Comments: Expert Picks for the Memorial Tournament

There is a reason so many of today's top players hit the course that serves as host for the Memorial Tournament. This is the product of a vision by the great Jack Nicklaus, a course built by the world's best that will challenge the world's best. It is consistently found among the top-ranked courses in the world, it is consistently found on the PGA Tour schedule marked with one of the best non-major fields of the season, and it provides a unique challenge normally bested only by the game's most prolific talents. The land on which Muirfield Village Golf Club was built was acquired in 1966, a site measuring 220 acres. The course was dedicated on Memorial Day (May 27, 1974) and was commemorated by an exhibition match between Nicklaus and Tom Weiskopf. The Golden Bear put a six-under par 66 on the board that day, a score that stood as the course record for the next five years. Today he serves as the official host of the tourney with two Memorial trophies (1977, 1984) on the mantle. Other former winners include Tom Watson (two-time winner, in 1979 and a miracle win in 1996, nearly 20 years later), Raymond Floyd, Hale Irwin (another two-time winner), Curtis Strange, Greg Norman (another two-time winner), Kenny Perry (a four-time winner, the first three in 1991 and the most recent in 2008), Fred Couples, Tiger Woods (a three-time winner, all in consecutive fashion from 1999 to 2001), Jim Furyk, Ernie Els, KJ Choi, and defending champ Justin Rose. Last season Golf Digest ranked Muirfield as #16 on their prestigious list of America's 100 Greatest Courses. The tracks are lined with a total of 77 bunkers with 11 of the 18 holes including water hazards. Many of the low scores produced in recent seasons have been posted by golfers that can mix great length with accuracy. The course can offer some of the lower scores we'll see on the Tour this season, and this year's field is sure test those bounds once more.

Golfers listed in this article:

1. Luke Donald
2. Matt Kuchar
3. Rory McIlroy
4. Jim Furyk
5. Steve Stricker
6. K.J. Choi
7. Phil Mickelson
8. Nick Watney
9. Bubba Watson
10. Justin Rose
11. Hunter Mahan
12. Rickie Fowler
13. Ernie Els
14. Kenny Perry
15. Ryan Palmer
16. Charl Schwartzel
17. Carl Pettersson
18. Fred Couples
19. Edoardo Molinari
20. Ryan Moore
21. Robert Allenby
22. Brendon de Jonge
23. Stewart Cink
24. Bo Van Pelt
25. Jeff Overton
26. Dustin Johnson
27. Bill Haas
28. Martin Laird
29. Aaron Baddeley
30. Camilo Villegas