Winners and Losers from the 2016 Memorial Tournament
William McGirt took home his first trophy on the PGA Tour in the third playoff in the last three years at the Memorial Tournament.
With a resolute effort amid an hour-and-a-half stoppage in play and two-hole playoff with Jon Curran, McGirt was steady from start to finish en-route to a final-round 71.
The journeyman who once said he didn't have enough fingers and toes to count all the tours he's played on is this week's big winner.
Who joins him? Click through to see.
Winner: Those Taking Advantage of the Weather Delay
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William McGirt, this week's big winner, availed himself nicely resuming his back nine following a delay due to inclimate weather. McGirt parred every hole on Muirfield Village's back nine as winds freshened following the suspension of play.
Ultimately, the Lumberton, North Carolina, native did enough in following up his Saturday 64 to topple John Curran in the pair's playoff for his first win on the PGA Tour.
Curran, too, tallied an even-par back nine amid the blusteriness en route to his second-place finish.
For the sake of perspective, if Dustin Johnson, who penciled in four bogeys for his back-nine 38, could have duplicated McGirt and Curran's even-par back-nine, he'd have won the tournament by a stroke.
Loser: Tape Delayed Golf
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If you're a purist, any type of tape delay marrs sports coverage. However, in some cases, a multiple-hour delay is necessary. In golf, for instance, if a tournament is going to wrap at one in the afternoon because players were forced to get on the course early in a double-tee start, and the coverage window isn't slated to begin until two, tape-delayed coverage is warranted.
What happened with the CBS coverage today, however, was bizarre. A 20-or-so minute delay resulted in the ultimate weirdness of William McGirt knocking in his playoff-winning putt while the coverage was showing McGirt and Curran teeing off to begin the playoff.
And then, for whatever reason, rather than skipping ahead to the second playoff hole (after the players tied the first), CBS elected to show the tied hole and the playoff in its entirety.
Strange stuff from Lance Barrow, CBS Sports producer, and company.
Winner: Bryson DeChambeau
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Righting the Puma logo-emblazoned ship this week, Bryson DeChambeau made the cut at a PGA Tour event for the first time in his last five starts.
With a new caddie on the bag, DeChambeau tied for 38th at seven under par, carding a tidy 67 in his second round.
The SMU alum led the field in strokes gained: around-the-green, picking up 5.728 strokes on the field with his scrambling efforts.
We'll see if BAD continues to settle in on tour.
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Loser: Jason Day
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Adoptive Ohioan Jason Day arrived at Muirfield Village as the tournament favorite having won The Players Championship in his most recent start.
Day's tournament history at Muirfield Village wasn't an impressive won: He hadn't sniffed a top-10 finish in his previous efforts.
After a quaility start, Day sputtered out, closing with a disappointing three-over 74 to finish tied for 27th at a course that seems to have his number.
Winner: Rory McIlroy
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True, he didn't raise the trophy at Muirfield Village, but Rory McIlroy played well coming off his Irish Open victory and put together an impressive finish that included three birdies in his final four holes.
McIlroy's final-round 68 landed him in a tie for fourth place at 13 under par as he broke par in all four rounds.
Perhaps more importantly, as we head toward the U.S. Open, McIlroy picked up 1.826 strokes on the field with his putter (a club he has struggled with) in his switch back to a conventional grip.
Loser: Olympic Golf
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Jason Day's trepidation about the Zika virus and making the trip to Brazil for the Olympics certainly doesn't help the faltering reputation of the sport's return to the Olympics.
Australians Adam Scott, Marc Leishman, South Africans Louis Oosthuizen and Charl Schwartzel, and Fiji’s Vijay Singh have all passed on the competition.
Here's what Day said in a Memorial Tournament press conference.
"It’s difficult to say right now. We’re just really trying to monitor what’s going on and make an educated decision because obviously we’re not done having kids.
Obviously it could happen here in the states, but I think if you are putting yourself down there there is a chance of you getting it. We are going to explore every avenue to make sure we make an educated decision before we go down there.
It’s just hard. It’s a medical issue. We will see. We have to see an independent doctor, not just the PGA doctor. I’m not saying it’s bias. I’m just saying we need independent advice. I think there’s a lot of guys who are on the fence about it because they don’t want to put themselves in harms way of it.
"
Winner: Jack Nicklaus
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Jack Nicklaus is the lord of Muirfield Village. The Dublin, Ohio, track he designed and built, the tournament he presides over every year, both are parts of the Nicklaus brand and elements of the Golden Bear's legacy.
Every year, the Ohio native adds something. This year, it was Nicklaus, arguably the greatest to play his sport, offering perspective on the death of Muhammad Ali during the CBS telecast
"My first meeting with Ali was [at the] PGA Championship in 1996. We saw each other quite a bit at different events. I respected him greatly. He was a great champion. He did an awful lot for mankind.
When he got his Parkinson's, there wasn't anything from a fighting standpoint he could do. But his life didn't end there. He did a lot of good for a lot of people. He was the champ. Always will be.
"
Loser: Rickie Folwer
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Rickie Fowler missed his third cut in five starts.
He was sunk by an opening-round 75 in much the same way as an opening-round 80 undid him at Augusta National.
Fowler's difficulty this week came with the flatstick: He list more than 3.8 strokes to the field across two rounds with the putter.
With the U.S. Open fast approaching, Fowler would certainly like to have his game in better shape heading to Oakmont.
Stats via PGATour.com
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