Golf is rekindled thanks to the return to the field of Tiger Woods, after four weeks of rest. The occasion is the Memorial tournament, which takes place today through Sunday at Muirfield Village Golf Club in Dublin, Ohio. It is an important leg of the American tour, on a par 72 course of 6700 metres, designed by Jack Nicklaus with the intention of bringing great golf to his home. Objective achieved, given that the track has hosted global events such as the Ryder Cup and today is one of the highest level courses. An invitation to Muirfield is prestigious, but also profitable: there are 6,2 million dollars up for grabs, 1,2 million for the first and 500 Fedex points. Francesco Molinari returns to the USA for the event, after the splendid European parenthesis.
The field is of great stature, but world number one Rory McIlroy is missing, at rest after the disappointing performances in London and Londonderry, but "happy" thanks to his new girlfriend Erica Stoll. Replacing Rory, due to his young age and talent, are world number two Jordan Spieth and number seven Rickie Fowler.
As far as Tiger is concerned, the ranking is no longer the right unit of measurement to evaluate his presence in golf and above all his ability to attract public attention. The phenomenon is now number 172 in the world and if it continues like this it will soon drop out of the top 200. Yet a tournament with Tiger is still a more important tournament than the others, an appointment to which TV and spectators flock. Once again, it is to be hoped that the champion will emerge from the tunnel, that he will find his balance, in his private and professional life, that he will arrive full of positive sensations at the US Open, the second major of the year which will be held between two weeks. The person concerned seems optimistic and all that remains is to follow him to the test of facts.
The other notable names of great appeal to the fans are Phil Mickelson, Jim Furyk (number 5 in the world) and Ernie Els. Among the thirty-year-olds, Justin Rose (number 6 in the ranking) and Dustin Johnson (number 8) stand out. Japan's Hideki Matsuyama defends the title. Live tournament every evening on Sky Sports
On the European front, the Nordea Masters is being played this week, at the PGA Sweden National in Malmö, Sweden. The Thai Thongchai Jaidee defends the title, who has a good chance of repeating himself thanks to his still splendid game. The favorite, however, is the Swede Henrik Stenson, number four in the world.
Three Italians in the race: Alessandro Tadini, Andrea Pavan and Renato Paratore. The prize pool is 1,5 million euros, 250 thousand euros for the winner.
