Memorial Tournament at Muirfield Village Country Club
The Memorial Tournament at Muirfield Village Country Club is back in town and what a grand event it is. The Memorial Tournament has grown into one of golf’s premier events, often called the fifth major (Muifield Village Golf Club, 2009). People come from all over to enjoy the likes of Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods, Ernie Els, and numerous other professional golfers. According to Muifield, the tournament is called the Memorial Tournament because the course was officially dedicated on Memorial Day in 1974. The one problem the tournament faces every year is Mother Nature; it seems to always rain during the memorial tournament. There is an old wives tale that the course is haunted by Chief Leatherlips (The Stories of Shateyoranyah, Wyandot Chief Leatherlips, 2009). As the story goes, he is the one responsible for bringing the rain back year after year.
Legend has it that Muirfield Village Country Club is built on top of an Indian burial site. Chief Leatherlips was the leader of the Wyandot Indian tribe that was once established in the Dublin area (The Stories of Shateyoranyah, Wyandot Chief Leatherlips, 2009). People believe that Chief Leatherlips put a curse on the Memorial Tournament; and the pay back is rain. It is said that the traffic and noise disrupts Leatherlips and his tribe. Over the past 24 years of the tournament, 14 of the tournaments have been accompanied by rain (Leatherlips and the Memorial Tournament, 2009). This rain has impacted over one third of the rounds played during the tournament (Associated Press, 1997). One year they moved the tournament back to August to try and beat the rain, but they were unsuccessful, it still rained (Leatherlips and the Memorial Tournament, 2009). Is this really a curse or is this our welcome mat to Ohio.
The Chief Leatherlips haunting the Memorial Tournament just doesn’t add up to me. First off, 14/24 is 58%. If it was a curse it would rain 100% of the time. Second, doesn’t it usually rain quite frequently in Ohio’s spring season? Welcome to Ohio, again. In the end the Memorial Tournament is a good attraction for the city of Dublin. It gives us all a reason to get outside, although, I would bring an umbrella.
References
Associated Press (1997). The Curse of Leatherlips. The Stories of Shateyoranyah, Wyandot Chief Leatherlips. Retreived June 5, 2009 from http://www.dublinohiohistoricalsociety.org/LEATHERLIPS.pdf.
Leatherlips and the Memorial Tournament. (2009). Retrieved June 6, 2009 from http://columbusoh.about.com/cs/famouspeople/a/leatherlips.htm
Nicklaus Design (2009). Murfield Village Golf Club. Retreieved June 5, 2009 from http://www.nicklaus.com/design/muirfieldvillage/
The Stories of Shateyoranyah, Wyandot Chief Leatherlips. Retreived June 5, 2009 from http://www.dublinohiohistoricalsociety.org/LEATHERLIPS.pdf.
The Memorial Tournament at Muirfield Village Country Club is back in town and what a grand event it is. The Memorial Tournament has grown into one of golf’s premier events, often called the fifth major (Muifield Village Golf Club, 2009). People come from all over to enjoy the likes of Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods, Ernie Els, and numerous other professional golfers. According to Muifield, the tournament is called the Memorial Tournament because the course was officially dedicated on Memorial Day in 1974. The one problem the tournament faces every year is Mother Nature; it seems to always rain during the memorial tournament. There is an old wives tale that the course is haunted by Chief Leatherlips (The Stories of Shateyoranyah, Wyandot Chief Leatherlips, 2009). As the story goes, he is the one responsible for bringing the rain back year after year.
Legend has it that Muirfield Village Country Club is built on top of an Indian burial site. Chief Leatherlips was the leader of the Wyandot Indian tribe that was once established in the Dublin area (The Stories of Shateyoranyah, Wyandot Chief Leatherlips, 2009). People believe that Chief Leatherlips put a curse on the Memorial Tournament; and the pay back is rain. It is said that the traffic and noise disrupts Leatherlips and his tribe. Over the past 24 years of the tournament, 14 of the tournaments have been accompanied by rain (Leatherlips and the Memorial Tournament, 2009). This rain has impacted over one third of the rounds played during the tournament (Associated Press, 1997). One year they moved the tournament back to August to try and beat the rain, but they were unsuccessful, it still rained (Leatherlips and the Memorial Tournament, 2009). Is this really a curse or is this our welcome mat to Ohio.
The Chief Leatherlips haunting the Memorial Tournament just doesn’t add up to me. First off, 14/24 is 58%. If it was a curse it would rain 100% of the time. Second, doesn’t it usually rain quite frequently in Ohio’s spring season? Welcome to Ohio, again. In the end the Memorial Tournament is a good attraction for the city of Dublin. It gives us all a reason to get outside, although, I would bring an umbrella.
References
Associated Press (1997). The Curse of Leatherlips. The Stories of Shateyoranyah, Wyandot Chief Leatherlips. Retreived June 5, 2009 from http://www.dublinohiohistoricalsociety.org/LEATHERLIPS.pdf.
Leatherlips and the Memorial Tournament. (2009). Retrieved June 6, 2009 from http://columbusoh.about.com/cs/famouspeople/a/leatherlips.htm
Nicklaus Design (2009). Murfield Village Golf Club. Retreieved June 5, 2009 from http://www.nicklaus.com/design/muirfieldvillage/
The Stories of Shateyoranyah, Wyandot Chief Leatherlips. Retreived June 5, 2009 from http://www.dublinohiohistoricalsociety.org/LEATHERLIPS.pdf.
Picture retrieved June 6, 2009 from http://www.thememorialtournament.com/gallery/index.php?Album=33
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