PGA Tour Memorial Tournament: When it starts & how to watch

Memorial Tournament Golf
Memorial Tournament Golf (Image credit: PGA Tour)

Ready for some golf? When the Memorial Tournament kicks off this week, it will mark the first time since 1957 the PGA Tour has had two events played in a row on the same course. Although, this event will look much different than last week's Workday Charity Open both in terms of how the course will play out and who will be there.

PGA Tour Memorial Tournament when & where:

The PGA Tour is back with the Memorial Tournament this week from Thursday, July 16, to Sunday, July 19. This is an annual event hosted by golf legend Jack Nicklaus and taking place at the Nicklaus-designed Muirfield Village Golf Club in Ohio. The first tee times for the event start at 7 a.m. Eastern, although players like Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods don't tee off until 1:17 p.m.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it will be played without spectators. While that's unusual, it is not unexpected as golf has been mostly shut down since March.

How to stream PGA Tour Memorial Tournament from anywhere

If you're intent on watching PGA Tour Memorial Tournament but find yourself away from home then you'll run into problems when trying to stream your domestic coverage online from abroad as it's likely to be geo-blocked.

That's where a VPN (Virtual Private Network) can be a lifesaver. They allow you to virtually change the ISP of your laptop, tablet or mobile to one that's back in your home country, letting you watch as if you were back there.

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How to watch the PGA Tour Memorial Tournament in the U.S.

You can watch the tournament from beginning to end on the Golf channel. Play on July 18 and July 19 will also be featured on CBS. If you have a cable subscription you can stream the event online at golfchannel.com and CBS. Otherwise, you will need a CBS All Access subscription, starting at $5.99 with limited commercials, to watch the tournament. You can also stream online with a subscription to PGA Tour Live, which starts at $9.99 a month or $64.99 a year.

PGA Tour Memorial Tournament who's playing

Even without spectators, the course will still be fairly crowded. More than 130 golfers plan to attend the event. The lineup features 17 of the top 20 golfers in the world, and that also includes Tiger Woods who hasn't played in any major event since the Genesis Invitational in February. After participating in a dozen different PGA Tour events last year, he has only played in two so far in 2020. The Memorial Tournament looks to spark his return and foreshadow some intense golf leading up to bigger events, like the PGA Championship that's less than a month away.

Rory McIlroy, the current #1 golfer in the PGA Tour World Rankings, will also be at the tournament after a two-week break. It looks to be an incredibly competitive event. Look out for other major players like Bryson DeChambeau, who just won the Rocket Mortgage Classic at the Detroit Golf Club a couple weeks ago, and Collin Morikawa, the winner of last week's Workday Charity Open. Some have even compared it to the U.S. Open or a Masters game with how many top golfers are going to be there and how tough the scene will be.

PGA Tour Memorial Tournament what's at stake

If the level of competition isn't quite enough for you, you should also know everyone is playing for a $9,300,000 prize pool, which is larger than the purses seen at recent events. The winner's check is worth $1.674 million.

Many famous golfers will be in this tournament because one of the focuses is to support charities in the greater Columbus, Ohio, area, including the Nicklaus Children's Healthcare Foundation, the Nationwide Children's Hospital, and other local organizations.

John Levite
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