Tiger Woods to Play Memorial Tournament
Five-time Memorial winner and reigning Masters champion Tiger Woods will compete in the 44th edition of the Memorial Tournament May 27-June 2 at Muirfield Village Golf Club, tournament officials announced today.
Woods will be paired with special Nationwide guest Peyton Manning during the Tournament’s official Pro-Am, the Nationwide Invitational at the Memorial on Wednesday.
Ohio next week for the @MemorialGolf, then Pebble for the @usopengolf. Looking forward to getting out there again.
— Tiger Woods (@TigerWoods) May 23, 2019
Five-time PGA Tour winner Rickie Fowler also added his name to the list of the prestigious event.
Woods and Fowler’s commitments strengthen the Memorial’s world-class field that already includes Justin Rose, Rory McIlroy, Jason Day, Justin Thomas, Phil Mickelson and Adam Scott, all owners of major titles.
Woods, 43, will be making his 17th appearance in the prestigious invitational tournament hosted by golf legend Jack Nicklaus.
His scoring average of 70.29 ranks No. 3 at the Memorial, and he is No. 1 in total earnings with $5,136,605. The Jupiter, Fla., resident has recorded victories in two of his last six 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 16th hole, vaulted him to his 73rd PGA TOUR victory, which tied the Golden Bear on the all-time list.
Woods has since increased his PGA Tour win total to 81, second all-time behind the 1984 Memorial Tournament Honoree Sam Snead, who recorded 82 victories. A sixth victory at the Memorial Tournament next week would tie Woods with the legendary Snead.
An 11-time PGA Tour Player of the Year, 15-time major championship winner and two-time FedExCup champion, Woods returned to competition last year, 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.
He has played in seven events during the 2018-2019 season and has recorded three top-10s, including a historic fifth Green Jacket at the Masters Tournament last month. With the victory, Woods became the second-oldest winner at Augusta National behind Jack 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.
Fowler, 30, has been one of the most popular players on the PGA TOUR since turning professional in 2009. He has played on four U.S. Ryder Cup teams (2010, 2014, 2016, 2018) and two U.S. Presidents Cup teams (2015, 2017) and has posted five PGA TOUR victories, his first in 2012 at the Wells Fargo Championship and his latest coming this year at the Waste Management Phoenix Open.
In 2014, Fowler finished inside the top-5 in all four major championships, tying for second at the U.S. Open and Open Championship. The 2010 PGA TOUR Rookie of the Year has recorded top-12 finishes at The Masters Tournament five of the past six years, including a T-9 effort this year.
A resident of Jupiter, Fla., Fowler has posted five top-10 finishes in 12 starts this season and is ranked No. 10 in the world and No. 7 in FedExCup points. This year will mark his 10th Memorial Tournament start. He has finished second on two occasions, his first appearance in 2010 and again in 2017. Last year he grabbed his third top-10 at Muirfield Village Golf Club with a T-8 outing. His career Tournament earnings total $1,751,364, and his scoring average is 71.
