The Loop

Jack Nicklaus had his longest ever conversation with Tiger Woods at the Masters, says Woods will play in the Memorial

April 22, 2015

Jack Nicklaus said Tiger Woods will play in the Memorial Tournament in an interview on Wednesday. "See you in May," the 14-time major winner said, referring to the event hosted by the 18-time major winner at Muirfield Village.

Technically, June 1, is the Monday of the event and it's hard to imagine Woods showing up earlier than that to a tournament he's won five times, but we'll forgive him the minor calendar mistake. Here's the clip of Jack talking about talking to Tiger at the Masters:

Jack Nicklaus says Tiger Woods will play at the Memorial Tournament this year > https://t.co/FB2NheGgjU — FOX Sports Ohio (@FOXSportsOH) > April 22, 2015

Of course, the Memorial has always been a staple of Woods' schedule, so this shouldn't come as much of a surprise. However, with Woods' recent history of injuries -- including one sustained to his wrist during the final round of the Masters -- his commitment to playing in any tournament these days serves as news. Woods is expected to play in the Players in two weeks, but hasn't officially committed to that. In the future, maybe we should just ask Jack to find out what's on Woods' playing schedule.

Actually, the biggest surprise from Nicklaus' answer is that he and Woods had any substantial talk at all. Two years ago, Nicklaus surprised many by saying he'd "never really had a conversation with Tiger that lasted more than a minute or two -- ever."

But on Wednesday, Nicklaus said the Masters chat was "as much of a conversation as I've ever had with Tiger," and that it was "a long, long talk," and "it was good." Fans saw a different side of Woods in Augusta when he participated in the Par 3 contest with his children and girlfriend, Lindsey Vonn. Perhaps, this is another sign that Woods is changing -- or perhaps, it was just a conversation long overdue.