There aren’t many holes in the Rory McIlroy resume, especially after the back-to-back Masters winner secured the career grand slam. However, success at the Memorial, hosted by Jack Nicklaus, continues to elude him.
The Golden Bear has a theory or two as to why.
Speaking ahead of his tournament at Muirfield Village, Nicklaus explained why he believes McIlroy has made 14 starts at the tournament without ever lifting the trophy.
“Maybe because he hasn’t asked me,” Nicklaus joked at his pre-tournament press conference. ” … No, I don’t know. You know, I think that this golf course is a golf course that really requires patience. … I didn’t design it for big hitters, didn’t design it for short hitters, didn’t desing it for the middle.
“I tried to design it so we could take care of everybody and try to give a fair shake to every kind of player. And when you get that, you can’t just stand up just whack it away on every hole.”
Rory McIlroy Chases First Win at The Memorial as One of His White Whales
In an odd coincidence, McIlroy — despite all of his success — has struggled the most at the Memorial (hosted by Nicklaus) and The Genesis Invitational at Riviera (hosted by Tiger Woods).
“They’re the two that I would love to win. I’ve been lucky enough to win at Bay Hill, but not while Arnold was alive. So I always thought it would be cool to win here and take that little walk up the hill off the 18th green and shake Jack’s hand.
“Also, Jack and I share a nice history. We’ve known each other now for nearly 20 years — or I’ve known him for nearly 20 years. He’s been nothing but great to me and my family. So, yeah, this is certainly one I would love to get done.”
Rory McIlroy Makes Big Change Ahead of The Memorial
Perhaps one reason McIlroy has struggled to win at Muirfield Village is the timing of the tournament itself. The Memorial falls right before the US Open on the PGA Tour schedule, meaning top-tier players McIlroy have one eye on Ohio and the other on the season’s third major.
This time around, McIlroy is gearing up for the US Open at Shinnecock Hills. As part of that preparation, he’s changing his driver setup ahead of the Memorial. Coincidentally, he attributed some of his struggles to the driver.
“Yeah, for being such a long golf course, I feel like it takes driver out of my hand a lot, which, you know, I pride myself on that being one of my biggest weapons,” he explaind about Murifield Village. “The fairways pinch in right around the spots where I would be finishing driver. So it’s frustrated me in a way that I feel like my biggest weapon is in some way neutralized here.”
That’s probably music to Nicklaus’ ears.
“It’s a golf course that takes a little bit of patience and learning,” he added. “The golf course plays better — I think plays better playing left-to-right. But that’s the way I played, so that’s the way I would think. It’s a golf course that plays better in the air. The greens really require a little bit of elevation a lot of times to keep the ball in play. I never played with spin. I played with trajectory, not spin. I think spin gets you in a little bit of trouble.”
Jack Nicklaus Has Theory on Rory McIlroy Memorial Struggles