Golf bores me. It’s slow, unexciting and the commentators’ hushed voices lull me to sleep.
So you’d think I’d be indifferent to the Memorial Tournament. Oddly enough, even if I don’t get to attend, the Tournament is something I look forward to every single year.
For the last 19 years, I have lived within three miles of the Muirfield Village Golf Club, and noticed how the City truly comes alive during the week of the Tournament. Every year at the end of May, Dublin turns into a hub for new faces.
I have a wealth of memories surrounding the Tournament; middle school and high school boys comparing how much money they made from selling water bottles to Tournament-goers. My high school journalism teacher got our class press passes one year, and we sat in on an interview with Tiger Woods. My cat’s favorite “toy” is a practice golf ball, hit by Tiger Woods, given to me by a friend who worked at Muirfield Village.
The Memorial is all about the shared experience of living in Dublin; getting to see old friends at the Tournament while dressed up, instead of in your sweats at Kroger. Countless stories of getting yelled at for trying to sneak a picture of last year’s winner. And, of course, the one or two inevitable days of rain, taking shelter in the clubhouse, and making the best of it.
In Dublin, the Memorial Tournament is more than just golf. The Memorial is an event we all look forward to in one way or another, and whether you volunteer during the Tournament, attend each day of every year or just try to avoid the extra traffic, it’s something we can laugh and share stories about. Springtime in Dublin is invariably better because of the Memorial Tournament.
Amanda DePerro is an assistant editor. Feedback welcome at hbealer@cityscenecolumbus.com.
