Who will shake Jack Nicklaus’ hand? We’ll get the answer by late Sunday afternoon at the Memorial Tournament. This highly coveted gesture from the 18-time major champion is reserved for the winner of the Memorial, a tournament dripping with history and prestige. As we head into the final round, the competition is as fierce as ever.
Scottie Scheffler leads the pack, holding a solid four-stroke advantage over contenders Collin Morikawa, Adam Hadwin, and Sepp Straka after 54 holes. Scheffler and Morikawa are set to tee off together in the final pairing, while Hadwin and Straka will be part of the penultimate group.
Scheffler has a deep emotional tie to this tournament. ‘Yeah, this is a special place for me,’ he said. ‘I remember when I was in college, I came here and played — I would play the U.S. Open qualifier over at the other courses here; I can’t remember what their names are right now. But yeah, we would always come over and watch the practice round and stay an extra day and watch a little bit. I always dreamed of coming here and playing in this tournament and it’s a dream come true just to be here in the field. So I’m excited. It would mean a lot to me to be able to shake his hand and win this golf tournament with all the history here and what Mr. Nicklaus has meant to the game.’
Collin Morikawa echoed similar sentiments. ‘Oh, it would be so special. Look, what Jack has done for this game, what his voice does, what he represents, it’s a lot. You can’t replace history, you can’t replace someone like that, so to have that chance hopefully come Sunday, it would mean the world. Like I said, talking about Tiger [Woods], it’s the same thing talking about Jack. Yes, you know, he was a little bit before I got into golf, but history is history. When you have someone like that, one of the greats, if not the great, right? It’s an absolute honor.’
Xander Schauffele also shared his thoughts, stating, ‘Yeah, it’s a dream. I think any Tour pro would tell you that if you’re looking at sort of the non-majors, this is definitely at the top of ’em. You know, you’re trying to win Jack’s, you’re trying to win Arnie’s [Arnold Palmer Invitational], you’re trying to win Tiger’s [Genesis Invitational], you throw the Players in there, but these are a little more unique obviously with — like you said, with what Jack has done for the game of golf and grown it and us just being a small part of it. So, it would be awesome.’
Viktor Hovland, who claimed victory last year, added, ‘Yeah, it’s pretty cool. Obviously, coming here for a couple years, I’ve gotten to see Jack and see him other places as well, so it wasn’t like the first time I met him. But, yeah, being around a guy like that who has accomplished so much, that’s pretty cool, and so to win his tournament here in Columbus, it’s pretty special.’
Sunday’s final round coverage starts at 12:30 p.m. on Golf Channel, with CBS picking it up from 2:30 p.m. For fans wanting to stream the action, PGA Tour Live on ESPN+ is available for $10.99 per month.
As the final round looms, all eyes are on who will get to greet Jack Nicklaus on the 18th green. With intense competition and a historic prize on the line, Sunday promises to be a thrilling conclusion to the 2024 Memorial Tournament.
