By Roy J. Akers-www.skyviewsports.net
With the 49th Memorial being contested at Muirfield Village in Dublin, Ohio, the majority of the top ten players in the world will be there and we catch up with defending Champion Viktor Hovland. The entrants are below the exclusive interview.
RISING STARS LUDVIG ÅBERG AND TOM KIM ALONG WITH FIVE-TIME PGA TOUR WINNER SAM BURNS JOIN WORLD-CLASS FIELD
DUBLIN, Ohio – Officials of the Memorial Tournament presented by Workday announced today that the Tournament has accepted the entry of three-time major championship winner Jordan Spieth to compete in the 49th edition of the official PGA TOUR Signature Event founded and hosted by golf legend Jack Nicklaus.
Spieth will be joined at the 2024 Memorial Tournament by rising stars Ludvig Åberg and Tom Kim along with five-time PGA TOUR winner Sam Burns.
The list of top-10 players in the Official World Golf Ranking now in the Memorial Tournament’s world-class field includes No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, No. 2 Xander Schauffele, No. 3 Rory McIlroy, No. 4 Wyndham Clark, No. 5 Viktor Hovland (the defending Memorial Tournament winner), No. 6 Åberg, No. 8 Patrick Cantlay (2019 and 2021 Memorial Tournament winner), No. 9 Collin Morikawa, and No. 10 Brian Harman.
All of the top-10 players in the FedExCup standings have now committed, including No. 1 Scheffler, No. 2 Schauffele, No. 3 Clark, No. 4 McIlroy, No. 5 Sahith Theegala, No. 6 Morikawa, No. 7 Byeong Hun An, No. 8 Åberg, No. 9 Hideki Matsuyama (2014 Memorial Tournament winner), and No. 10 Shane Lowry.
The Memorial Tournament presented by Workday is June 3-9 at world-renowned Muirfield Village Golf Club. The final field will be announced on Monday, June 3, following the conclusion of the RBC Canadian Open.
Spieth, 30, has recorded eight top-20 finishes in 11 starts at the Memorial Tournament, including his last five in a row. He collected his third top-10 last year with a T5 to move his Tournament scoring average to 71.21 and his earnings to $2,122,028.77. Spieth’s best finish at Muirfield Village Golf Club was a T3 in 2015 as part of his historic five-win PGA TOUR season that also included 15 top-10s, four runner-up finishes, his first two major titles at the Masters Tournament and 115th U.S. Open at Chambers Bay, and the FedExCup title. He finished inside the top-5 in all four major championships in 2015 with a solo second-place effort at the PGA Championship and T4 at The Open Championship. Spieth captured his third major during the 2016-17 season at the 146th The Open Championship at Royal Birkdale in Southport, England, and his 13th PGA TOUR title at the 2022 RBC Heritage. The Dallas native is ranked No. 25 in the world and No. 51 in FedExCup points with three top-10 finishes this season.
Åberg, 24, burst onto the professional golf scene in 2023 after finishing No. 1 in that year’s PGA TOUR University Class and officially joining the TOUR following the NCAA Division I Men’s Golf Championship and receiving the 2023 Jack Nicklaus Award presented by Workday as the Division I national collegiate player of the year. He became the first player to join the TOUR directly from college via PGA TOUR University. Åberg competed in 11 events during his rookie campaign and collected eight top-25s, four inside the top-10, one runner-up and his first career PGA TOUR victory at The RSM Classic. He capped off his successful season with his first Ryder Cup appearance for Team Europe. The Swedish native has continued his inspired play in 2024, collecting five top-10s over 11 starts, including solo second place finishes at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am and the Masters Tournament, his first start in a major. The 2024 Memorial Tournament will mark Åberg’s debut at Muirfield Village Golf Club.
Kim, 21, joined the PGA TOUR during the 2021-22 season as a Special Temporary Member after The Open Championship and won the Wyndham Championship three starts later, becoming a full-time member and qualifying for the FedExCup Playoffs. With the victory, Kim became the second player since World War II to win before the age of 20 years, 2 months, joining Spieth (2013 John Deere Classic). Kim recorded three top-10 finishes his rookie season and earned a spot in the 2022 Presidents Cup for the International Team. The native of Seoul, South Korea, won the Shriners Children’s Open in his 2022-23 season debut, becoming the first player since five-time Memorial Tournament winner Tiger Woods to win twice on the PGA TOUR before turning 21 years old. Kim finished last season with nine top-10s, including a second win for his third career TOUR title. He has collected four top-25 finishes this season and is ranked No. 26 in the world. Kim will make his second start at this year’s Memorial Tournament. He missed the cut in 2023 after rounds of 79-75.
Burns, 27, has at least one win each of the past three seasons, including a career 2021-22 campaign with eight top-10s and three victories. He is coming off a solid 2022-23 season where he recorded six top-10 finishes, including a win at the World Golf Championships-Dell Technologies Match Play by defeating Cameron Young in the championship match, 6 and 5, bringing his PGA TOUR win total to five. The Louisiana native secured his first TOUR victory in 2021 at the Valspar Championship, a title he defended in 2022, becoming the second player in tournament history to win the event in successive years. Burns was a member of the U.S. Presidents Cup team in 2022, the U.S. Ryder Cup team in 2023 and has qualified for the FedExCup playoffs the past four years. This season, Burns has four top-10 finishes in 12 starts and is currently ranked No. 27 in the world and No. 38 in FedExCup standings. Burns has earned $314,685 in his four starts at Muirfield Village Golf Club and holds a 73.92 scoring average. He earned his first top-20 result at the 2023 Memorial Tournament with a T16 finish.
Tickets for the 2024 Memorial Tournament are available for purchase by contacting the Tournament Ticket Office 9 a.m.-5 p.m. EDT weekdays at 877-MT BADGE (877-682-2343) or by visiting www.memorialtickets.com. Children 15 and under can attend the Tournament for free with a ticketed adult. Daily practice round tickets for Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday are also available. The cost is $60, and they are valid for all three practice-round days