The penultimate signature event of the 2026 PGA Tour season gets underway this weekend as the Memorial Tournament tees off from Muirfield Village.
The Memorial marks one of the most-anticipated events on the PGA Tour calendar, with the stars of the sport competing for a $4 million first-place prize, 700 FedEx Cup points, and of course, a handshake from tournament host Jack Nicklaus from just beyond the 18th green.
Nicklaus designed the Columbus-area course at Muirfield Village in 1974, naming it after the golf links in Scotland where he won the first of his three Open Championships. The Golden Bear would then found the Memorial two years later in 1976, making this the 50th anniversary of the year’s playing of the event the 50th anniversary of the tournament.
As Jack’s place gets set to host a 72-player field for year 50, there are no shortage of intriguing storylines this time around.
World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler is in the field this week as he looks to become the first player in 15 years to win three consecutive titles at the same event.
Scheffler has enjoyed his previous two trips to Muirfield Village with victories of eight and 10-under, and will now go for the first three-peat on Tour since Steve Stricker’s dominant run at the John Deere Classic from 2009-11.
The four-time major winner has not won on Tour since his season debut at the American Express in late January, but has had a number of close calls in recent weeks.
Scheffler finished as the runner-up in three consecutive tournaments at the Masters, the RBC Heritage, and the Cadillac Championship, before recording a solo third-place in his last start at the CJ Cup Byron Nelson.
Combining both his recent form and track record of success at the Memorial, it is ce
One of the players in the field looking to deny Scheffler of a historic three-peat is Rory McIlroy, who is back in action for the first time since his T7 finish at the PGA Championship last month.
McIlroy will also be chasing some history this weekend as he goes for his first-ever win at Muirfield Village in his 14th start at the iconic venue.
The Northern Irishman somewhat surprisingly skipped out on the Memorial last year, and further raised eyebrows by not informing Nicklaus of his absence just months after joining him as one of six players in the sport’s history to complete the career Grand Slam.
“I didn’t have a conversation with him,” Nicklaus said of McIlroy’s decision to sit out last year.“I don’t really have a comment on it. It’s very difficult for me. I’m a big Rory fan and will remain that way. I was just a little surprised, yes.”
Well, after going back-to-back at Augusta in April, McIlroy is once again set to tee it up at the Memorial and will seek a victory at one of the only places in golf that he has yet to hoist a trophy.
This week could also be the last starts for both Scheffler and McIlroy ahead of the 2026 US Open at Shinnecock in two weeks’ time with neither player currently listed in the field for the RBC Canadian Open beginning next Thursday.
There will also be four Canadians teeing it up this week with Nick Taylor, Corey Conners, Taylor Pendrith, and Sudarshan Yellamarju looking to find their games ahead of their national open next week.
Taylor, of Abbotsford, B.C., and Conners, a Listowel, Ont. native, last appeared at the PGA Championship where they recorded finishes of T26 and T55, respectively.
Taylor was undone by a final-round 74 at Aronimink, but showed positive signs with a third-round 65, tied for the lowest score on moving day.
Conners opened with a 2-under 68 on Thursday, but trailed off into the weekend to finish the week at 3-over.
Richmond Hill, Ont.’s Pendrith last played at the CJ Cup Byron Nelson, the site of his lone PGA Tour victory in back in 2024. He finished in a tie for 47th.
Yellamaraju, of Mississauga, Ont., missed the cut at last week’s Charles Schwab Challenge, marking the second consecutive tournament that he has failed to see the weekend.
He had posted 11 straight made cuts prior to the PGA Championship, with a pair of top 10’s sprinkled in between, and now looks to find his game with an important stretch of tournaments on the horizon.
How to watch the Memorial Tournament on TSN, TSN+
First-round coverage of the 2026 Memorial Tournament begins on TSN+ Thursday morning at 7:45 a.m. ET / 4:45 a.m. PT.
A pair of bonus streams are available for viewing on TSN+ during the opening round with the Featured Groups getting underway at 8:30 a.m. ET / 5:30 a.m. PT, while the Marquee Group feed begins at 8:45 a.m. ET / 5:45 a.m. PT.
Friday’s coverage mirrors the plan from Thursday, with all three streams beginning at the same time they did on the previous day on TSN+.
Moving day also gets underway on TSN+ with the main feed (9 a.m. ET / 6 a.m. PT), followed by the Featured Groups (9:45 a.m. ET / 6:45 a.m. PT) and the Marquee Group (10 a.m. ET / 7 a.m. PT).
Third-round coverage then continues on TSN1/5 at 3 p.m. ET / Noon PT for the remainder of the day.
The start of the final round can also be viewed with a subscription to TSN+ as the main feed gets started at 9 a.m. ET /6 a.m. PT. The Featured Groups (9:45 a.m. ET / 6:45 a.m. PT) and the Marquee Group (10 a.m. ET / 7 a.m. PT) bonus feeds are also available for streaming on TSN+.
Coverage then shifts over to TSN1/5 at 3 p.m. ET / Noon PT until a winner is crowned.
