The golfing world has seen its fair share of headlines as of late, some of which relate to the upcoming U.S. Open at Oakmont Country Club, while others highlight occurrences at the Memorial
11:25 ET, 02 Jun 2025Updated 11:29 ET, 02 Jun 2025
Scottie Scheffler matched one of Tiger Woods’ achievements at the Memorial Tournament(Image: Getty Images)
The Memorial Tournament at Muirfield Village has seen its fair share of ups and downs as the golfing world edges ever closer to the U.S. Open.
A field of 156 players will compete at Oakmont Country Club between June 12 and 15 for the third major of the year, hoping to share some of the glory that Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler have already achieved this year at the Masters and the PGA Championship. The Canadian Open at TPC Toronto will now offer PGA pros a last shot at fine-tuning their game before the highly anticipated U.S. Open finally lands, and it’s safe to say that some players may be more prepared than others.
Here, we take a look at some of the biggest headlines in the world of golf at present, from Scheffler’s record-tying win at the Memorial on Sunday and Jordan Spieth almost drilling a fan with a wayward shot, to Rickie Fowler’s recent relief and Jack Nicklaus’ rant on what he hates about golf at present.
Scheffler channels Tiger Woods in Memorial dominance
It seems as though Scheffler has developed a knack for tying records this year. The 28-year-old finished a mammoth 31-under at last month’s CJ Cup Byron Nelson to clinch his first PGA Tour title of 2025, eight strokes clear of runner-up Erik van Rooyen.
And in registering an overall 72-hole score of 253 strokes, Scheffler tied a record set by Justin Thomas at the 2017 Sony Open, which was equaled six years later by Ludvig Aberg at the RSM Classic. A PGA Championship came as Scheffler’s second win of 2025, sinking a score of 11-under-par at Quail Hollow to lift the major for the very first time.
Scheffler was back to record-tying fashion on Sunday as the Memorial Tournament drew to a close, becoming just the second man in history to defend a title at Muirfield Village in the history of the competition. Scheffler finished a single stroke ahead of runner-up Collin Morikawa at last year’s instalment of the event, before returning in 2025 to defend his title by four strokes over Ben Griffin.
Tiger Woods won the Memorial three times in a row(Image: PA)
It comes after Tiger Woods became the first player to win back-to-back titles at the Memorial in 1999 and 2000. However, Scheffler will have to win once again next year should he hope to tie Wood’s trilogy of consecutive wins at Muirfield Village, as he also scooped the title there in 2001.
Spieth almost wipes out a fan with a wayward shot
One player who will hope to forget about the 2025 instalment of the Memorial sooner than others is Spieth, who almost took out a fan with a mishit on Sunday. The 31-year-old’s final round of the tournament got off to a chaotic start when his drive from the first tee sliced to the right and left him in thick rough.
Around 168 yards from the pin, Spieth attempted to bridge the gap from a terrible lie as fans gathered to watch. And while the ball launched like a rocket, it flew far lower than anticipated and just inches over the head of a spectator who seemingly saw his life flash before his eyes.
Jordan Spieth almost hit a fan with his shot(Image: Getty Images)
Sky Sports Golf commentator, Dame Laura Davies, was picked up saying: “Ooh! It’s funny because I looked at those people and thought, after that tee shot, they’re a bit brave here. And well, that guy moves so quickly. I think it missed everyone.”
Meanwhile, Andrew Coltart added: “Goodness me, I hope so. He was full of confidence, but never got the connection at all. Hopefully, everybody is okay. Jordan, what are you doing?”
Spieth finished his round two-over-par, leading to a total score of one-under after 72 holes. For his efforts, he finished at T7 alongside Brandt Snedeker, Tom Hoge, Rickie Fowler and Keegan Bradley.
Fowler breathes a sigh of relief
Fowler was handed a lifeline on Sunday by qualifying for this year’s Open at Royal Portrush as a result of his finish at the Memorial. The California-born star is yet to win a major championship, despite holding six wins on the PGA Tour in total.
A spot in the final major of the year was up for grabs to the highest-finishing player at the Memorial who wasn’t already exempt from the tournament, and as a result of finishing T7 and ranking higher in the OWGR at the time than Snedeker, Fowler saw his ticket to the Open Championship stamped.
Rickie Fowler is going to the Open Championship(Image: Getty Images)
Speaking about his qualification after the Memorial, Fowler said: “We’re heading the right way. This week still could have been a lot better, but definite positive is going over to Portrush. That’s one I’ve wanted on the schedule.”
Snedeker still has his chance to compete alongside Fowler in the Open Championship; however, the next tournament on the Open Qualifying Series is this week’s RBC Canadian Open.
Nicklaus explains pet peeve
With a record 18 major championship wins to his name, as well as 73 PGA Tour titles, Nicklaus remains an influential figure in the world of golf. And as the Golden Bear retired officially back in 2005, a lot has changed in today’s game when compared to Nicklaus’ heyday.
The 85-year-old was quick to point out that he hated one thing in particular, which occurred during this weekend’s Memorial. Griffin was tied for the second-round lead when he pulled a drive into thick rough on the par-four 17th hole.
As the 29-year-old walked towards his ball, he was approached by Golf Channel broadcaster, Rex Hoggard, for a walk-and-talk interview. Hoggard asked the pro: “Joked yesterday, I asked you what your energy levels are like and your wife had one answer. She said she was exhausted, you said you were fine. How are you?”
Jack Nicklaus was far from happy with an on-course interview(Image: Getty Images)
However, Nicklaus took issue with the format of the interview, explaining: “I can’t stand that… the interview on the golf course. Let me tell you how I think, how I feel.
“I mean, seriously, here’s a guy who’s leading the golf tournament, he’s just hit the edge of the rough, he’s got a very difficult shot on a very difficult hole, and you’re talking to him about stuff that totally takes his mind off of what he was doing. How would you think [Ben] Hogan would respond to that question?”
While Terry Gannon, who was on duty at the time said: “Times have changed,” Nicklaus was quick to reply: “You would not have any teeth left if you did. He’d [Hogan] hit you right in the face with it.”
