The Memorial Tournament Golf Tips & Preview Page
The Memorial Tournament
Defending Champion: K.J. Choi TV Coverage
Click here for video analysis of Kenny Perry & Luke Donald Built in a town with an Irish namesake; Named after an Open championship victory; Designed with Augusta National in mind…welcome to The Memorial Tournament and Muirfield Village. 
Jack Nicklaus bought the land in his home state of Ohio back in 1966. They bought 220 acres of perfect land for golf. Nicklaus then went on to build on of the greatest courses in the US. He started building in 1972 and then opened the course in 1974. The course officially opened on Memorial Day and they christened the course with an exhibition match between Nicklaus and Weiskopf. Nicklaus won the match by firing a 66 and setting the course record that would stand until 1979. The Memorial Tournament is Jack’s event. Bobby Jones founded the Master’s, Arnold Palmer has his Invitational, Byron Nelson has his Classic, and I am sure Tiger will create a new major by the time he his done. Nicklaus’ event is one of the great tournaments of the year. He is a player that still commands so much respect for how he lived and grew our wonderful game. It is a tournament that has yielded a lot of great champions. Of the 31 years that it has been played, 21 times it has been won by a major champion. Ironically the last 3 years have all been won by players yet to have won a major. It begs the question…will this year continue that trend, or will another Tour great step in and win at Muirfield. Tiger Woods will not be going for his 4th Memorial Tournament victory as he recovers from knee surgery. However there are many other great players in the field. Players to watch this week are: 
Muirfield Village Golf Course
This course has withstood the test for over 30 years. There are not many Tour tracks that can boast the same accomplishment. There has been very little changed despite the advancements in technology that have rendered some courses obsolete. The only change was back in 2002 when Nicklaus took a bulldozer to the 17th. However, that had more to do with his dislike of the original design than of necessity. He took what he called a boring par 4 and made it the longest on the course with all kinds of trouble. At 478 yards it adds some bite to the closing holes. The course plays as a 7265 yard par 72 layout. It is modeled in likeness to Augusta National. It has wide, firm fairways. It is kept in pristine condition, and even the par 3 12th hole was remade at Muirfield (although Jack put in a much trickier putting surface). The layout is designed to give players options. It will be very interesting to watch this event from a course management perspective. The tee shots calls for lay-ups or well placed bombs. The players will need to shape shots as there are plenty of dog legs on this course. If a player gets too wild then they will have to contend with the many trees that line the golf course. There is also water on over half of the holes as a creek winds its way through the course. Iron shots will need to be precise and hit to the proper level on the green. Distance control will also be a factor several of the hole have elevation change. It will be important to make the proper adjustment if the players want have a shot at winning. I hope you enjoy the Memorial Tournament 2008, presented by Morgan Stanley. Please remember to check back here for my Tour Tips of the leaders before the start of the third round. Return to the Home Page from the Memorial Tournament
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PGA Tour Winner Quick Lesson
Congratulations to Steve Stricker on his victory at the 2012 Hyundai Tournament of Champions.
I believe the commentators said he has won 9 times in his 40s. That is amazing!I also agree with Sir Nick and Johnny Miller that his swing will be copied in the future. Technology has reduced the need for hand action in the golf swing to generate power. Watch the old videos of Bobby Jones to see how much action he created compared to that of Steve Stricker.
A great objective for any player is to eliminate any unnecessary movement. Stricker does a great job of that. His hands stay very quiet on the backswing. His wrists hardly hinge at the top of his backswing. You can see from the above video that his backswing is all shoulder turn.
His downswing starts from the hips and he simply turns everything through the golf ball at the same time. His hands and wrists release naturally without any effort. This is a great way to have a consistent rhythm through the golf ball on every shot. This swing delivers enough power to win on Tour.
European Tour Winner Quick Lesson
Congratulations to Louis Oosthuizen and his victory at the 2012 Africa Open.
Louis burst onto the scene with his dominating performance at the Open Championship. Many have predicted multiple wins for this player. His victory this past weekend is likely one of many to come.
In the video above pay really close attention to when the video ends. Take a look at his left foot. Notice how all his weight his on his left heel. This is a great sign that he has cleared his hips properly.
One of the key reasons for starting the downswing with your lower body is to clear your hips out of the way to create more room for your arms to swing through impact. It is a great indicator as to how well you cleared your hips, when almost all your weight is on your heel.
If your weight is leaning on you toes or even the middle of your foot then you have not rotated and cleared your hips enough through your downswing and past impact. You really want to feel the pressure of your weight on your heel like Oosthuizen.
Make sure you start your downswing with your lower body. At the top of your backswing; either pull your left knee or your left hip (right handed player) towards the target. Also make sure your hips keep rotating through impact and into your finish position with your weight on the heel.