By the numbers: What is the average score of the Memorial Tournament winner?
The Memorial Tournament is nearly here.
Starting Thursday, 39 of the top 50 golfers in the world will take the Muirfield Village golf course to battle for their share of the $20 million purse.
Here are the numbers you need to know heading into the first round of the 2023 Memorial Tournament Thursday.
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7: Players in the top 10 of the Official World Golf Rankings who will play in the 2023 Memorial Tournament
Seven of the 10 highest-ranked golfers in the world according to the Official World Golf Ranking will be at Muirfield Village Golf Course for the Memorial Tournament, including each of the top six: Scottie Scheffler, Jon Rahm, Rory McIlroy, Patrick Cantlay, Xander Schauffele and Viktor Hovland.
Matt Fitzpatrick, the ninth-best golfer in the world and the top-ranked English golfer, will also participate in the Memorial Tournament.
No. 7 Max Homa, No. 8 Cameron Smith, who is a member of LIV Golf, and No. 10 Will Zalatoris will not participate in the 2023 Memorial.
275: The winning score of the 2022 Memorial Tournament
Billy Horschel took home the more than $2 million prize at the 2022 Memorial Tournament, finishing four strokes ahead of Aaron Wise to win the tournament.
Horschel finished the tournament 13 strokes under par, including a combined 11 strokes under par in the second and third rounds of the tournament to separate himself for the Memorial win. He was one of 31 participants to finish at par or better in the 2022 tournament.
Horschel finished with the best individual round of the 2022 Memorial Tournament, finishing the third round 7 under par.
Here are the past winners participating in the 2023 Memorial Tournament
Billy Horschel (2022 — 275)
Patrick Cantlay (2019 — 269, 2021 — 275)
Jon Rahm (2020 — 279)
Jason Dufner (2017 — 275)
William McGirt (2016 — 273)
David Lingmerth (2015 — 273)
Hideki Matsuyama (2014 — 275)
Matt Kuchar (2013 — 276)
K.J. Choi (2007 — 271)
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275.4: Average score of Memorial Tournament winner
Horschel's score of 275 in his 2022 Memorial Tournament win is pretty standard of tournament champions since its inception in 1976.
Since Roger Maltbie's win in 1976, scoring 288 in the first Memorial Tournament, champions have averaged a score of 275.4 in the tournament.
In the last 10 Memorial Tournaments, that average has decreased to 274.3, helped by Cantlay's 2019 Memorial where he scored a 269: becoming one of four players in tournament history to score better than a 270.
The average Memorial Tournament winner score does not include the 1997 or 1990 tournaments, which each ended after three rounds.
67: Best first round score in the 2022 Memorial Tournament
While Horschel won the 2022 Memorial Tournament and had the strongest round of any golfer in the tournament, he did not have the strongest start.
Six golfers finished the first round 5 strokes under par in the first round of the 2022 Memorial Tournament: Davis Riley (T-13 — 285), Cameron Smith (T-13 — 285), Luke List (T-26 — 287), Mackenzie Hughes (T-37 — 290), K.H. Lee (T-53 — 295) and Cameron Young (T-60 — 295).
70.19: Patrick Cantlay's career scoring average in the Memorial Tournament
Coming into the 2023 Memorial Tournament as the field's only two-time winner, Cantlay is at the top of another Memorial leaderboard.
The American golfer's scoring average at the Memorial sits at 70.19 — better than any golfer that has played at least 10 rounds at the tournament.
Here are the five players with the lowest career scoring average in Memorial Tournament history with a minimum of 10 rounds.
Patrick Cantlay — 70.19
Bryson DeChambeau — 70.43
Tiger Woods — 70.44
Matt Kuchar — 70.46
Jamie Lovemark — 70.58
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: 2023 Memorial Tournament by the numbers
