Latest News

July 09, 2020

Five-Time Memorial Tournament winner Tiger Woods commits

World No. 2 Jon Rahm and major championship winners  Webb Simpson, Patrick Reed, Jordan Spieth and 2010 winner Justin Rose join field for 45^th Memorial Tournament presented by Nationwide

Dublin, Ohio – Officials of the Memorial Tournament presented by Nationwide announced today that five-time Memorial winner and 2019 Masters champion Tiger Woods will compete in the 45^th edition of the Memorial Tournament at Muirfield Village Golf Club.

Joining Woods are World No. 2 Jon Rahm and major champions Webb Simpson, Patrick Reed, Jordan Spieth and Justin Rose, who won the 2010 edition of the Memorial.

These latest commitments strengthen the Memorial’s world-class field that already includes, Jason Day, Sergio Garcia, Dustin Johnson, Rory McIlroy, Phil Mickelson, Justin Thomas and Bubba Watson, all owners of major titles. McIlroy is the No. 1 player in the Official World Golf Ranking.

The 2020 Memorial Tournament will be contested next week, July 14-19, in conjunction with the PGA TOUR’s adjusted tournament schedule due to the Coronavirus pandemic.

Woods, 44, will be making his 18th appearance in the prestigious invitational Tournament hosted by golf legend Jack Nicklaus. His scoring average of 70.25 is tied for third best at the Memorial, and he is No. 1 in total earnings with $5,373,205. The Jupiter, Fla., resident has recorded victories in two of his last seven starts at Muirfield Village Golf Club, most recently in 2012 when his incredible shot on the 70th hole, a chip-in birdie at the par-3 16^th hole, vaulted him to his 73rd PGA TOUR victory, which tied the Golden Bear on the all-time list. Woods has since increased his TOUR win total to 82, tied with 1984 Memorial Tournament Honoree Sam Snead for most wins in TOUR history. A sixth victory at the Memorial Tournament next week would give Woods sole possession of the record.

An 11-time recipient of the Jack Nicklaus Award for PGA TOUR Player of the Year, Woods, a 15-time major championship winner and two-time FedExCup champion, returned to competition in 2018, after undergoing spinal fusion surgery in 2017. He made his first official TOUR start of the 2017-18 season at the 2018 Farmers Insurance Open and made his first cut on TOUR in two years, en route to a T-23 finish. Woods capped off his comeback campaign with a stellar triumph at the 2018 TOUR Championship for his first title since 2013 and then won a historic fifth Green Jacket at the 2019 Masters Tournament. With the victory, Woods became the second-oldest winner at Augusta National behind Nicklaus (1986/46 years, 2 months, 23 days) and added the Masters to a list of seven PGA TOUR events, including the Memorial, at which he has collected five or more victories. Woods has recorded two top-10 finishes this season over three starts, including his win at the ZOZO Championship, and is ranked No. 14 in the World.

Rahm made his professional debut in 2016 with a T-3 finish at Quicken Loans National, and has never looked back. Six starts into his first full season on the PGA TOUR he grabbed his first win at the Farmers Insurance Open, followed by titles in 2018 and 2019 for a total of three career TOUR victories to date. The 25-year-old is coming off an impressive season with a career-best 12 top-10 finishes and nearly $5 million in earnings. He has added four more top-10s to his resume so far during his 2019-20 campaign and is ranked No. 2 in the world and No. 24 in FedExCup points. The 2020 Memorial will mark Rahm’s second start at Muirfield Village Golf Club, but his third visit with his appearance in this week’s Workday Charity Open. In 2016, the Spaniard was presented with the Jack Nicklaus Award ¾ as the top collegiate golfer in Division I ¾ by the Golden Bear himself during the final round of the Memorial Tournament. Rahm failed to make the cut in his lone start at the Memorial in 2017 after rounds of 73-77.

Simpson, 34, is on pace for a career season on the PGA TOUR, with six top-10 finishes in eight starts, including two wins at the Waste Management Open and RBC Heritage. His victory count on the PGA TOUR sits at seven and his inspired play has moved him to No. 1 in FedExCup points ¾ for the first time since his 2013-14 campaign ¾ and No. 4 in the world. Simpson captured his first major championship at the 2012 U.S. Open in only his second start in the championship, the first player to do so since Jerry Pate in 1976. The North Carolina native has represented the U.S. on three Ryder Cup teams (2012, 2014, 2018) and three Presidents Cup teams (2011, 2013, 2019) since turning professional in 2008 and owns career earnings of $39,705,805. Simpson has teed it up at the Memorial Tournament presented by Nationwide on seven occasions, the last in 2017. His best finish was a T-7 effort in 2011. His Memorial scoring average is 72.64 and his earnings total $365,708.33.

