DUBLIN (Ohio) – Jack Nicklaus said that the field for this week’s Memorial Tournament was “probably the best field we’ve had.”
He said, “They’re here” on Tuesday at a press event ahead of the tournament he is hosting at Muirfield Village Golf Club. The club he founded has hosted an annual PGA Tour tour stop since 1976.
Jack’s Place has always attracted a stellar field, regardless of their status. However, the $20 million prize money and designation as a designated tournament haven’t hurt this 120-man field. Seven of the Top 10 golfers in the Official World Golf Ranking, 38 of the Top 50 and 25 of the 30 top players in the FedEx Cup Standings are all in the field.
He said, “For all practical purposes, all of the world’s top players are here.”
These impressive numbers don’t include the two reigning major champions – British Open winner Cameron Smith, and PGA Championship winner Brooks Koepka – and regular players such as Phil Mickelson and Dustin Johnson.
Nicklaus has confirmed that he sent a congratulatory message to Koepka, after he had won the PGA at Oak Hill two weeks earlier. This is the same place where he was awarded the Wanamaker Trophy back in 1980. Nicklaus tried to keep out of the fight between the PGA Tour vs. LIV Golf. However, he had an opinion about most topics and was never shy to express it.
Nicklaus stated that joining LIV was the best thing for certain players. It probably pushed the PGA Tour to new heights, there’s no doubt about it. It wasn’t me, or my legacy. “I pretty much began what the Tour has become out here.”
Golfers prepare to tee-off during a practice session for the Memorial Tournament, held at Muirfield Village Golf Club. (Photo: Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch)
When asked if he felt disappointed that the major winners of last year were not on the field, he replied, “I don’t even consider them part of the game any more.” I’m not saying that in an unkind way. We have the strongest field possible for a PGA Tour tournament for those eligible to attend. We don’t talk about what the other guys did or where they went.
Nicklaus said that six to seven LIV players were members of his Bears Club in South Florida. All of them have renewed their membership and are still active.
Nicklaus stated, “It is just the place they choose to play golf.” “I wish all of them well.”
When asked if he’d allow LIV players to compete at the Memorial in future, he replied, “It isn’t up to me.” Then he continued, “I’m not sure if I would let them back or no.” The rules say that they made their choice and are bound by it.
Nicklaus was born in a time when professional golfers were largely living on a subsistence level. He remembers his first check of $33.33 from the 1962 Los Angeles Open, where he finished 50 th.
“The first time I played, you made it — 70 players made it but only 50 paid. In my first year, I won every tournament that I entered. “I had so many of them that I barely made it through,” he said. “I shot 64 on the last round at Pensacola in order to earn my last dollar. I shot 65 in the last round of Palm Springs, to possibly make last money. In those days, you knew, to make $250 was what we made when we just made the cut. You wanted that $250. “That was enough to play golf for another two or three weeks.”
Did he ever think the amount of money that the pros make today was astounding?
He said, “I see it every day. Are you kidding me?” It is stunning.
For Nicklaus, the prize of winning was the ultimate goal.
He explained, “I was more concerned with how good I could become in a particular sport. The money took care of itself.” Some guys might not care at all about golfing, but they are just good. For them, it’s just a way to get somewhere. It’s okay if that’s all it is. The majority of the guys who are still playing golf do so for the love of the game, the sport and the competition. For me, this is the whole point. Do they get rewarded for this? They are. I think it’s wonderful. We’ve never earned any money from golf. How much would I earn on the regular tour in my lifetime?
Nicklaus guessed that Tiger Woods retirement fund would be 100 million dollars and Nicklaus’s was 237,000.
“We played golf to get a reputation to earn a living.” Nicklaus wondered, “If I was playing golf today, would I do golf course design or other things?” “These guys really are making a fantastic income and setting their families up for a lifetime if they play the game well.”
