DUBLIN, Ohio – Chad Ramey experienced a nightmare finish to his opening round at the Memorial.
Ramey recorded a 13 on the ninth hole, his final hole on Thursday, at Muirfield Village Golf Club.
Ramey ripped driver to 106 yards, middle of the fairway, at the par-4 401 yards. Flip wedge territory for a pro who won the Corales Puntacana Championship as a rookie last year. But that’s when things got messy, or shall we say, rinse and repeat for Ramey.
His next three attempts to clear the water fronting the green ended up short and in the drink. Finally, with his 10th shot, he fired a shot 31 feet past the hole. To add insult to injury he gunned the downhill putt 6 feet by the hole and missed the comebacker. Ramey finally cleaned up from 2 feet, 4 inches for 13.
Ramey’s round was no shakes before he blew up on the final hole, but the closing nine-over on No. 9 meant he signed for a Michael Irvin – an 88.
PGA Tour golfer Chad Ramey made a nonuple-bogey 13 on a par4 today at the Memorial Tournament [by only-shallow]
Ramey’s score is the highest at the Memorial since Larry Mize carded an 88 in the second round in 2008; his 13 on the ninth is the highest score on that hole in tournament history. (Previously two players had made a nine on nine, most recently Daniel Summerhays in the second round in 2018.)
But Ramey wasn’t the only one with a seat on the struggle bus. His 88 was one of eight rounds shot in the 80s in the first round. As the saying goes, misery loves company.
Everything you need to know for the second round from Muirfield Village.
Jack Nicklaus and Muirfield Village Golf Club in Dublin, Ohio, play host to the 2023 Memorial Tournament this week, where defending champion Billy Horschel and the top five players in the world are on hand to compete for the $20 million purse. Muirfield Village will play as a par 72 at a whopping 7,533 yards.
Danny Willett, Adam Hadwin, Mark Hubbard, Shane Lowry, Austin Eckroat, David Lipsky and Jordan Spieth are all tied for third at 3 under.
Defending champ Billy Horschel, meanwhile, struggled to an 84, his scorecard littered with three double bogeys and six bogeys. He did not manage any birdies in a 12-over round.
From tee times to TV and streaming info, here’s everything you need to know for the second round of the 2023 Memorial Tournament at Muirfield Village Golf Club.
Friday tee times
1st tee
Tee time
Players
7 a.m.
Christiaan Bezuidenhout, Lee Hodges, Sam Stevens
7:12 a.m.
David Lipsky, Ben Griffin, S.H. Kim
7:24 a.m.
Adam Long, William McGirt, K.J. Choi
7:36 a.m.
Mackenzie Hughes, Chad Ramey, Joel Dahmen
7:48 a.m.
Nico Echavarria, Trey Mullinax, Francesco Molinari
8 a.m.
Chez Reavie, J.T. Poston, Sepp Straka
8:12 a.m.
Davis Riley, Lucas Herbert, Brandt Snedeker
8:24 a.m.
Chris Kirk, Tom Hoge, Scott Stallings
8:36 a.m.
Kevin Streelman, Adam Schenk, Sam Ryder
8:48 a.m.
Kazuki Higa, Thriston Lawrence, David Micheluzzi
12:05 p.m.
Beau Hossler, Taylor Pendrith, Davis Thompson
12:17 p.m.
Patrick Rodgers, Ben An, Denny McCarthy
12:29 p.m.
Keith Mitchell, Joseph Bramlett, Justin Suh
12:41 p.m.
Wyndham Clark, Kurt Kitayama, Tom Kim
12:53 p.m.
Emiliano Grillo, Scottie Scheffler, Viktor Hovland
1:05 p.m.
Jason Day, Jon Rahm, Collin Morikawa
1:17 p.m.
Sam Burns, Si Woo Kim, Rickie Fowler
1:29 p.m.
Adam Scott, Zach Johnson, Cameron Young
1:41 p.m.
Nick Hardy, Sungjae Im, Shane Lowry
1:53 p.m.
Aaron Rai, Akshay Bhatia, Sam Bennett
10th tee
Tee time
Players
7:05 a.m.
Will Gordon, Eric Cole, Ryan Fox
7:17 a.m.
David Lingmerth, Alex Noren, Matt NeSmith
7:29 a.m.
Luke Donald, Stephan Jaeger, Thomas Detry
7:41 a.m.
Patrick Cantlay, Billy Horschel, Hideki Matsuyama
7:53 a.m.
Rory McIlroy, Jordan Spieth, Tyrrell Hatton
8:05 a.m.
