DUBLIN — Rain was in the forecast for Thursday’s first round of the 46th Memorial Tournament presented by Nationwide at Muirfield Village Golf Club, where golfers and fans are accustomed to dodging drops.
The field is as strong as ever and the course looks the same at first glance.
But it feels like a brand new Muirfield Village.
Jack Nicklaus has made changes big and small at the course he designed.
The most noticeable ones are on the par 5s. Only two holes were untouched, tournament officials said.
The greens, fairways, and tee surfaces were all replaced with new turf. A new state-of-the-art irrigation system and updated drainage system were installed in the fairways and bunkers were rebuilt with a hard-liner underneath to prevent washout and contamination.
A new PrecisionAire system was installed in the greens, which allows for better moisture control, as well as providing subsurface heating and cooling.
Jon Rahm is the defending champion at the Memorial.
Collin Morikawa has reason to feel like one. He also won at Muirfield Village last summer when the course hosted back-to-back tour events.
The crowd returns this year.
Even without fans, it figured to be noisy. The cicadas have returned after 17 years.