Golf Heavyweights Commit to 50th Memorial Tournament at Muirfield Village

The hotels are already occupied for the week of June 1–7, and Ian Montgomery, owner of Fado Bridge Park, is planning for a full week. "The hotels are occupied all week, so it's a full week for us," Montgomery said. The reason: the 50th Memorial Tournament presented by Workday has locked in the deepest field in its history at Jack Nicklaus's Muirfield Village Golf Club along the Scioto River, with world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler and two-time reigning Masters champion Rory McIlroy headlining a 72-player roster that tournament officials call the strongest ever assembled for the milestone.

A field built for the 50th

Scheffler arrives as the two-time defending champion, having won the Memorial in 2024 and 2025 — the latter with a final-round 70 to finish four strokes clear of Ben Griffin. McIlroy comes to Dublin after becoming only the fourth golfer to defend the Masters title, joining Jack Nicklaus, Nick Faldo and Tiger Woods. The field also includes Xander Schauffele, Jordan Spieth, Rickie Fowler, Aaron Rai, Tommy Fleetwood, Gary Woodland and Hideki Matsuyama — nine of the top 10 players in both the FedExCup standings and the Official World Golf Ranking.

"I think this is the strongest field that we've had," said Dan Sullivan, executive director of the Memorial Tournament. Scheffler said the milestone year adds weight to his pursuit of a third straight title. "The last two years don't mean much when you stand on the first tee, but this is a golf course I've had some success at and this will be a cool place to be able to accomplish something like winning the same tournament three years in a row, especially with it being Jack's Place, and I'm looking forward to getting out there this week," Scheffler said.

50 years at Jack's Place

The tournament was first played in 1976 and has been held at Muirfield Village every year since. The course opened in 1974, two years before Roger Maltbie won the inaugural Memorial. Jack Nicklaus founded and still hosts the event, which in 2026 is a PGA TOUR signature event with a $20 million purse and a $4 million winner's share.

Two-time major winner David Graham is the 2026 honoree, recognized alongside golf pioneer Allan Robertson at the Memorial Honoree Ceremony. "David has been a great friend for a very long time. He is a really good man and an excellent choice by the Captains Club," Nicklaus said. "This is one of the greatest honors I have ever received," Graham said.

What the week delivers to Dublin

The Memorial generates a $35 million annual economic impact concentrated in hotels, restaurants, retail and hospitality during tournament week. For the people who work those shifts, that means a week unlike any other on the calendar. Montgomery, whose Fado sits in the heart of Bridge Park, said the hotels are occupied all week — a full week for his restaurant.

Bridge Park serves as the official off-site destination of the Memorial, hosting Fore!Fest along Bridge Street — a free street and music festival with live entertainment, food trucks, retail vendors and restaurant and bar specials, plus a drone show at 9:45 p.m. "The Memorial makes a tremendous impact on our business," said Erin Fehrenbach, owner of Young and Wild Balloon Company. "The Memorial Tournament puts us on a global stage every year," said Jeremiah Gracia, Dublin economic development director.

The tournament relies on more than 3,400 volunteers each year to run tournament week, according to its volunteer portal. The charitable giving extends beyond the week itself: more than $5.3 million was allocated to charity by the Memorial in 2025, including $5 million for primary beneficiaries such as Nationwide Children's Hospital. Since 1976, the tournament has contributed nearly $45 million to Nationwide Children's Hospital and raised more than $60 million for charity overall.

Ready for the biggest week yet

In the run-up to the June event, Dublin businesses added staff and extended coverage, with Bridge Park restaurants and bars gearing up for a full tournament week and hotels already occupied, NBC4 reported. For residents, that means the week ahead will look like every Memorial week — hotels full, Bridge Park staffed up, and more than 3,400 volunteers in place to run the tournament — but with a field no other Memorial has matched.