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May 09, 2023

Four-time major champion Rory McIlroy set to compete in the Memorial Tournament presented by Workday

DUBLIN, Ohio – Officials of the Memorial Tournament presented by Workday announced today that the Tournament has accepted the entry of four-time major championship winner and three-time FedExCup champion Rory McIlroy to compete in the 2023 Memorial Tournament. 

Joining McIlroy in the 48^th edition of the prestigious invitational hosted by golfing legend Jack Nicklaus will be fellow Workday brand ambassadors Matt Kuchar, winner of the 2013 Memorial Tournament, Matt Fitzpatrick, the reigning U.S. Open champion, and Brandt Snedeker, the 2012 FedExCup champion.

These latest commitments strengthen the Memorial’s world-class field that now features five of the top-10 players in the Official World Golf Ranking: THE PLAYERS Championship winner Scottie Scheffler (2), McIlroy (3), two-time Memorial winner Patrick Cantlay (4), Xander Schauffele (5), and Fitzpatrick (7).

The Memorial Tournament presented by Workday is May 29–June 4 at the world-renowned Muirfield Village Golf Club.

McIlroy, a three-time winner of the Jack Nicklaus Award as PGA TOUR Player of the Year, will make his 12^th start at the Memorial Tournament presented by Workday. He has finished inside the top-10 on four occasions, with his best outing coming in 2016 when he tied for fourth place. His scoring average at Muirfield Village Golf Club is 71.13 to go with career earnings of $1,400,384.50 after a T-18 finish in 2022. McIlroy is coming off his sixth career multi-win season that culminated in a record-setting third FedExCup title. The 34-year-old from Northern Ireland is 14^th in FedExCup points on the strength of three top-10s over eight starts this season, including his 23^rd career PGA TOUR victory to open his 2022-2023 campaign in defense of his title at THE CJ CUP in South Carolina and a second-place effort at the Arnold Palmer Invitational. McIlroy’s four major championship wins include the 2011 U.S. Open, 2012 PGA Championship, and The Open and a second PGA title in 2014. McIlroy is second in PGA TOUR Career Money Leaders, with $71,559,057 since turning professional in 2007.

Kuchar claimed the 2013 Memorial Tournament by two shots over Kevin Chappell and finished the week ranked first in greens in regulation, first in sand saves and second in putting. This year will mark the Florida native’s 18^th start at the Memorial, where he has collected $3,418,537.16 in career earnings, third highest in Tournament history, and compiled a scoring average of 70.62, which ranks fourth all-time. Kuchar qualified for the FedExCup Playoffs last season for the 16th consecutive time, becoming one of six players to do so in each season of the FedExCup era. He has secured four top-10 finishes over 14 starts during his 2022-23 campaign, with a T-3 finish at the Valero Texas Open among them. The 44-year-old is currently No. 48 in the Official World Golf Ranking and No. 45 in FedExCup standings. Including the Memorial Tournament, Kuchar’s nine-career PGA TOUR wins are highlighted by THE PLAYERS Championship and the World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play Championship. He has been a member of five Presidents Cup teams and five Ryder Cup teams, four as a player and once as a vice captain for 2002 Memorial Tournament winner Jim Furyk in the 2018 Ryder Cup in Paris, France.

Fitzpatrick, 28, has finished in the top-10 on the PGA TOUR 28 times since turning professional in 2014, including three this season, with his second TOUR win counted among them after a playoff victory at the RBC Heritage last month over Jordan Spieth. The Sheffield, England, native grabbed his first PGA TOUR title and first major championship win last season in the 122^nd U.S. Open at The Country Club in Brookline, Mass. With the victory, Fitzpatrick joined Jack Nicklaus as the only players to have won a U.S. Open and U.S. Amateur at the same venue. Fitzpatrick won the U.S. Amateur in 2013. His best Memorial Tournament finish came in 2020 when he finished third and led the field in scrambling (19/26). Fitzpatrick has a 72.30 career scoring average at the Memorial Tournament and has earned $660,082.00 in his four starts at Muirfield Village Golf Club. He missed the cut by one shot in 2022 after opening rounds of 74-73. The two-time European Ryder Cup team member is No. 24 in FedExCup points.

