when the Tour introduced us its new enterprise mannequin, we have been keen to work with them and transfer the 2024 date to every week earlier than the U.S. Open,” Nicklaus stated in a press release.

“Over current months, we’ve had a lot of conversations with Jay Monahan and his staff—ones which have included our presenting sponsor Workday and Co-Founder and Executive Chair Aneel Bhusri—and collectively we decided that in the most effective curiosity of the Memorial Tournament, the Tour and its gamers, we might return to our conventional date and begin Tournament week on the Memorial Day vacation.”

The Memorial Tournament presents a grueling take a look at 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 situations, in addition to a charging Collin Morikawa, to win by a stroke at 8-under par. Scheffler even stated it performed like a U.S. Open, nevertheless it’s extraordinarily tough for each the thoughts and the physique to play a U.S. Open-type course in back-to-back weeks.

Photo by Ian Johnson/Getty Images

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

“I believe enjoying the week earlier than, a whole lot of it is determined by the golf course, however I believe final week with the golf course the best way it was, it most likely was not the most effective prep work for me coming into one other difficult occasion,” Scheffler stated Sunday.

“I shot 5-under through the first spherical on the Memorial, which might have been the simplest 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 believe possibly my prep would have been slightly bit higher for this week if I used to be at house.”

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

“When 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 match in every week that I might by no means play,” Nicklaus stated earlier than his match.

“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 folks right here [this year on Monday].”

Now Nicklaus will get his want, as his match will welcome the PGA Tour’s finest gamers two weeks earlier than Oakmont Country Club in Pittsburgh—one other brutally robust course—will host the 2025 U.S. Open.

And better of all, Scheffler, now realizing that the 2025 Memorial aligns along with his plans, can be there defending his title, too.

Jack Milko is a golf employees author for SB Nation’s Playing Through. Be positive to take a look at @_PlayingThrough for extra golf protection. You can observe him on Twitter @jack_milko as nicely.