Jack Nicklaus's annual self-congratulatory parade, the Memorial Tournament, has officially been bumped up to the PGA Tour's fancy pants Championship Series, starting in 2028. Honestly, who’s surprised? It was always going to happen, wasn’t it? This thing’s been a big deal since way back in 1976, when golfers were still using balata balls that felt like chewing gum and thought a slow Sunday round was a feature, not a bug.
Now, the Memorial joins the golf elite, a sort of exclusive boys’ club with Arnold Palmer’s Invitational and that Sentry thingy where the winners get to play. It’s like the PGA Tour finally admitted what we all knew: the Memorial is, and always has been, a really, really important golf tournament. You can practically hear Jack’s booming voice from the great beyond, dictating tour schedules like he dictates golf course design.
We don't know the exact dates yet, which is about as clear as a chip shot from the deepest bunker. But don't expect this tournament, which is all about solemn tributes and stuff, to ditch its traditional Memorial Day weekend slot. It’s a tournament that honors things, like a perfectly struck drive honors the club. The players, I imagine, will show up, maybe pondering the deep existential questions of playing for prize money when just being there is supposed to be the real prize.