Snedeker, 42, has claimed nine-career PGA TOUR victories since turning professional in 2004. A native of Nashville, Tenn., Snedeker owns two multi-win seasons during his career, the first in 2012 that culminated in winning the FedExCup. The 2007 PGA TOUR Rookie of the Year and his wife Mandy founded The Snedeker Foundation in 2012 to help serve charities in middle Tennessee. In 2017, their foundation became the primary beneficiary of an official Korn Ferry Tour event, the Simmons Bank Open for The Snedeker Foundation. Today they have raised more than $1 million for charities in the region. Snedeker will be making his eighth start at this year’s Memorial Tournament presented by Workday where his scoring average is 74.06. He finished T-60 last year after making his first cut at Muirfield Village Golf Club with rounds of 72-74-72-77.

In additional news, the Memorial Tournament highlighted today the impact surrounding the official PGA TOUR event’s enhanced philanthropic model. 

Last year’s Memorial Tournament presented by Workday raised a record $4.9 million for charitable organizations in Central Ohio and beyond, representing the first time the Tournament’s annual charitable giving totaled more than $4 million. Of note, this included $4.151 million for the Memorial’s collaborating charitable partners, Nationwide Children’s Hospital, Stephen and Ayesha Curry’s Eat. Learn. Play. Foundation and the Nicklaus Children’s Health Care Foundation. It was the first time the Tournament’s charitable giving total topped the $4 million mark. Since its inception in 1976, the Memorial has eclipsed $46 million in donations to charity, with nearly $32 million going to Nationwide Children’s.  

The 2022 Memorial also marked the inaugural year in which Stephen and Ayesha Curry's Oakland-based Eat. Learn. Play. Foundation was recognized by the Tournament as a charity beneficiary. Since its inception, Eat. Learn. Play. Foundation has made an incredible impact in the Oakland, Calif. community with Workday and the Foundation raising nearly $6 million over three years with 100% of the proceeds going to support Oakland youth. Now, as a part of its work with the Memorial Tournament and Workday, Eat. Learn. Play. continues to grow its impact outside of the Bay Area by dedicating over one-half million dollars to expanding the four Nationwide Children’s programs listed below, that were identified in advance of last year’s Tournament. These Hospital initiatives share the mission of Eat. Learn. Play., which includes fighting to end childhood hunger, improving literacy and access to quality education, and providing safe places for all children to play and be active.

EAT—The Linden Fresh Market and Charitable Pharmacy – Linden Area Focus Program

The Linden Fresh Market is one of the largest points of distribution of free food anywhere in central Ohio and one of the 20 largest locations in the entire country. It is also a resource hub for community members that offers job training, Play Streets programming and social determinants of health screenings. Funding will support expenses related to these offerings including supplies and services provided.

LEARN— Supporting Partnerships to Assure Ready Kids (SPARK) and Reach Out and Read (ROR)

SPARK: A home visiting model with a focus on kindergarten readiness (ages 3 and 4). The Parent Partner helps the parent engage the child in a lesson that was developed around Ohio state standards and is designed to provide a school readiness advantage. SPARK also conducts developmental screenings, provides referrals and linkages to community resources, and offers group-based learning opportunities.

ROR: A partnership with primary care nurse practitioners and doctors where the reading of age-appropriate, culturally sensitive books “is prescribed” during all well child checks from 6 months to 5 years, a period in which most children see their pediatrician at least 10 times. Literacy assessments and developmental screenings are included in the program.

PLAY—Play Strong

Play Strong is a program that guides participants to create healthy habits at home through “play.” Children participate in games, field trips and exercise to encourage better and sustainable habits. The program is on-track to support 700 kids this year through diverse and engaging activities. 

“The Memorial Tournament reflects the incredible legacy established by the Nicklaus family by showcasing the best in golf combined with a commitment to community, which we share with our charitable partners Eat. Learn. Play., Nationwide Children’s Hospital, and Nicklaus Children’s Health Care Foundation,” said Aneel Bhusri, co-founder, co-CEO, and chair, Workday. “This event is a special one for us because we get to proudly watch several of our brand ambassadors in action, while doing our part to make a positive impact in the lives of children and their families.”

