Why PGA Tour players are wearing yellow ribbons on their hats at the Memorial
PGA Tour players at the Memorial Tournament hosted by Jack Nicklaus always wear yellow at Muirfield Village. This is the reason why.
The Memorial Tournament holds a special place in the heart of golf legend Jack Nicklaus.
Golden Bear Nicklaus, now 85, serves as the host of the annual PGA Tour event at Muirfield Village in Columbus, Ohio.
The 18-time major champion has been hosting the tournament since its inception in 1976.
He founded the event with the vision of honouring individuals who have significantly contributed to the game of golf.
Every year, PGA Tour golfers at the Memorial wear yellow to show support for the "Play Yellow" campaign.
The campaign is a charitable initiative led by Nicklaus and his wife Barbara in partnership with the PGA Tour and Children's Miracle Network Hospitals.
The inspiration for "Play Yellow" comes from a personal story involving Jack Nicklaus and a young boy named Craig Smith.
Smith battled bone cancer in 1971 and sadly passed away at the age of 13. He idolised Nicklaus.
Craig believed wearing yellow brought good luck, and Nicklaus honoured him by wearing yellow during tournaments, most notably during his 1986 Masters victory.
This tradition evolved into the "Play Yellow" campaign, encouraging golfers and fans to wear yellow and support children's health initiatives.
"His mother asked Barbara if I would call him," Nicklaus previously explained.
"So I called him and talked to him and developed a relationship. And I talked to him quite frequently.
"One day I called him after a tournament I had won and Craig said to me, he says, 'Jack, do you know why you won today?' And I says, 'Why is that, Craig?'
"He says, 'I wore my lucky yellow shirt.' So that’s where it started. I won that tournament, we didn't really say much about it. He passed away at the age of 13, 1971."
"I wore yellow quite often then on Sunday for him, and I was rummaging through my suitcase [before The Masters] in 1986 and I found this yellow shirt.
"And I said, 'What do you think, Barbara?' And she says, 'Craig would love it. Go for it.' So I wore a yellow shirt on Sunday in ’86, and then I won and ended up having to tell the story."
Play Yellow is understood to have raised more than $130m since 2019.
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