40th Memorial Tournament This And That

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The Memorial normally arrives as a strong barometer for the U.S. Open two weeks away. With its classic parkland setting, thick rough, fast greens and overall demanding offerings, Muirfield Village offers a chance to see who is playing well.

With a faux links looming in two weeks at Chambers Bay, The Memorial won't foretell what is to come, and that's a good thing. For a change The Memorial is about a classic, traditional event with a strong field.

Doug Ferguson previews the event where Hideki Matsuyama defends against a field including the red-hot youngsters (Fowler, Spieth) and the old guys hoping to quiet some of the youth obsession (Woods, Mickelson, Furyk, etc...).

Steve DiMeglio reports on Tiger, who is due to show signs of improvement with his latest game overhaul, has implemented a few things in his swing.

The early Woods-Reed-Day pairing will be the focus of PGATour.com/DirecTV's Live@ coverage starting at 8 am ET.

My preview touching on the many intriguing storylines from the Nationwide Live Studio:

Video: Chambers Bay Fourth Hole Flyover

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By the looks of this one the course picks up considerable steam in the difficulty department playing 495 yards uphill and with what sounds like a fairway that can get tricky if the ball is running.

Bradley Klein has just posted at Golfweek his thoughts on each hole and he finds more strategy in this one than Gil describes in the flyover. (Thanks reader PG.)

The flyover, with commentary from Sonders and Hanse.

Tiger...Or Is It Bigfoot Spotted At Chambers Bay?

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First there was a jet sighting, then several blurry photos, and then a long distance shot of something resembling a standing, two-legged being inhabiting a Chambers Bay fairway. Further analysis determined it to be of human origin and most definitely Tiger Woods scouting the 2015 U.S. Open host site. Phil Mickelson was also spotted sneaking in some golf but got a much better weather day.

Safe to say you can add Tiger to the list who have made the cross-country trek to the remote lands of University Place. And mercifully, we've gotten the two biggest scouting trips out of the way.

Chambers Bay Scouting Report: Morning Drive Edition

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The Morning Drive gang went to Chambers Bay to scout out the course and record some pieces for the upcoming U.S. Open week. And since we'll take all the scouting advice we can for this little seen course, I got to ask the Gary Williams, Damon Hack and Cara Robinson their impressions. The most interesting insight: local caddies and the possibility for players to either employ them during practice, or for the week. Qualifiers take note!

Check it out: