Will McGirt, PGA Tour journeyman, say hello to Jack Nicklaus.
Jack Nicklaus, winner of 18 major championships, say hello to Will McGirt, winner of one PGA Tour event — yours.
With a field of thoroughbreds gathered at the Muirfield Village Golf Club all week, it was a field horse who broke through on Sunday and crossed the finish line ahead of all of them to win The Memorial.
Will McGirt has never played in the Masters, or the U.S. Open or the British Open. He was ranked 107th in the world.
With a par on the second hole of a sudden-death playoff with second-year player Jon Curran, all of that changed and McGirt stepped into the winner’s circle for the first time on a really big stage — Jack’s stage.
After a rain delay held up afternoon play for nearly 90 minutes, McGirt parred his way in, shot 71 without a bogey on his card and tied Curran at 15-under.
The two small names beat out all the big names. World’s No. 1 Jason Day couldn’t get it done on his home course. He shot 74 and finished nine-under. Jordan Spieth, No. 2, was a weekend flop and finished a distant tie for 57th while No. 3 Rory McIlroy’s Sunday rally left him at 13-under, tied for fourth.
Matt Kuchar had the best track record of all the contenders but key mistakes on the back sunk his hopes for a second Memorial title. He played holes 12-15 four-over par and that tells his tale. He finished 13-under and will think about what might have been.
There were no regrets for McGirt, who was a picture of calm all afternoon. He held together when most around him were falling apart. “Unbelievable,” he said after getting his personal moment with Nicklaus. “It was a struggle all day. I fought my swing all day. Hold on to it and make as many pars as I could. My putter really saved me this week,” he said.
“I’ve been in this position several times,” he pointed out. He had finished runnerup in events on three occasions. “Hopefully I learned something. It all worked out in the end.”
The end came after both McGirt and Curran parred 18 the first time around. McGirt scrambled from a greenside bunker for a great par while Curran barely missed his birdie putt that would have ended it. The second time, both flew the green — McGirt by a little, Curran by a lot. Curran’s pitch left him with a 20-footer for par. When he missed, McGirt calmly holed a six-footer for the win and changed the course of his career.
