Memorial Tournament: Top 10 power rankings for 2020

1 of 11

The PGA Tour will stick around for one more week at Muirfield Village for the Memorial Tournament

If you turn on the golf broadcast this week and think “Hey, that course looks awfully familiar!” you’d definitely be correct.

In an unprecedented scenario due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the PGA Tour has opted to set up shop for two straight weeks at Muirfield Village in Dublin, Ohio, at one of Jack Nicklaus’ more famed designs.

More from Golf News

Last week was what looks to be a one-off event dubbed the Workday Charity Open. It lacked as many big names as we’ll see this week for the Memorial Tournament, but provided a thrilling finish nonetheless.

Collin Morikawa rallied from a late deficit to defeat Justin Thomas in a three-hole playoff. Spoiler alert, but of these guys will be in my top 10 this week.

Last week’s event featured 156 players vying for a $6.2 million purse. This week is a 120-payer invitational with $9.3 million at stake. I wasn’t a math major, but I can see why this week is drawing more attention.

The tournament got a boost by Tiger Woods opting to play in his first tournament since February. Joining him are nine of the world’s top 10, as well as most of golf’s other big names. Internationals No. 9 Adam Scott, No. 12 Tommy Fleetwood and No. 15 Tyrrell Hatton are some of the notable absences.

While the venue remains the same as last week, it is believed that the course will player tougher this week where the winning score was -19.

Faster greens, thicker rough and trickier pin positions are expected.

Hot and slightly breezy conditions are in the early forecast for Dublin. So are storms for much of the tournament.

Stats to keep an eye on include par-5 scoring, greens in regulation, proximity from 150-200 yards and performance on bentgrass greens. A hot putting week is often the difference maker to separate on what’s also a ball striker’s golf course.

Muirfield Village is Jack Nicklaus’ pride and joy. It was established in 1966 in Dublin, Ohio. The name is an homage to Muirfield in Scotland where he won his first of three Open Championships.

The par-72 layout measures 7,392 yards. John Huston owns the course record with a 61 in 1996. The fairways and greens are bentgrass with poa annua mixed in.

Water comes into play on nearly half the holes, and precision with all irons in the bag is a big asset.

So is a left-to-right ball flight, which was how Nicklaus got it done in his hay day.

Muirfield Village requires good course management. The required shot is usually right in front of the player, so execution is key. The fairways are relatively wide, but there are enough bunkers scattered about to keep players on their toes.

It’s obvious that last week’s results will be useful in prognosticating for next week. With that said, a lot of big names enter the picture for this week only, and plenty of them are worthy of consideration.

Let’s get down to it:

Home/Golf News