What do the yellow ribbons at the Memorial golf tournament mean?
The 2022 Memorial Tournament's final round is underway and golfers are battling the Muirfield Village course in hopes of taking home the $2.16 million winner's share of the purse.
And maybe some of that money will go to Nationwide Children's Hospital.
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Since 1976, the year Jack Nicklaus founded Memorial Tournament, the event has helped raise funds for the hospital. Nationwide Children's hospital is one of 170 Children's Miracle Network Hospitals in the United States.
The PGA Tour and the CMN hospitals have a campaign to raise $100 million over the next five years, and part of that involves the "Play Yellow" campaign.
What does the yellow ribbon that PGA Tour players are wearing mean?
The "Play Yellow" campaign invites Memorial Tournament fans and players to do the following to help raise money for the CMN hospitals:
Wear yellow for Sunday's final round.
Purchase special AHEAD brand or Nicklaus merchandise in the golf shop.
Donate at concession stands or within the golf shop.
According to the Memorial website:
All donations made during the week of the Memorial will be distributed and assigned to various initiatives within Nationwide Children's Hospital.
How can I donate to the Memorial Tournament's Play Yellow campaign?
Donations to the campaign can be made at playyellow.org.
Why are the ribbon golfers are wearing at the Memorial Tournament yellow?
The Play Yellow campaign comes from Jack Nicklaus' attire during his 1986 Masters win.
From the website:
The "Play Yellow" theme is inspired by the yellow shirts that Nicklaus often wore in the final round of tournaments in honor of Craig Smith, the son of a close friend who was fighting bone cancer. Craig died in 1971 at the age of 13.
In the final round of the 1986 Masters, the Golden Bear wore a yellow shirt to again honor Craig, and he went on to win his sixth green jacket.
2023 Memorial Tournament honoree announced
As you may have read in this morning's Columbus Dispatch, the 2023 Memorial Tournament honoree will be Larry Nelson.
A three-time major championship winner, Nelson did not begin playing golf until age 21.
The now-74-year-old picked up the game after returning from the Vietnam War in 1969 — an Army buddy had suggested he might be good at golf. And he had immediate success, breaking 70 within nine months of first picking up a club. He turned professional in 1971, made it onto the PGA Tour in 1973 and went on to win 10 times, including the 1981 PGA Championship, 1983 U.S. Open and 1987 PGA Championship.
Nelson played on three U.S. Ryder Cup teams – 1979, 1981 and 1987 at Muirfield Village Golf Club – going 9-0-0 before losing his first match.
"He came to the game late, but he quickly made an impact," Memorial host Jack Nicklaus said. "Larry made himself into a really good player, won major championships and was terrific in the Ryder Cup."
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Why are PGA Tour players are wearing yellow at the Memorial Tournament
