DUBLIN — My great uncle Eugene, God rest his soul, embodied what it meant to be a good friend, a family man and a fierce golf competitor.
There wasn’t a weekend that went by where he wasn’t hitting the links early in the morning, tinkering in the basement with club parts (after directing a few expletives at his clubs during a round) and heading to his recliner, aka the “19th hole,” to watch whatever PGA Tour event was on.
The man’s knowledge of “the gentleman’s game” was vast, and he passed as much of that on to me as he possibly could. I didn’t gravitate to it immediately, and Lord knows I can still hear him critiquing my “baseball swing” when I get ready to tee off.
But in my junior year of high school, I began to better understand the game and why my uncle had such an affinity for it. I had made friends who grew up around the game far longer than I did, and every round I played with them allowed me to check in with my uncle in more ways than one.
From a shanked drive to a perfect flop shot, I always heard something golf-related, but more often than not, life-related, from heaven’s peanut gallery, no matter how good or bad I shot.
But high school came and went, and so did college. Over the course of this past year, I simply haven’t had as much time on my hands to go golfing and have a mental, caddie-like chat with my uncle.
Though on Tuesday, I did.
A good college friend of mine and above-average golfer in his own right (though he wouldn’t admit it), Drew Lampa, texted me Tuesday morning asking if I wanted to tag along and watch a Memorial Tournament practice round.
I’ve seen a lot of pro sports events, but never golf, and figured it wouldn’t be a bad way to duck out of work a little early and see some of the world’s best make the game look easy.
The backstory of the Memorial
Upper Arlington native and golf’s biggest and best name, Jack Nicklaus, hosted the first Memorial Tournament at Muirfield Village Golf Club in Dublin back in 1976, making this year’s tournament the 50th annual.
A golden anniversary for the Golden Bear (Nicklaus’ famous nickname).
At the time, a player currently playing on the PGA Tour and hosting an event was unheard of, but it has since become a common practice today.
But the story behind why Nicklaus bought the 180-acre property in 1966 is, in my opinion, one of the best stories in sports.
A few hours before teeing off in the 1966 Masters Tournament, Nicklaus got the horrific news that four of his friends had been killed in a plane crash that was bound for Augusta, Georgia.
All four of them were on their way to see the golf legend defend the green jacket.
Still grieving, Nicklaus ended up winning the 1966 tournament and became the first to win golf’s most prestigious tournament in back-to-back years.
Not long after that major win, Nicklaus purchased the land for Muirfield Village Golf Club to fulfill a dream of bringing a high-end course to his hometown and, in its first year open, a PGA Tour event.
If that isn’t an ultimate display of friendship and respect, I’m not sure what is.
“The name, Memorial Tournament, followed from Nicklaus’ desire to theme the Tournament around a person or persons, living or deceased, who has contributed to the game of golf with conspicuous honor,” the tournament’s website states.
With all this in mind, as I walked the course quietly with a close friend, the sense of friendship, family, and respect weighed heavily on my mind.
Naturally, I felt my uncle walking with us too because I knew just how much it would’ve meant for him to be there with us.
Sports’ most approachable players
After getting a lay of the land and getting some help from another spectator, I collected my thoughts while admiring the amazing homes that surround the course.
We walked through the rolling hills and laughed at how poorly we’d probably shoot should we ever get the opportunity to play this course.
I can’t quite describe how impressive it is to see these pros take practice shots and surgically maneuver around each hole. Simply, it’s jaw-dropping how easy they make it look.
But arriving at the 18th green, it was clear this was where most of the action was for this practice round. Patiently, spectators waited for a golfer to finish his shots before asking for autographs and pictures.
Truly, I didn’t anticipate getting to meet any golfers, but then, literally out of nowhere, 2025 U.S. Open Champion and current 9th-ranked J.J. Spaun walked down an out-of-bounds hill near the clubhouse.
In total shock, all Lampa could do was go for a fist bump. Spaun didn’t hesitate to bump him back with a smile as he carried on towards the putting green. After unfreezing myself, I asked, “J.J., can we get a quick picture?”
He nodded, and I couldn’t believe what was happening.
Right after the quick selfie, Lampa and I just said, “Wow, golfers really are just that approachable.”
Before we knew it, the current 112th-ranked Tony Finau wrapped up his practice round, and just like Spaun, didn’t hesitate to take a photo with us and sign every piece of memorabilia for other fans.
Walking down to the 8th hole, we grabbed a photo with 25th-ranked Norwegian golfer Kristoffer Reitan.
Though we didn’t bother any of the hopeful Memorial winners with extra conversation or questions, you could feel how they were totally unbothered to take a photo with a couple of middle-of-the-road golf fans.
Call it luck, fate or being in the right time at the right place, but I think the meaning behind the Memorial led us to these brief interactions.
Nicklaus founded this course and tournament in honor of his lost friends.
Friends are the family we get to choose.
I couldn’t be more grateful to have had this time to connect with my uncle, enjoy the meaning behind the tournament with a close friend and meet the friendly players invited to hoist a trophy that means more than just another statistic in the win column.