Jack Makes His Mark

Jack Nicklaus’ final regular PGA Tour victory came in The Memorial in 1984; poetically, on the course he had built and the tournament he created.

Muirfield Village was built on wooded land he hiked with his father as a boy. Jack’s vision had been to host an invitational tournament to rival The Masters. If he came up short, it’s not by much.

“With the exception of Augusta, we’d never seen anything like Muirfield,” gushed Lee Trevino. “That was one tough golf course, but it was in such great condition. Typical Jack, everything was done first-class.”

In building The Memorial, Jack moved effortlessly from playing to course design. On top of so many accolades collected down the decades, Muirfield is the only venue in history to host the Ryder Cup, Solheim Cup and The Presidents Cup. Winning the event in 1984 seemed an entirely appropriate ending on a course that still means so much to Nicklaus. “I don’t like the word ‘monument’,” he said in 1977. “I would rather say this is my mark. It means more to me than my career.”