Memorial’s history hints to some truth to its poor weather ‘curse’
Jack Nicklaus is the greatest major champion the game of golf has ever known.
Throughout his stellar career, he won 73 PGA Tour titles and a record 18 majors. As Tom Weiskopf said years ago, “Jack knew he was going to beat you. You knew Jack was going to beat you. And Jack knew that you knew that he was going to beat you.”
Obviously, a few players got the better of Nicklaus from time to time. Arnold Palmer, Lee Trevino, Tom Watson, Gary Player and Seve Ballesteros were among those who hoisted major championship hardware with Nicklaus looking on.
But there's one man who has caused Nicklaus more fits than anyone for 50 years.
Chief Leatherlips.
Who is Chief Leatherlips?
Once leader of the Wyandot, Leatherlips was executed in 1810 by members of his own tribe for being too friendly with settlers and refusing to take up arms against them. The execution was ordered by Chief Leatherlips' brother, Roundhead.
Why is Chief Leatherlips connected to Jack Nicklaus, Memorial Tournament?
While Nicklaus obviously never met Chief Leatherlips, he became associated with him a little over 160 years later when he broke ground on his sweeping Muirfield Village Golf Club, home to The Memorial.
Local lore holds that the tournament's host built part of his club on an ancient Native American burial ground that includes the final resting place of Chief Leatherlips, who is buried on the spot where he was executed by tomahawk.
Thus, while no evidence supports this contention, residents believe the chief curses the tournament every year.
Rain, wind, fog, hail, snow and even a horde of cicadas have played through the event since its maiden voyage in 1976. The joke in these parts is when the dates for the Memorial roll around, animals start lining up two by two.
Nicklaus smiles when asked about the spirit of Chief Leatherlips cursing his event.
“It just makes for a good story,” Nicklaus said. “And a fun one.”
When did the curse of Chief Leatherlips start?
Nicklaus felt Leatherlips' wrath early on when he won his first of two Memorials in 1977. The victory came on a Monday because thunderstorms and threats of lightning halted Sunday's final round.
It was the first of 30 of the 46 editions of the Memorial to be affected by bad weather. In those 30 storm-ravaged years, nearly 50 of the rounds were delayed.
And there have been extremes. In 1979, a wind chill of 13 degrees whipped through Muirfield Village. In 1989, Nicklaus moved the tournament to mid-may — and it snowed. The 1990 tournament
was shortened to 54 holes with Greg Norman declared the winner. In 2001, Tiger Woods survived six suspensions of play to win the third of his five Memorials.
Jason Day moved to the area in 2010 and immediately became familiar with the tale of Chief Leatherlips.
“I don't know the whole story,” Day said. “And recently the weather has been all right, right? And we're supposed to get decent weather this week, right?”
No, and, well, yes.
In recent years, since 2016 to be precise, eight rounds were delayed by heavy rain showers, fog and lightning. As for this year, the current forecast callsblue skies over the weekend. There are doubters.
“For as good as everything is at Jack's place, the way the players and family are treated and taken care of, the milkshakes which are the best on Tour, course conditions, practice facilities, the history,” Billy Horschel, who has played the Memorial eight times, said before pausing. Then he smiled and joked, “The weather is one thing Jack has never gotten right.”
While players pack a few extra layers of rain gear when heading to Dublin, Luke Donald has learned to just go with what happens and head to the clubhouse.
“Bad weather?” Luke Donald said. “Just an excuse to drink more milkshakes.”