Reed will make his fourth start at the Memorial Tournament next week. He recorded a T-29 finish in his last appearance in 2018 and enjoyed his best result in 2016 with a T-8 effort. His scoring average at Muirfield Village Golf Club is 70.75 and his Tournament earnings equal $368,196.17. The 29-year-old Texas native has posted five top-10 finishes this season, including his eighth PGA TOUR victory at the World Golf Championships-Mexico Championship. He is ranked No. 9 in the world and No. 6 in FedExCup points. Reed captured his first major title and first green jacket at The Masters Tournament in 2018. He has recorded at least one win in seven of the past eight PGA TOUR seasons, with a two-win season in 2016. Reed has represented the U.S. on three Presidents Cup teams (2015, 2017, 2019) and three Ryder Cup teams (2014, 2016, 2018) since turning professional in 2011. During the 2016 Ryder Cup Reed was 3-1-1 in his five matches to lead the American team to a 17-11 victory over Europe. He went head-to-head with Rory McIlroy in one of the most thrilling matches (particularly on the front nine) in Ryder Cup history, eventually making birdie on No. 18 for a 1-up victory, cementing his stature as one of the game's best match play competitors, and improving his overall Ryder Cup record at the time to 6-1-2.

Spieth has been one of the top players on the PGA TOUR since grabbing his first TOUR victory in 2013 at the John Deere Classic. During his 2014-2015 campaign he claimed five more wins, including his first and second major championship titles at the Masters Tournament and U.S. Open, respectively, and won the Jack Nicklaus Award as PGA TOUR Player of the Year. Spieth garnered two wins the following year and added three more in 2017, including his third major at The Open Championship at Royal Birkdale. A Dallas native, Spieth, 26, has recorded three top-10 finishes over 11 starts so far during the 2019-2020 season. He has been a member of three U.S. Presidents Cup teams (2013, 2015, 2017) and three U.S. Ryder Cup teams (2014, 2016, 2018). The 2013 PGA TOUR Rookie of the Year all but swept the TOUR’s annual awards circuit in 2015, receiving not only the Jack Nicklaus Award, but also the Byron Nelson Award for low adjusted scoring average (68.91) and the Arnold Palmer Award as the TOUR’s money leader. He also captured the 2015 FedExCup title. This will be Spieth’s eighth consecutive Memorial Tournament appearance. His best finish at Muirfield Village Golf Club came in 2015 when he shot a final-round 7-under-par 65 and tied for third. He grabbed another top-10 last year with a T-7 effort. Spieth’s Tournament scoring average is 70.96 and his Memorial earnings sit at $924,473.77.

Rose, 39, will make his 14^th start at this year’s Memorial, where he is ranked second on the Tournament’s career money list with $3,368,595, and has a scoring average of 70.67. His T-6 finish in 2018 was his seventh top-10 at Muirfield Village Golf Club and with a 13^th place effort last year Rose has recorded nine top-15 finishes over his 13 appearances. In the 2016 Olympics in Rio De Janeiro, Rose became the first gold medalist in golf in the Olympics since 1904. A resident of London, England, Rose is No. 13 in FedExCup points, and his lone top-10 finish this season came in the Charles Schwab Challenge where he tied for third place. The 2010 Memorial Tournament presented by Nationwide and the 2013 U.S. Open are among his 10 total wins on TOUR since turning professional in 1998. His career PGA TOUR earnings total $54,081,228.

For more information about the Memorial Tournament presented by Nationwide, please visit thememorialtournament.com. For the latest news and updates on social media, follow the tournament on Twitter and Instagram at @MemorialGolf and on Facebook at Facebook.com/theMemorialTournament.

About the Memorial Tournament presented by Nationwide

The Memorial Tournament presented by Nationwide is held annually at Muirfield Village Golf Club in Dublin, Ohio, a suburb of Columbus. The Tournament, founded and hosted by Jack Nicklaus, is conducted each year with three goals in mind: to honor the memory of individuals living and deceased who have distinguished themselves in the game of golf; to showcase the world’s best golfers competing on one of the most challenging venues in the world for the enjoyment of spectators; and to benefit many Greater Columbus Charities in alliance with the Nicklaus Children's Health Care Foundation, Nationwide Children's Hospital and numerous other local organizations. For more information, visit www.thememorialtournament.com or call 614-889-6700.

About Nationwide

Nationwide, a Fortune 100 company based in Columbus, Ohio, is one of the largest and strongest diversified insurance and financial services organizations in the United States. Nationwide is rated A+ by both A.M. Best and Standard & Poor’s. An industry leader in driving customer-focused innovation, Nationwide provides a full range of insurance and financial services products including auto, business, homeowners, farm and life insurance; public and private sector retirement plans, annuities and mutual funds; excess & surplus, specialty and surety; pet, motorcycle and boat insurance. For more information, visit www.nationwide.com. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

Nationwide, Nationwide is on your side and the Nationwide N and Eagle are service marks of Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company. © 2020

Media Contact

Thomas P. Sprouse                                                                                                                                  

Director of Communications,                                                                                                                                  

the Memorial Tournament presented by Nationwide                                                                                                                                  

E-Mail: tsprouse@thememorialtournament.com  

Office: 614-889-6791   

Mobile: 614-519-1873

# # #