Rebuilt clubhouse facilities at Muirfield Village
DUBLIN, Ohio — Just a couple of weeks before the start of the 38th Memorial Tournament, Barbara Nicklaus was busy doing some interior — and exterior — decorating.
Huge boxes full of patio furniture were sitting all around the newly reconstructed clubhouse at Muirfield Village Golf Club and the wife of the tournament's founder was directing traffic. She instructed workers where to put a couple of tables, quickly greeted a few visitors and then wiped her brow and pointed to some chairs.
There was a lot of work to be done and the woman who has been Jack Nicklaus' wife for almost 53 years was just the person to get people moving.
When the Memorial Tournament begins Thursday, the field will be strong and the course will be almost unchanged from a year ago. But the facelift to the facilities — set in motion by Jack and completed by Barbara — will be the biggest change for spectators.
"(The clubhouse is) basically almost 40 years old and it needed an uplift anyway," Jack Nicklaus said about the buildings, constructed shortly before Roger Maltbie won the first Memorial in 1976. "A friend said, 'Jack, you've got a world-class golf course and you've got a 1970s California ranch-style clubhouse. You need to have a clubhouse that matches.' He was right."
The Nicklauses don't do anything halfway. The joke is that when Jack senses a problem with a hole at Muirfield Village, he brings in the backhoes the day after the Memorial Tournament ends. Next thing you know, a tweak becomes a radical change.
"What started out to be a medium-sized project has turned out to be a very large project," Jack said.
The clubhouse and media pavilion, which used to be separated by 75 yards are now connected. They form a horseshoe of a different sort not far from Ohio State's famous football stadium where the Nicklauses still attend games whenever possible.
Dan Sullivan, executive director of the Memorial, won't put a dollar figure on the reconstruction but does concede, "It's a significant financial and construction project. The last time the original clubhouse was updated was 38 or 40 years ago when it was built. So it was a well-timed renovation and expansion that will allow the club to perform for years to come."
In October, Muirfield Village also hosts the Presidents Cup, pitting the top pros squaring off in a U.S. vs. International team format.
Nicklaus said the buildings needed to be updated.
"You're going to say (the new design) could come from any period," he said. "We put pillars or columns on the outside, we changed some of the roof lines, we put some chimneys and dormer windows in and opened up some skylights. We changed the inside and outside."
There is an updated facade, with the columns replacing the wood siding and shake roof of the old clubhouse. The buildings now envelop the closing hole, providing sponsors' suites, a lengthy patio and numerous viewing areas while retaining the grass hills which hold thousands of golf fans each year.
Off the backside of the clubhouse is a new fitness facility which includes state of the art machines along with private rooms for massages. The semi-trailer chock with workout apparatus which usually follows PGA Tour events won't make the trip to Dublin this year because everything the players need is already there.
Players will now walk toward an enclosed scorer's room as they finish their rounds, rather than a small, cramped room up on the hillside. They can walk to the driving range, the locker room or to interview rooms via an open area beneath the new suites. They can also sign autographs.
"We've created a new space that will allow everything to be a little more fluid, a little bit more in control," Sullivan said.
A large clock tower sits in the middle of the connecting building. The clock won't be in place for the Memorial, but a tournament logo will hold the spot until it is delivered long before the Presidents Cup competition.
Nicklaus joked that he spent so much money on the clubhouse that he "couldn't afford" to make any changes to the Muirfield Village course.
He's hoping the new buildings last as long as the old ones did.
"It'll make things more today and in a timeless fashion," he said. "Hopefully we're going to accomplish that."
THIS WEEK IN GOLF
PGA TOUR - MEMORIAL TOURNAMENT
COURSE: Muirfield Village Golf Club (7,352 yards, par 72).
PURSE: $6.2 million. Winner's share: $1,116,000.
TELEVISION: Golf Channel (Thursday, 2:30-6:30 p.m., 7-11 p.m.; Friday, midnight-3 a.m., 2:30-6:30 p.m., 9 p.m.-1 a.m.; Saturday, 12:30-2:30 p.m., 9:30 p.m.-2:30 a.m.; Sunday, noon-2 p.m., 9:30 p.m.-2:30 a.m.) and CBS (Saturday, 3-6 p.m.; Sunday, 2:30-6 p.m.).
CANADIANS IN THE FIELD: Graham DeLaet, David Hearn, Mike Weir, Brad Fritsch (alternate)
NOTES: Tiger Woods won for the record fifth time last year to match tournament host Jack Nicklaus for second place on the PGA Tour career victory list with 73. Woods is coming off a victory three weeks ago in The Players Championship, his fourth win of the year and 78th PGA Tour title — four short of Sam Snead's tour record. A Woods victory would complete a second consecutive Arnie/Jack "double" and sixth of his career. Woods picked up an eighth Arnold Palmer Invitational title in March. ... Second-ranked Rory McIlroy is in the field and looking for his first win of the year. He missed the cut last week in England in the BMW PGA Championship. ... Masters winner Adam Scott is also in the field which includes 17 of the top 25 players in this week's world rankings. ... Fred Couples, the 1998 champion and U.S. Presidents Cup captain, makes his 22nd Memorial start and first on the PGA TOUR since Hall of Fame enshrinement earlier this month. ... Guan Tianlang, the 14-year-old Chinese amateur who made the cut in the Masters, received an exemption. Guan also made the cut at the PGA Tour stop in New Orleans and missed the cut two weeks ago in the Byron Nelson Championship. ... The Presidents Cup will be played at Muirfield Village in October. It has also hosted the 1987 Ryder Cup, 1992 U.S. Amateur and 1998 LPGA Solheim Cup.
