It is a return to Jack's place this week at Memorial, a famous venue that first came to us with the 1987 Ryder Cup. The legendary Eamon Darcy proved to be the star as Europe won on American soil for the first time.
Jack Nicklaus has been the most successful major winner in history and Muirfield Village is a wonderful venue that is in keeping with his legacy
All the greats have won around here and, as always with golf, a few surprises are thrown in. But this is certainly a tournament and venue that you want on your CV.
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There is a lull in major proceedings but still much to play for. The arrival of June also means that the final chapter of the summer season is upon us.
I'm not sure that I'm a big fan of wrap-around seasons and an August finish still seems strange to me.
But the goal for every PGA Tour member is to at least make the top 50, thus guaranteeing entry into all the massive purse fields next season.
So there's always something to play for - even these superstar players will feel the sting in trying to qualify for those limited event fields with no cut next year. I reckon 1,000 Fed Ex points will be the mark.
Memorial week has always felt like the start of the summer's run of tournaments.
Shane Lowry played some brilliant stuff in the PGA Championship and it was great to see him close to his best again. It is key for Lowry to be at the top table on the PGA Tour - Open exemption will run for another two years but he'll be desperate to finish strongly this season.
He is miles behind his levels on the Fed Ex in 89th place so this week is a great place to add to that major week and go on a run of form.
Being in the fold for the golden ticket next year is crucial for the Offaly man - the top 30 in the world rankings and the top 50 from the Fed Ex will compete in those limited events,
Lowry has some ground to make up. He does like to go on spurts in form and now is the best possible time with so many big events and so much to play for next season.
He has a perfect run into the next major with this week and also Canada, two very happy hunting grounds.
The Ryder Cup is obviously a big target for him and Luke Donald will be keen to see him go on a summer run and cement his position on that team.
In terms of the Rory Factor, the next three weeks could be a marker for how his summer will play out.
Rory McIlroy's record around Muirfield Village is short of a win and he will be keen to shake Jack's hand on 18 this Sunday knowing that he has finally done it.
I find his record around here quite puzzling and that is something that he will be keen to change. Jon Rahm and Scottie Scheffler will headline this elevated tournament.
The $20 million purse is also a key factor and adds a different pressure to guys trying to cement the ranking positions. The big three will have no such thoughts of money, which is a nice position to be in.
Rahm has tasted victory there but also had that DQ when he tested positive for Covid whilst dominating the tournament.
Patrick Cantlay is a two time winner and he, too, eventually needs to step up to major titles. His ability year on year to win is impressive.
Max Homa is on a slow run but his form around here will give him hope to try and return to his early season form when the talk was of him moving up to the next level.
The elevated tournaments have worked very well this year and I am sure this year's edition will not fail to impress. We have three Irish on show and hopefully Seamus Power can find a solid week to set him up to finish off what has been a brilliant season.
Weeks can change a season and everyone this week is looking for that golden touch that can alter a career, never mind a season.
Donald’s got to do what is Ryde for him
Watching the final round of the Dutch Open underlined that the likelihood of making the Ryder Cup through playing full time in Europe is very difficult.
Pablo Larrazabal has now won four times in the last 15 months, he is up to 10th on the Race to Dubai and is now ninth on the Ryder Cup list.
So it will be hard to qualify automatically and getting as close as possible to the bubble is key. I would love to see Luke Donald reward guys that compete week in, week out in Europe - but I'm not stupid to think that it might happen.
Emotion will not come into the equation and Donald has a job to pick his best side. I think the exodus from the LIV debacle has changed many things for Donald.
The situation for Zack Johnston is different and he has a much different task on his hands to figure out who will play and who will be allowed to play.
Europe is still looking for a few breakout stars to emerge. The tail of the side has always been vital and while some of those players might not be regular PGA Tour players, some have emerged.
Last year's Irish Open winner Adrian Meronk could be the main guy to prove that, with a continued summer form, he could be an asset to team Europe.
Amateur dramatics from Irish pair so good to see
Lauren Walsh and Liam Nolan have vaulted themselves with standout performances in the amateur game.
Lauren was a member of the Wake Forest team that won the NCAA title, the premier achievement in the amateur women's game, and the Castlewarden native goes down in history in North Carolina.
It is an amazing achievement to be called a national champion on such an elevated stage and I'm sure her move into the paid ranks is not far away.
We'll monitor her progress keenly as we need some company for Leona Maguire and Stephanie Meadow on the LPGA Tour.
Liam, who hails from Galway, won the prestigious Brabazon Trophy in Sunningdale GC in a play-off with Zach Little - the son of former Tour player Sam Little.
It moves him massively into the Walker Cup conversation at St Andrews in September. This title is possibly in the top three in the amateur game in the British Isles and it will give Nolan a huge confidence boost for the remainder of the summer.
It is great to see success for both the men and women and continued success inspires their peers.
Both Lauren and Liam will get a shot in the arm - winning is infectious and hopefully there is more success to come this summer.
Betting Slip
Memorial Tournament
Sam Burns 33/1 Starting to come out of a quiet spell. One to watch over the next few weeks
Sahith Theegala 50/1 Capable of springing a surprise
Keith Mitchell 100/1 Great value if he finds his best stuff
European Open
Yannik Paul 28/1 Will be keen to reproduce his form on the road at home
Ewen Ferguson 40/1 Last week could be a kick start for his summer
Matthieu Pavon 66/1 This course should be a fit
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