Tiger Woods Makes This Year's Memorial

First round action has got underway Thursday at the beautiful Memorial Tournament in Dublin OH.

Luke Donald is cruising, knocking down birdie after birdie, but everyone is waiting to see Tiger Woods, who made a surprise commitment on Friday to play this year's Memorial.

In fact, Woods teamed up with Memorial founder and hall of fame player Jack Nicklaus for a memorable skins games seeing Nicklaus take two skins.

Last year's champions Kenny Perry will defend his title against some of the world's top players vying for a share of the $6 million purse.

Many players, including Phil Mickelson who has skipped this event, complained last year about the difficult course conditions that saw record highs and Perry win with an eight under par.

Nickolas, who was sensitive to the remarks, improved conditions over the year leading up to this year's championship.

Ironically, the Memorial was regarded as the premier "tune up" for the US Open and has always had a tough reputation. Could this be a sign of the times for the future of golf?

The Muirfield Village GC was designed by Nicklaus and completed in 1972. Nicklaus was noted as saying he wanted a tournament more like The Masters which would challenge golfers from around the world.

The course was dedicated on Memorial Day with an exhibition match between Tom Weiskopf and Nicklaus, in which Nicklaus won with a six-under 66. The Memorial is currently played as a par 72 at 7,265 feet.

This year's Memorial Tournament will be played at the beautiful Muirfield Village Golf Club in Dublin, OH, and will see Woods compete after missing last year's championship after a recent knee surgery.

Bet on golf at BetSportsWeb.

by Ryan
BetSportsWeb.com