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May 14, 2012

Tiger Woods, four-time winner of the Memorial Tournament presented by Nationwide Insurance, commits

Officials of the Memorial Tournament presented by Nationwide Insurance announced today that Tiger Woods has committed to returning to Muirfield Village Golf Club to try and add to his record four Memorial victories. In addition, the Memorial has accepted commitments from 2011 FedExCup champion Bill Haas, local resident and rising star Jason Day and Matt Kuchar – winner of last week’s THE PLAYERS – to this year’s field.

The 37^th Memorial Tournament is May 28-June 3.

Woods, 36, will be making his 13^th appearance at the Memorial and his first since 2010. Woods missed the 2011 Tournament due to knee and Achilles injuries that he suffered at the Masters Tournament and caused him to miss four months of golf, including both the U.S. and British Opens. He has recorded 10 top-10 finishes at Muirfield Village Golf Club and has never missed the cut. He is ranked number one at the Memorial in both scoring average (minimum of 10 rounds) at 69.62 and earnings with more than $3.9 million. Woods also holds the Tournament record for low back-to-back rounds with 63-65 during Rounds 2 and 3 in 2000. He won the Memorial in 1999, 2000, 2001 and 2009.

In eight starts this season, Woods has two top-10 finishes, including a runner-up finish at The Honda Classic and his 72^nd career PGA TOUR title at the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard – his first PGA TOUR victory since 2009. He is ranked No. 7 in the Official World Golf Ranking, No. 15 in FedExCup points, and 17^th on the PGA TOUR money list with more than $1.8 million. His 69.64 scoring average currently ranks third on the PGA TOUR. He has been a member of six U.S. Ryder Cup teams (1997, 1999, 2002, 2004, 2006 and 2010) and seven U.S. Presidents Cup teams (1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2009 and 2011) during his 16-year professional career.

Reigning FedExCup champion Haas is coming off a career year in 2011, recording seven top-10 finishes including a victory at the TOUR Championship presented by Coca Cola. He ended the season ranked a career-best No. 7 on the money list with more than $4 million. He capped off the year as a captain’s pick to compete in his first Presidents Cup at Royal Melbourne Golf Club in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Haas, 29, has posted two top-10 finishes so far this season, including his fourth-career PGA TOUR victory at the Northern Trust Open, winning in a playoff over Keegan Bradley and Phil Mickelson. He is currently ranked No. 14 in FedExCup points and 16^th on the money list with $1,806,659 in earnings. He also is No. 19 in the world. Haas will be making his seventh trip to Muirfield Village Golf Club, where he will try to improve upon his 73.09 scoring average. His best finish is T-30 in 2008.  

Day, 24, has recorded one top-10 finish in seven starts this season while battling injuries to his back and ankle, and he is ranked No. 16 in the world. The Australian native broke through with his first PGA TOUR title in 2010 at the HP Byron Nelson Championship. He enjoyed a career-best season last year, posting 10 top-10 finishes, including runner-up finishes at the Masters Tournament and U.S. Open. He also earned a career-high $3,962,647, landing him his first top-10 spot on the money list. He ended the season with his first Presidents Cup appearance for the International Team in his homeland. Day, who now has a home in the Columbus area, will be competing in his fourth Memorial Tournament. His scoring average at Jack Nicklaus’ prized layout is 72.90, and his best finish is T-27 in 2009.

Coming off the first win of his 2012 PGA TOUR campaign at THE PLAYERS Championship, and the fourth of his career, Kutchar, 33, climbed 24 spots on the PGA TOUR money list to No. 4. The victory also jumped him 22 spots in the FedExCup rankings to No. 6. and 11 places in the World rankings to No. 5. So far this season Kuchar has five top-10 finishes, including a third place effort at The Masters Tournament, to go with last week’s win. When Kuchar returns to the Memorial for his eighth visit, he will look to improve upon an impressive Tournament record that includes top-10 finishes in his last four starts at Muirfield Village Golf Club, including a T-2 finish last year. Kuchar’s Memorial scoring average 70.54 ranks second in Tournament history and he is ranked No. 12 on the Memorial’s money list with more than $1.2 million, joining Stewart Cink as one of only two players to break the million dollar mark at the Memorial without the benefit of winning the prestigious invitational Tournament hosted by golfing legend Jack Nicklaus.   

Guaranteed availability for all-week Patron Badges to the 2012 Memorial Tournament presented by Nationwide Insurance are available to the general public through May 20, as are special offers that include The President’s Cup 2013 tickets at Muirfield Village. Memorial Tournament badges, valid May 28-June 3, cost $155 and include a complimentary Wednesday Practice Round ticket at no extra cost. As always, kids 12 and under can attend for free, and kids 18 and under are admitted free on Wednesday for Junior Golf Day. The public may call the Tournament Ticket Office 9 a.m.-5 p.m. weekdays at 877-MT BADGE or visit www.thememorialtournament.com to purchase badges. Daily tickets for Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday practice rounds are also available. The cost is $30, and they are valid for all three practice-round days.