Matt Fitzpatrick, Xander Schauffele, Justin Thomas
DUBLIN, Ohio – Dylan Frittelli’s struggles on the PGA Tour continue.
The 32-year-old South African withdrew from the 2023 Memorial Tournament on Thursday after playing 14 holes in 15-over par at Muirfield Village Golf Club. Frittelli cited illness as the reason for his early departure.
Frittelli is in the midst of a slump – he’s missed seven cuts and withdrawn twice in his 11 starts. The former Texas Longhorn has missed the cuts in his last four starts and seemed well on his way to extending that streak to five when he pulled the plug on his round.
Frittelli got off to a modest start and was 1 over early in his round after sticking his approach to 7 feet at No. 6 and making his lone birdie of the day. But his round began to unravel soon thereafter. A bogey at the par-5 seventh hole started the slide and he finished the front nine with a double-bogey six. Then the wheels really came off: back-to-back triple bogeys at Nos. 10 and 11, and double bogeys at Nos. 12 and 14 were sandwiched around a bogey at 13.
Frittelli also withdrew from the RBC Heritage in April after shooting an opening-round 80.
Frittelli won the 2019 John Deere Classic. He entered the week No. 138 in the FedEx Cup point standings.
The three-time All-American at Texas A&M has turned pro and has a multi-year agreement with Ping.
Sam Bennett, the reigning U.S. Amateur champion who shot 68-68 in the first two rounds of the 2023 Masters and finished T-16 this year at Augusta National, is making his professional debut Thursday at the Memorial Tournament.
The three-time All-American at Texas A&M has been using Ping golf equipment as part of a NIL deal with the Phoenix-based manufacturer, but the company has announced it signed Bennett to a multi-year agreement.
Bennett, 23, won several events while playing for Texas A&M and was the 2022 Player of the Year in the SEC before winning the U.S. Amateur at Ridgewood Country Club last summer.
“I’ve been playing Ping equipment since my junior golf days, and my relationship with their team during that time has been a big reason for my success,” Bennett said in a release. “said Bennett. “I’m very confident in my equipment, which allows me to go out and focus on winning tournaments. I’m excited to begin my journey as a professional knowing PING will be with me every step of the way.”
Sam Bennett holds the Havemeyer trophy after winning the 2022 U.S. Amateur at The Ridgewood Country Club in Paramus, New Jersey. (Photo: Grant Halverson/USGA)
By finishing fifth in the PGA Tour University standings, Bennett has status on the Korn Ferry through the end of this season. He can also accept sponsor exemptions into PGA Tour events.
The Golden Bear and the color yellow are represented well.
DUBLIN, Ohio — The Golden Bear and the color yellow are represented well at the merchandise tent at the Memorial and main pro shop at Muirfield Village Golf Club.
The homage to Jack Nicklaus’s nickname and the color shirt he wore in the final round of the 1986 Masters as a gesture to a friend is fitting. After all, this is Jack’s Place, home to the PGA Tour’s annual stomp in his childhood stomping grounds since 1976 and a designated event for the first time this week.
The field is stacked with seven of the top 10 and 28 of the top 35 in the world. And the merchandise tent is stacked with hats, t-shirts and even hoodies. Perhaps the most controversial item is an item from Camp David, which is selling a sweatshirt emblazoned “the MT.” That may be the first time anyone has called the Memorial Tournament by that nickname.
Here’s a look at the gear on sale this week at Jack’s Place.
DUBLIN, Ohio – Swing instructor Sean Foley likes to say that the relationship between PGA Tour pros and their coaches should be measured in dog years.
That’s because when Tour pros hit a slump they typically point fingers at either their caddie or their coach.
“You can’t change your wife,” Foley joked.
Billy Horschel returns to Muirfield Village Golf Club this week as the defending champion, but his game has soured since he claimed his seventh PGA Tour at the Memorial last June. Horschel didn’t try to sugarcoat it when asked to assess his play during a pre-tournament press conference on Wednesday.
“The season’s been pretty bad, pretty abysmal, to tell you the truth,” said Horschel, who entered the week No. 108 in the FedEx Cup standings, with only the top 70 advancing to the FedEx Cup Playoffs, and reconnected with caddie Micah Fugitt earlier this month.
Billy Horschel walks the ninth fairway with his caddie Micah Fugitt during a practice round ahead of the 2023 Memorial Tournament at Muirfield Village Golf Club. (Photo: Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch)
But it has only sent the 36-year-old Horschel, who played on his first U.S. Presidents Cup team last fall, back to the drawing board with his longtime coach, Todd Anderson. The duo is approaching 15 years of working together, which is a lot of dog years.
