[Golf Topic] 'Memorial Host' Nicklaus "Can't Shake Hands with the Winner This Year?"

'Memorial Host' Jack Nicklaus shaking hands with last year's Memorial Tournament winner Patrick Cantlay. Photo by Getty Images/Multibits

[Asia Economy Kim Hyun-jun, Golf Specialist Reporter] ○…The 'former golf emperor' Jack Nicklaus (USA) is facing growing concerns.

On the 15th (Korean time), at Muirfield Village in Dublin, Ohio, USA (Par 72, 7,456 yards), ahead of the PGA Tour Memorial Tournament (total prize money $9.3 million), he held a press conference and introduced, "This tournament will also offer a handshake to the winner," calling it "a very wonderful tradition." The issue is the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). The PGA Tour has stated, "All physical contact, including handshakes and palm-to-palm greetings, is prohibited."

Nicklaus is the host of this tournament. Right after winning The Masters Tournament in 1966, he declared, "I want to create another Masters," and developed the famous course Muirfield Village in his hometown Dublin. The Memorial Tournament, established in 1975, even has a similar alphabetic composition. Since then, he has put tremendous effort into elevating it to the status of the 'fifth major.'

This is why world stars such as the 'resurrected golf emperor' Tiger Woods (USA) and world number one Rory McIlroy (Northern Ireland) gather in full force. Nicklaus created the tradition of waiting by the 18th hole green on the final day for the champion to emerge, then immediately approaching to shake hands and embrace. He said, "If the winner refuses a handshake, there's nothing I can do," and took a step back by adding, "If it's risky, I will substitute with a fist bump or elbow bump instead of a handshake."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.