A fine time for Lowry to get Jack to his best..
IT IS a return to Jack’s place this week at Memorial, a famous venue that first came to us with the 1987 Ryder Cup.
The legendary Eamon Darcy proved to be the star as Europe won on American soil for the first time.
Muirfield Village is a wonderful venue that is in keeping with Jack Nicklaus’s legacy
All the greats have won around here and this is certainly a tournament you want on your CV.
Memorial week has always felt like the start of the summer run of tournaments.
Shane Lowry played some brilliant stuff in the PGA Championship and it was great to see him close to his best again.
It is key for Lowry to be at the top table on the PGA Tour.
His Open exemption will run for another two years but he’ll be desperate to finish strongly this season.
He is miles behind his levels on the Fed Ex rankings in 89th place so this week is a great time to add to that major week and go on a run of form.
Being in the fold for the golden ticket next year is crucial for the Offaly man – the top 30 in the world rankings and the top 50 from the Fed Ex will compete in those limited field events,
Lowry has some ground to make up.
He does like to go on spurts in form and now is the best possible time with so many big events and so much to play for next season.
He has a perfect run into the next major with this week and also Canada, two very happy hunting grounds.
The Ryder Cup is obviously a big target for him and Luke Donald will be keen to see him cement his position on that team.
In terms of the Rory Factor, the next three weeks could be a marker for how his summer will play out.
Mcilroy (below) has never won here and he will be keen to shake Jack’s hand on 18 this Sunday knowing that he has finally done it.
I find his record around here quite puzzling and that is something that he will be keen to change.
Jon Rahm and Scottie Scheffler will headline this elevated tournament with a $20 million purse but the big three will have no thoughts of money, which is a nice position to be in.
Rahm has tasted victory here but also had that DQ when he tested positive for Covid whilst dominating the tournament.
Patrick Cantlay is a two-time winner and he eventually needs to step up to lift major titles. His ability year on year to win is impressive.
Max Homa is on a slow run but his record around here will give him hope to try and return to his early season form when the talk was of him moving up to the next level.
The elevated tournaments have worked very well this year and I am sure this event will not fail to impress.
We have three Irishmen on show and hopefully Seamus Power can find a solid week to set him up to finish off what has been a brilliant season.
Some weeks can change everything and many players this week are looking for that golden touch that can alter a career, never
mind a season.