In the fall of 2008, Horschel was on the verge of graduating from the University of Florida, where coach Buddy Alexander had helped turn him into an All-American talent. But Alexander also knew that Horschel would need someone to look after him on a full-time basis once Horschel turned pro. He recommended three potential coaches for Horschel to visit.
“I was the first one that he came to see, and he didn’t go see the other two, and we’ve been working ever since,” Anderson said.
In addition to the Memorial last year, Horschel has won a World Golf Championship, a Tour Championship and FedEx Cup (2014), and the BMW Championship, the flagship event of the DP World Tour. Horschel demands a lot of himself and those on his team, and he and Anderson, who he calls one of his best friends and a mentor, have developed a trust and confidence that have made their relationship thrive.
“He takes care of me like I’m a family member,” Anderson said. “He’ll pick you up on the way to the course, whatever it is. If he hears I have to take a shuttle to the course, he’ll say, ‘No, I’ll just come by and get you.’ It might be a mile or two out of his way, but he’s going to drive by and pick you up so you don’t have to take the shuttle in.
“If he goes to a major and rents a house, I’m always going to have a room there if I want it. If we’re going to the British Open, we’re flying together, I’m flying first class with him, and I’ve worked with I don’t know how many Tour players over the years, they’re not all like that. In fact, most of them aren’t like that.
“The other thing is, I don’t know if you want to print this or not – we have an agreement at the end of the year, he’s always given me a bonus every year I’ve worked with him, and I can’t say that for hardly any other Tour player I’ve worked with.”
But the relationship has been put to the test of late. This off-season, Horschel and Anderson attempted to make some changes to his swing that backfired. After missing the cut at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, Horschel and Anderson and the rest of his team engaged in a lively 45-minute discussion about the state of his game in the parking lot. When he got back to his hotel, Horschel’s frustration boiled over.
“I’m not a sappy guy,” Horschel said. “But I broke down and I cried a little bit.”
He and Anderson have diagnosed the problem and they’ve seen some encouraging signs.
“It’s getting closer, but it’s still a little bit of a challenge and it’s just some bad habits I’ve gotten into that we’re just trying to work out of,” Horschel said.
During the course of their 15-year relationship, Anderson conceded there have been rough patches for Horschel before, but they’ve always worked through them. He’s a big believer in staying the course.
“I think where a lot of players make mistakes is that they jump around from coach to coach. You look at the best players in the world, they don’t change coaches,” Anderson said, noting World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler has worked with the same coach (Randy Smith) since childhood as has Rory McIlroy (Michael Bannon) while Justin Thomas has had his dad as his coach his entire career.
“I think there’s a certain trust and chemistry that has to be established. I think that’s where a lot of these young players that jump around to different coaches, they lose that continuity,” Anderson said. “If you start jumping around to a bunch of different coaches and they start messing up the foundation that’s made you great, that’s when you really get lost, when you lose the foundation of who you are as a player. Billy’s always stuck with me and always kind of believed in the process that we would go through to try to get him back on track.”
And they’ll search for that track together with dogged determination.
“I still know how to (win). I’m not an idiot. I did this one time, I can do it again.”
DUBLIN, Ohio – Brandt Snedeker couldn’t hit any of five milkshakes positioned on a stand a mere 10 yards in front of him on the driving range at Muirfield Village Golf Club on Tuesday. It was part of a timed contest for charity and as Snedeker raked another ball in front of him, he inquired, “How much time do I have left? I’m better than this.”
He eventually smoked two of the club’s renowned milkshakes – a terrible waste of the tasty treat in my humble opinion – but pardon the rust on the game of Snedeker, a nine-time PGA Tour winner who hasn’t played a PGA Tour event since September’s kick-off to the 2022-2023 season at the Fortinet Championship in Napa, California, after undergoing surgery in December to repair his sternum.
Snedeker had been diagnosed with a sternum issue in 2016 and for much of the next six years had been traveling to South America to do stem cell treatments. Even still, he was living with constant pain and a mixture of Tylenol, Advil and steroids only would do so much. It had limited his practice to the point that he couldn’t even hit driver when he was home.
“I’d have to save them up until I got out here,” he said. “(Dealing with the sternum injury) just had taken over so much of my life.”
