DUBLIN (Ohio) • The congratulatory handshake with Jack Nicklaus that follows a win at the Memorial Tournament is a coveted prize in golf, and the 18-time Major champion said on Tuesday he will not let the Covid-19 pandemic get in the way of tradition.

Several former Memorial winners have said the congratulatory handshake with the host, whose record haul of 18 Major titles is three more than second-placed Tiger Woods on the all-time list, is special and one they would never forget.

Nicklaus, speaking at Muirfield Village Golf Club in Dublin, Ohio, ahead of the event's start today, said he will be in his familiar spot behind the 18th green on Sunday with his right hand extended to the winner.

"I'm going to shake their hand. I'm going to walk right out there and shake your hand," said the 80-year-old, who won the Memorial twice among his 73 PGA Tour victories. He designed the course and founded the tournament, which began in 1976.

"If they don't want to shake my hand, that's fine, I'll give them a fist bump or an elbow bump, but I'm not going to give them Covid-19 - I wouldn't put anybody in that position.

"I wouldn't do that, and if I was in any danger of doing that, I wouldn't shake their hand.

"And incidentally, I like shaking their hand, too. I think that's a great tradition, but it was as much fun for me as I hope it is for them."

As Nicklaus is part of the Tour personnel on site, he was required to take a Covid-19 test. The Memorial Tournament was originally supposed to be the first event on the circuit's revamped schedule to have fans present, and despite getting state approval last month to do so, the PGA Tour decided on Monday to scrap those plans for all events this season.

Nicklaus said he would have loved to have had fans present this week to watch a solid field headlined by Woods, who is playing in his first competitive event since February, and the top five golfers in the world, but he understood the decision.

"The Tour probably made the right decision as it relates to the Memorial Tournament. Maybe we are a little too early for the galleries," he said. "In the end, the players - you know, you can't have a dance without the dancing girls - and I can understand where some might be very hesitant.

"We're probably doing the right thing right now, and we're going to have a good tournament either way."

REUTERS