“This legendary golf tournament serves as a platform to drive positive impact beyond the sport,” said Chris Helfrich, CEO of Eat. Learn. Play. “For the second consecutive year, Eat. Learn. Play. is honored to partner with the Memorial Tournament and Workday to expand the programmatic work we do in our hometown of Oakland around food security, literacy and play equity to kids and families in the Columbus area. As a co-beneficiary alongside Nationwide Children’s Hospital, we are excited to continue bringing our villages together to make a difference in the lives of those who need it most across the community.”  

“The Memorial Tournament presented by Workday has been an incredible partner to us at Nationwide Children’s Hospital for nearly five decades, and its support has made a difference in countless children’s lives,” said Tim Robinson, CEO of Nationwide Children’s. “We see it every day at the hospital, especially at our Memorial Tournament Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, where funds from the Memorial are helping our most vulnerable patients. And now, with the partnership of Eat. Learn. Play., the Memorial is having an impact on child health that goes far beyond medical care.”

The Tournament also announced today the return of the Military Outpost presented by JobsOhio. This on-course destination, which has been designed to recognize and honor Ohio’s military service men and women, is located along the 13^th fairway and offers complimentary refreshments for all military¾active, reserve and veterans. The Outpost will be open each day from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. starting Wednesday, May 31. A military ID is required for entry.

In addition to partnering with the Memorial Tournament through the presentation of the Military Outpost, JobsOhio will also join the Tournament in hosting a Military Appreciation Brunch at the Memorial on Wednesday, May 31, in association with the Tournament’s Salute to Service Day. The brunch will serve as a method to host a group of invited active service men and women and will feature an appearance by Jack and Barbara Nicklaus and 2023 Memorial Honoree Larry Nelson, and his wife Gayle.

Wednesday’s Salute to Service Day provides complimentary access (up to four tickets) to the Memorial Tournament and is open to all active, retired, reserve, veteran military personnel, Ohio National Guard, Gold Star Families along with federal, state and local law enforcement officers and Fire Fighters/EMS. 

Workday provides outreach to the incredible veterans in its workforce and local communities. In conjunction with the Tournament’s military initiatives, Workday is dedicating its suite on Hole No. 18 to host Gold Star families as the Memorial Tournament, Workday, and JobsOhio honor the memory of individuals who have distinguished themselves in service. 

“The Memorial Tournament presented by Workday is proud to partner with JobsOhio to recognize and honor Ohio’s military service men and women,” said Tournament Executive Director Dan Sullivan. “The programs we are offering through the Appreciation Brunch and Military Outpost, and now Workday’s expanded outreach, will provide an opportunity for many service men and women to enjoy the Memorial Tournament and interact with others within the military, and with those who support the military. We are looking forward to a great week.”

 To purchase remaining badge options for the 2023 Memorial Tournament presented by Workday, the public may visit www.memorialbadges.com or call the Tournament Ticket Office 9 a.m.-5 p.m. EDT weekdays at 877-MT BADGE (877-682-2343). Free Junior tickets are available in advance with a valid badge purchase or at all entry gates during Tournament week for kids 18 and under (must be accompanied by a ticketed adult). Any Day Practice Round tickets are available in packs of three. The cost is $50 and each ticket provides single-day practice-round access to the Tournament grounds Monday, May 29, Tuesday, May 30, or Wednesday, May 31.

For more information about the Memorial Tournament presented by Workday, 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 Workday

The Memorial Tournament presented by Workday 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, Eat. Learn. Play. Foundation and numerous other local organizations. For more information, visit www.thememorialtournament.com or call 614-889-6700.

About Workday

Workday is a leading provider of enterprise cloud applications for finance and human resources, helping customers adapt and thrive in a changing world. Workday applications for financial management, human resources, planning, spend management, and analytics are built with artificial intelligence and machine learning at the core to help organizations around the world embrace the future of work. Workday is used by more than 10,000 organizations around the world and across industries – from medium-sized businesses to more than 50% of the Fortune 500. For more information about Workday, visit workday.com.

Media Contact:

Thomas P. Sprouse                                                                                                                      

Director of Communications,                                                                                                    

the Memorial Tournament presented by Workday                                                              

E-Mail: tsprouse@thememorialtournament.com                                                                 

Office: 614-889-6791                                                                                                                  

Mobile: 614-519-1873