Sneds is back. First start since Napa in September after sternum surgery. Looks like he’s ready to go but what a waste of a Muirfield Village milkshake. @golfweek @MemorialGolf pic.twitter.com/A3N0Qr15IY
Snedeker had rested for eight weeks and decided to play the Fortinet Championship nine months ago. He felt fine until the second round when he started experiencing a knifing pain with every breath. He made the cut and persevered through the weekend, finishing T-59, but he concluded he couldn’t continue down this path. It was now or never to do surgery.
“Or we’re gonna have to find something else to do,” Snedeker said.
Brandt Snedeker, right, walks off the 10th green with Larry Fitzgerald and Heidi Ueberroth during the Workday Golden Bear Pro Am at the Memorial Tournament at Muirfield Village Golf Club in Dublin. (Photo: Joseph Scheller/Columbus Dispatch)
Easier said than done, however. Snedeker had manubrium joint stabilization, a disease with about a dozen known cases in the country and limited surgical options.
“To say it’s a rare thing is an understatement,” Snedeker said.
Dr. Burton Elrod, a Nashville, Tennessee, orthopedic and sports medicine surgeon had performed a procedure on NFL quarterback Steve McNair in 2004 to strengthen his chest but had sworn to never do it again because of the risk of infection to the patient.
“I talked him into one more,” Snedeker said of the experimental surgery that took a bone the size of his thumb from his right hip and stuck it into his sternum. “He told me, ‘This is the last one.’ ”
The surgery on December 1, which left him with a six-inch scar, has been judged a success. Snedeker spent the next four weeks in a recliner – “I felt like someone hit me with a Mack truck,” he said – and didn’t hit a golf ball until April 1. He took some trips he’d always wanted to do, including to the Bahamas where he bumped into Jack Nicklaus and talked fishing for half an hour, and enjoyed being a full-time father. But he also made an important realization: “I think I found out I’m too young to retire,” said Snedeker, 42.
With four starts remaining on a minor medical extension, he had circled this week’s Memorial on his calendar to make his return to competition, and after playing every day for the last two weeks and experiencing no setbacks said he’s ready to get back to “the only job I’ve really ever had.”
“I was like you know what, gotta jump into the deep end at some point,” he said. “Until I start doing it every day, week after week, month after month, I won’t know for sure if the surgery solved all of my pain issues but so far, so good.”
And his goal hasn’t changed.
“Just win baby,” he said. “I still know how to do it. I’m not an idiot. I did this one time, I can do it again.”
The 2023 Memorial’s pro-am is just as loaded as the tournament field.
NBA star Stephen Curry almost certainly will miss more shots than two of his teammates when he participates in the Memorial Tournament Workday Golden Bear Invitational pro-am Wednesday at Muirfield Village Golf Club.
Curry is an avid golfer with a low handicap, but is in the same group with three-time major championship winner Jordan Spieth and PGA Tour winner Keith Mitchell. That said, Curry probably scores better than his father, retired NBA star Dell Curry, and brother Seth, who plays for the Brooklyn Nets. The latter two are in a group with actor Chris O’Donnell, two-time major championship winner Collin Morikawa and Tyrrell Hatton.
After announcing Monday that Hall of Fame quarterback Peyton Manning and retired NFL wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald would headline the pro-am, the Memorial released more celebrity names early Wednesday, including the Currys, Golden State Warriors forward Andre Iguodala, country singer Luke Bryan and actor Josh Duhamel. Other celebs include Hall of Fame quarterback Steve Young, former NFL quarterback Alex Smith, former NFL offensive tackle Harris Barton and former Formula 1 driver turned McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown.
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Pro-am tee times
1st tee
Time
Players
7 a.m.
Scottie Scheffler, Brian Niccol, Scott Stallings, George Still, Steve Young
7:10 a.m.
Matt Fitzpatrick, Juli Inkster, Lucas Glover, Kessel Stelling, Lee Styslinger III
7:19 a.m.
Rickie Fowler, Egon Durban, Joel Dahmen, Kelley James, Ryan Smith
7:29 a.m.
Jordan Spieth, Stephen Curry, Keith Mitchell, Damion Lee, Jake Owen
7:38 a.m.
Sam Burns, Nikesh Arora, Christian Bezuidenhout, Zak Brown, Anthony Noto
7:48 a.m.
Jason Day, Dick Barrett, Luke Donald, Mark Lerdal, Casey Reamer
10th tee
Time
Players
7:05 a.m.
Justin Thomas, Luke Bryan, J.J. Spaun, Andre Iguodala, Geoff Yang
7:15 a.m.
Billy Horschel, Harris Barton, Taylor Pendrith, John Kenning, Alex Smith
7:34 a.m.
Collin Morikawa, Dell Curry, Tyrrell Hatton, Seth Curry, Chris O’Donnell
7:43 a.m.
