Former Champion Viktor Hovland Out Of Memorial Tournament As Big Names Confirmed

Viktor Hovland during the PGA Championship — Viktor Hovland has withdrawn from the Memorial Tournament

(Image credit: Getty Images)

The latest of the PGA Tour’s Signature Events, the Memorial Tournament at Muirfield Village, will feature some huge names, including defending champion Scottie Scheffler and eight more of the world’s top 10.

However, one world-class player who won’t be competing is the 2023 champion, Viktor Hovland.

The 72-player field for the event has been released, but the Norwegian’s name is not among them, while the event’s official X account has confirmed that he has withdrawn.

Tournament UpdateViktor Hovland - WDMay 29, 2026

Three years ago, Hovland beat Denny McCarthy in a playoff to seal the title, while he finished T15 a year later and T25 12 months ago.

No reason has been given for Hovland’s absence, but despite being eligible, he will miss the first edition of the event since he turned pro in 2019.

Hovland, who has played in the previous six Signature Events this season, missed the cut in his most recent start, at the PGA Championship.

Viktor Hovland and Jack Nicklaus — Viktor Hovland won the event in 2023

While there is no Hovland in the field, the event, which is one of the most beloved in the PGA Tour schedule, has no shortage of world-class talent.

The standout name is Scheffler, who will be hoping to make it three consecutive Memorial Tournament titles.

In the tournament’s 50-year history, only one player, Tiger Woods, has achieved that, when he won the title three times between 1999 and 2001.

Rory McIlroy is another huge name in the field, who makes his first start since placing T7 at the PGA Championship, while Cameron Young will be looking for his third win of the season, along with another two-time PGA Tour winner in 2026, Chris Gotterup.

Scottie Scheffler during the Memorial Tournament — World No.1 Scottie Scheffler is the defending champion

One player who has already achieved three titles this year is Matt Fitzpatrick, and he will also play.

Justin Rose, Tommy Fleetwood, Xander Schauffele and JJ Spaun complete the players in the world’s top 10 in the field.

Aside from Scheffler, other former champions in the field include 2022 winner Billy Horschel and Patrick Cantlay, who received handshakes from Nicklaus in 2019 and 2021.

The Memorial Tournament is the last of three player-hosted Signature Events.

Like the Tiger Woods-hosted Genesis Invitational and the Arnold Palmer Invitational, the Memorial Tournament is a little different from the other five Signature Events as it has a cut, while the winner will earn $4m rather than $3.6m.

Mike has over 25 years of experience in journalism, including writing on a range of sports throughout that time, such as golf, football and cricket. Now a freelance staff writer for Golf Monthly, he is dedicated to covering the game's most newsworthy stories.

He has written hundreds of articles on the game, from features offering insights into how members of the public can play some of the world's most revered courses, to breaking news stories affecting everything from the PGA Tour and LIV Golf to developmental Tours and the amateur game.

Mike grew up in East Yorkshire and began his career in journalism in 1997. He then moved to London in 2003 as his career flourished, and nowadays resides in New Brunswick, Canada, where he and his wife raise their young family less than a mile from his local course.

Kevin Cook’s acclaimed 2007 biography, Tommy’s Honour, about golf’s founding father and son, remains one of his all-time favourite sports books.