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LPGA TOUR - SHOPRITE LPGA CLASSIC
COURSE: Stockton Seaview Hotel and Golf Club, Bay Course (6,155 yards, par 71).
PURSE: $1.5 million. Winner's share: $225,000.
TELEVISION: Golf Channel (Friday, noon-2 p.m.; Saturday, 2:30-6 p.m.; Sunday, 2-6 p.m.).
CANADIANS IN THE FIELD: Sara-Maude Juneau, Lorie Kane, Maude-Aimee Leblanc, Rebecca Lee-Bentham, Alena Sharp, Stephanie Sherlock, Jessica Shepley (alternate),
NOTES: Stacy Lewis won the second of her four 2013 tour titles last year, beating Australia's Katherine Hull by four strokes. The win saw her surpass Cristie Kerr as the top-ranked American on Tour. The second-ranked Lewis has two victories this year, winning consecutive events in Singapore and Phoenix. ... Top-ranked Inbee Park has three victories — the Thailand LPGA, Kraft Nabisco and North Texas LPGA Shootout — in nine starts this season. ...The Tour's elite top-10 in the Rolex Rankings are slated to be in the field this week including four previous winners this season. No. 3 Suzann Pettersen, No. 7 Jiyai Shin and No. 10 Cristie Kerr are seeking their second wins of the year.
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EUROPEAN TOUR - NORDEA MASTERS
COURSE: Bro Hof Slott Golf Club (7,607 yards, par 72).
PURSE: $1.94 million. Winner's share: $322,725.
TELEVISION: Golf Channel (Thursday-Friday, 9 a.m.-noon; Saturday-Sunday, 8-11:30 a.m.).
NOTES: England's Lee Westwood won the event for the third time last year, beating countryman Ross Fisher by five strokes. Westwood also won in 1996 and 2000. He is not back to defend the title, opting instead to play at Jack Nicklaus' Memorial Tournament after making a commitment to play more events on the PGA Tour this year. ...Last week's winner, Matteo Manassero of Italy, who became the youngest player in Tour history to win the BMW PGA Championship, is in the field
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CHAMPIONS TOUR - PRINCIPAL CHARITY CLASSIC
COURSE: Wakonda Club (6,959 yards, par 72).
PURSE: $1.75 million. Winner's share: $262,500.
TELEVISION: Golf Channel (Friday, 7-9 p.m.; Saturday, 2-4 a.m., 6:30-9:30 p.m.; Sunday, 3-5 a.m., 7-9:30 a.m.; Monday, 3-5 a.m.).
CANADIANS IN THE FIELD: Jim Rutledge, Rod Spittle (alternate)
NOTES: Jay Haas won the event for the third time last year, matching the tournament record at 16 under for a five-stroke victory. He also won in 2007 and 2008. ...Bernhard Langer leads the tour with two victories. He also tops the Charles Schwab Cup points race and the money list with $1,025,079. ... Bob Gilder won in 2011 to become the oldest winner in tournament history at 60 years, 6 months, 5 days.
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WEB.COM TOUR - MID-ATLANTIC CHAMPIONSHIP
COURSE: TPC Potomac at Avenel Farm (7,139 yards, par 70).
PURSE: $600,000. Winner's share: $108,000.
TELEVISION: None.
CANADIANS IN THE FIELD: Adam Hadwin, Richard Scott, Roger Sloan, Matt Hill (alternate)
NOTES: Michael Putnam, who won his second career tour title last week in Mexico, leads the money list with $246,234.
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PGA TOUR LATINOAMERICA - DOMINICAN REPUBLIC OPEN
COURSE: Cana Bay Golf Club, Punta Cana, Dominican Republic
PURSE: $150,000
CANADIANS IN THE FIELD: Derek Gillespie, Matt Johnston, Andrew Parr
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eGOLF PROFESSIONAL TOUR - THE SEDGEFIELD CLASSIC
COURSE: Sedgefield Country Club, Dye Course, Greensboro, N.C.
CANADIANS IN THE FIELD: Cam Burke, Robbie Greenwell
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ALL-AMERICAN GATEWAY TOUR
COURSE: Arrowcreek Golf Club, Reno, NV
CANADIANS IN THE FIELD: Richard Boychuk
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NCAA - DIVISION I MEN'S GOLF CHAMPIONSHIP
COURSE: Capital City Club, Crabapple Course, Atlanta.
QUALIFIED TEAMS: California, TCU, St. Mary's (Calif), Ball State, Alabama, Florida, LSU, Tennessee, Coastal Carolina, UCLA, Georgia, UCF, Texas A&M, Arizona State, New Mexico, Auburn, South Carolina, UNLV, Texas Tech, Illinois, Arkansas, Texas, Oklahoma State, Kent State, North Florida, Washington, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Oklahoma
CANADIANS IN THE FIELD: Eric Banks (Florida), Corey Conners (Kent State), Taylor Pendrith (Kent State), Charlie Hughes (Washington)
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CANADIAN UNIVERSITY/COLLEGE CHAMPIONSHIP
COURSE: Club de golf Val des Lacs, Ste-Sophie, Que.
MEN'S TEAMS: Georgian College, Holland College, Humber College, McGill University, McMaster University, Mount Royal University, Niagara College, Queen's University, University of Alberta, UBC, University of Guelph, University of Manitoba, University of Toronto, University of Victoria, University of Waterloo, Western, Université de Montréal, Université Laval, Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières
WOMEN'S TEAMS: Grant MacEwan University, University of Alberta, UBC, University of Calgary, University of Guelph, University of Toronto, University of Victoria, University of Waterloo, Western, Université de Montreal, Université Laval
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