Adam Cairns-USA TODAY Sports

The Memorial Tournament Moved Back to Memorial Day Weekend for 2025

Originally posted on On Tap Sports Net | By Ross Baran | Last updated Jun 17, 2024 9:05 PM ET

The Memorial Tournament has been a staple of the PGA Tour schedule for almost 50 years. Muirfield Village Golf Club in Dublin, Ohio, the pride and joy of legendary pro golfer Jack Nicklaus, plays host to the event. However, things were a little different in 2024.

The Memorial is typically held annually during Memorial Day Weekend, hence the tournament's name. But scheduling changes bumped this year's tournament back a week, serving as a prequel to the U.S. Open.

Jack's Place Gets Its Day Back

Dan Rapaport reported Tuesday that the Memorial Tournament will return to its originally scheduled slot and get its stand-alone day in 2025. The PGA Tour and Jack Nicklaus clearly agreed that the tournament deserves its own spotlight and shouldn't be a prequel to a major.

The Memorial is switching back to its original spot on the calendar for 2025. So it won’t be the week before the U.S. Open like it was this year. That’s great news. Having the Memorial the week before the U.S. Open makes sense for nobody. Jack wants Muirfield to be a tough test,…
— Dan Rapaport (@Daniel_Rapaport) June 17, 2024

On Tap at the Tee Box

This was a no-brainer for the PGA Tour. The Memorial Tournament is special and one of the highest-attended events on the schedule. It also has one of the best rosters every year, so placing it as a prequel to a major isn't in anyone's best interest. Jack Nicklaus wanted the course to challenge players, as reflected in its design.

As exciting as it was to have this signature event before the show we got at Pinehurst this year, reverting to the prior scheduling is a more natural flow for the game. The players don't need to have back-to-back tests of skill in a few-week timeframe.

The PGA Tour must continue examining the spacing between these so-called "signature events" on the schedule. Currently, there are only eight such events, leading golf fans to ponder if that number could increase in the future.

This article first appeared on On Tap Sports Net and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: