DUBLIN, Ohio — Jack Nicklaus never said he wanted the Memorial Tournament to be the “Masters of the North” when it began 50 years ago. The best sales pitch was to let others do the talking.
It never really came to that over the years, anyway, except it was clear Nicklaus found inspiration from the Masters, the major he won a record six times. It wasn’t about Muirfield Village trying to replicate Augusta National. It was more about the tournament experience unlike any other in the non-major division.
Never mind the caddies in white coverall tops or sandwiches in a green wrapper and coffee in green cups. His emphasis outside the ropes was on players being treated in such a way the Memorial stood out from other PGA Tour events.
But it’s getting harder to stand out in this era of big money and players getting pampered more than Nicklaus or anyone else could have imagined 50 years ago.
The $20 million purse at the Memorial is the same size as nine other tournaments, and that doesn’t include The Players Championship ($25 million), the majors or the Tour Championship, where the $40 million bonus is now official money.