DUBLIN, Ohio (AP) -- Jack is back -- for the 27th year in a row.
Jack Nicklaus made it official Wednesday that he would tee it up in
Thursday's first round of the Memorial, continuing his streak of playing
each year in the tournament he founded.
``I'm not going to be great,'' said Nicklaus, bothered by a variety of aches
and pains, mostly in his lower back. ``Hopefully I'll be decent. I have no
expectations.''
The 62-year-old Nicklaus arrived in Ohio on Friday and hinted that unless
he felt better and played better, he wouldn't take up a spot in the field. He
was still undecided on playing even before his final tuneup at Muirfield
Village Golf Club.
``I just didn't know how I'd feel today,'' he said after playing nine holes
with son Gary, who also is in the field. ``I felt better every day. I don't
know what my golf game will be. I hit a lot of decent shots today.''
Nicklaus has won the Memorial twice, but has finished in the top 10 only
once in the last 15 tries. The Golden Bear does not envision tracking down
Tiger Woods on Sunday.
``I don't think that is my game,'' he said, stifling a smile.
Jack will tee off with Vijay Singh and Scott Hoch at 9:00 a.m. on Thursday. Son Gary, paired with Roger Maltbie and Toru Taniguchi, starts 11 groups behind Jack at 10:50 a.m.
Tournament Notes
For a change, sunburn might be more of a problem than mud at the
Memorial Tournament.
In the tournament's 26 years, 25 of the 104 rounds have been delayed,
interrupted or canceled because of weather. Heavy rains, lightning and
monsoon conditions have shook the Muirfield Village Golf Club in four of
the last five years.
Even though Ohio has suffered through a particularly wet and chilly
spring, no rain fell on the course in the three days leading up to Thursday's
opening round. No precipitation was predicted to hit until after the second
round, with intermittent storms expected over the weekend.
Three-time defending champion Tiger Woods said the dry conditions will
be a new experience for many in the field.
``When it was fast, the fairways narrow up quite a bit and a lot of these
flags that you can generally get at, you just don't fire at because there's just
too much danger,'' Woods said. ``Generally, you fire at most of the flags if
it's soft.''
Course designer Jack Nicklaus said the lack of rain should favor the better
players.
``Any time conditions are easy, more people have got a chance to win,'' he
said. ``They're not scared of it.''
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