Adam Scott, Josh Duhamel, Luke List, Charles Kelley, Doug Mackenzie
7:53 a.m.
Brandt Snedeker, Larry Fitzgerald, Kevin Streelman, Heidi Ueberroth, Seth Waugh
8:21 a.m.
Viktor Hovland, Peyton Manning, Lucas Herbert, Steve Squeri, Andrew Wilson
Check out some of the best shots of the week from Muirfield Village.
Another designated event on the PGA Tour schedule means $20 million is up for grabs and a loaded field is on hand to compete for it.
Defending champion Billy Horschel and the top five players in the world are all at Muirfield Village Golf Club in Dublin, Ohio, for the 2023 Memorial Tournament, hosted by 18-time major champion Jack Nicklaus.
Everything you need to know for the first round from Muirfield Village.
One of the greatest players to ever swing a club has welcomed a loaded field full of the world’s best to his home club.
Jack Nicklaus and Muirfield Village Golf Club in Dublin, Ohio, play host to the 2023 Memorial Tournament this week, where defending champion Billy Horschel and the top five players in the world are on hand to compete for the $20 million purse. Muirfield Village will play as a par 72 at a whopping 7,533 yards.
From tee times to TV and streaming info, here’s everything you need to know for the first round of the 2023 Memorial Tournament at Muirfield Village Golf Club.
Thursday tee times
1st tee
Time
Players
7 a.m.
Danny Willett, Peter Malnati, Robby Shelton
7:12 a.m.
Dylan Frittelli, Adam Hadwin, Taylor Montgomery
7:24 a.m.
Troy Merritt, Brandon Wu, Ben Taylor
7:36 a.m.
Harris English, Garrick Higgo, Brendon Todd
7:48 a.m.
Matt Wallace, Seamus Power, Cam Davis
8 a.m.
Russell Henley, Lanto Griffin, Matt Kuchar
8:12 a.m.
Kevin Kisner, Lucas Glover, Brian Harman
8:24 a.m.
J.J. Spaun, Luke List, Stewart Cink
8:36 a.m.
Jason Dufner, Mark Hubbard, Hayden Buckley
8:48 a.m.
Austin Eckroat, Bo Hoag, Chris Gotterup
12 p.m.
Christiaan Bezuidenhout, Lee Hodges, Sam Stevens
12:12 p.m.
David Lipsky, Ben Griffin, S.H. Kim
12:24 p.m.
Adam Long, William McGirt, K.J. Choi
12:36 p.m.
Mackenzie Hughes, Chad Ramey, Joel Dahmen
12:48 p.m.
Nico Echavarria, Trey Mullinax, Francesco Molinari
1 p.m.
Chez Reavie, J.T. Poston, Sepp Straka
1:12 p.m.
Davis Riley, Lucas Herbert, Brandt Snedeker
1:24 p.m.
Chris Kirk, Tom Hoge, Scott Stallings
1:36 p.m.
Kevin Streelman, Adam Schenk, Sam Ryder
1:48 p.m.
Kazuki Higa, Thriston Lawrence, David Micheluzzi
10th tee
Time
Players
7:05 a.m.
Beau Hossler, Taylor Pendrith, Davis Thompson
7:17 a.m.
Patrick Rodgers, Ben An, Denny McCarthy
7:29 a.m.
Keith Mitchell, Joseph Bramlett, Justin Suh
7:41 a.m.
Wyndham Clark, Kurt Kitayama, Tom Kim
7:53 a.m.
Emiliano Grillo, Scottie Scheffler, Viktor Hovland
8:05 a.m.
Jason Day, Jon Rahm, Collin Morikawa
8:17 a.m.
Sam Burns, Si Woo Kim, Rickie Fowler
8:29 a.m.
Adam Scott, Zach Johnson, Cameron Young
8:41 a.m.
Nick Hardy, Sungjae Im, Shane Lowry
8:53 a.m.
Aaron Rai, Akshay Bhatia, Sam Bennett
12:05 p.m.
Will Gordon, Eric Cole, Ryan Fox
12:17 p.m.
David Lingmerth, Alex Noren, Matt NeSmith
12:29 p.m.
Luke Donald, Stephan Jaeger, Thomas Detry
12:41 p.m.
Patrick Cantlay, Billy Horschel, Hideki Matsuyama
12:53 p.m.
Rory McIlroy, Jordan Spieth, Tyrrell Hatton
1:05 p.m.
Matt Fitzpatrick, Xander Schauffele, Justin Thomas
