Muirfield Village will expose the contenders, pretenders for U.S. Open

Not enough PGA Tour venues challenge these world-class players like Muirfield can. First off, Muirfield Village is a monster of a golf course at 7,571 yards. Seven of the 10 par 4s are longer than 450 yards, three of the four par 3s are longer than 200 yards and all four of the par 5s measure at least 547 yards. 

The sheer length forces players to pull out driver on nearly every par 4 and par 5, and they better hit it well all week. Due to the thick rough and strategically placed bunkers bordering every fairway, total driving is critical at Muirfield Village. It's impossible to score well at the Memorial if you're consistently playing out of the thick stuff.

Even if you're in the fairway, hitting the greens in regulation is difficult due to their size and firmness. These are some of the smallest greens on Tour, and they play as firm and fast as any putting surfaces you'll find in professional golf. It's essential to hit your long irons with height and accuracy to hold the greens.

If you miss your approach shot in the wrong spot, good luck. Many of the greens are tilted severely from back to front, and that's not a mistake. Most players are going to miss the greens long due to the firmness, which typically sets up delicate, nervy chips running straight downhill toward the pin. 

Muirfield is the ultimate test of tee-to-green golf. That was Jack Nicklaus' vision when he renovated the golf course in 2019 to produce a tougher challenge, and he succeeded in every facet. 

"My belief is that tournament golf should be a test to find out who is the best golfer that week," Nicklaus said in a statement ahead of the 2019 renovation, per Golf.com. “Far too many tournaments have eliminated the rough and firmness of greens, and that is just not my idea of what the game of golf should be. So I am going to stick with my old-fashioned beliefs about how the game of golf should be played and the way golf courses should be set up."

Bingo. 

The Memorial is going to be the closest tournament to a U.S. Open these guys have played all year, which is perfect timing with a trip to Pinehurst No. 2 only a week away. That's not to say the U.S. Open will play exactly like this tournament. Pinehurst No. 2 is a sandy property with minimal rough, but the penalizing waste areas guarding the fairways will play just as difficult as the thick rough at Muirfield. 

You can't fake it around this place, just as you can't fake it around a U.S. Open venue. Both golf courses will test every club in the bag, especially the most important club in golf: the mind. 

Pay close attention to the leaderboard at the Memorial, because this week will prove which players are — or aren't — ready to contend at the U.S. Open.