Home-course advantage: Wilson gets in Memorial

DUBLIN, Ohio (AP) -- By almost any standard, Chris Wilson doesn't belong in the Memorial Tournament.

He hasn't earned his spot because he's never played in a PGA Tour event - or any other international tour. Even on the starter-level Hooters Tour, he is ranked 97th in earnings with just $4,217 this year.

But Wilson is a native of the Columbus bedroom community of Dublin, home to Muirfield Village Golf Club, and that's enough to move him to the head of the line for an unrestricted qualifying exemption into the elite 120-player grid that begins play on Thursday.

"Every year they like to try to get somebody with local ties, Ohio ties, Ohio State ties," said Wilson, a former Ohio Amateur champion and Big Ten medalist while playing at Northwestern. "I had the nice local ties along with a decent golf resume."

There are 19 eligibility criteria for a player to get in the field at the Memorial, including top money-winners, winners of the majors and other select tournaments the past five years, up to four of the top players on the European, Asian, Australasian, Southern Africa and Japanese tours, the U.S. college player of the year and winners of the U.S and British Amateur championships.

It's a lot of dollar signs and numbers, trophies and tours. Then the exemption committee sits down and puts a face with the figures.

Early this year Wilson had written an emotional letter to Memorial Tournament founder and host Jack Nicklaus, telling about growing up not far from Muirfield Village, of skipping school to attend the tournament and of what it would mean for him to play in it.

The board that runs the Memorial, including Nicklaus (who also grew up in a Columbus suburb), can invite as many as 14 players who don't qualify under any of the other criteria. Wilson received one of those invitations.

This year, the invitees vary from Wilson and South Africa's James Kamte to accomplished professionals such as Rocco Mediate. Originally from Pittsburgh, he's almost a local, too.

"I grew up three hours from here, so it's kind of like being home," Mediate said Tuesday.