In its 35 years, The Memorial Tournament has honored 53 men and women who are icons in the game of golf, in the United States and around the world.

They are memorialized on bronze plaques displayed along a circular walkway in the Memorial Park – a special place in a small, well-landscaped valley near the clubhouse, the practice green and the No. 1 tee.

  This year, Severiano “Seve” Ballesteros, a popular Spaniard whose international golfing success spanned the United States and Europe, joined the elite honorees. The first was Robert T. (Bobby) Jones Jr., a renowned amateur golfer who has been an inspiration for Jack Nicklaus (also an honoree).  A memorial ceremony is held beside the 18^th green on the Wednesday before tournament play starts.

Each year, The Captains Club, an international group of authorities on golf, selects the person or persons to be honored and announces the decision as each tournament ends. Plaques for new honorees are displayed at the park’s entrance during the tournament and later mounted in a permanent place.