FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) -- Muirfield Village has been host of the Memorial near the end of May every year since 1976. After the tournament was over, it once became somewhat of a laboratory where four-time champion Jack Nicklaus prepared for the U.S. Open.

Nicklaus recalled how he would practice out of thick rough and on firm greens to get ready for conditions that players saw only once a year. He also talked about how he worked on his driving.

"I used to go back to Muirfield and stand on the 14th tee, the ladies tee, and try to drive the ball on the green," Nicklaus said. "It's about a 14- or 15-yard fairway coming into the green with water on the right. And I practiced that all the time. It's a little left-to-right tee shot. It prepared me for the U.S. Open."

A few players now try to drive the 14th green from the championship tees, such as Bubba Watson, but Nicklaus said he had no intention of moving the tees forward for the Memorial.

"They'll drive it, anyway," he said. "Oddly enough, I've made three 2s in competition -- a pro-am with Gerald Ford and two other events."

By driving the green?

"No, I holed out from the fairway," Nicklaus said.

OLYMPIC MOVEMENT: PGA TOUR Commissioner Tim Finchem headed for London this week, stopping along the way to pick up USGA Executive Director David Fay and LPGA Tour Commissioner Carolyn Bivens.

They were to join R&A Chief Executive Peter Dawson and European Tour Chief Executive George O'Grady at a meeting with the International Olympic Committee, the first step toward bringing golf back to the Olympics.

It was not a formal meeting, but no less important to show the IOC a unified front in golf's desire to be part of the games.

"This will be a protracted process," Fay said. "But this is an important first step."

A decision is not expected until next fall.

RANKING RAMIFICATIONS: Ben Crane had to withdraw from the AT&T Classic before it began, an insignificant development except that it could affect the travel plans and bank account of Ryuji Imada later this summer.

Crane was at No. 99 in the world ranking last week, meaning his presence was worth two points toward the strength of field. When he did not start the tournament, that dropped the AT&T Classic to 113 points. That number is meaningful because tournaments must have a field strength of at least 115 points for its winner to be eligible for the $8 million WGC- Bridgestone Invitational.

The World Golf Championship also takes the top 50 in the world ranking, and Imada moved up to No. 49 with his victory on the TPC Sugarloaf. He can qualify for his first trip to Firestone if he stays in the top 50 through July.

Meantime, Richard Finch won the Irish Open by two shots over Felipe Aguilar of Chile and earned a spot at Firestone, as the European Tour event had a stronger field, according to the world ranking. Finch moved up 84 places to No. 134 in the world.

MASTERS CHARITY: Augusta National is giving $3.4 million to charities this year, and the club's employees had a small role deciding where some of the donations were directed.

Under a new program, each employee was allowed to designate $1,000 to the charity of their choice as part of the $1.25 million Augusta National donated to The Community Foundation for the CSRA.

"Our employees are an integral part of this organization and they are committed to this community," Masters chairman Billy Payne said. "This new initiative recognizes their hard work and dedication, and I'm certain the money will be donated wisely."

FINAL WORD: "I have lived the life I always wanted to, working for a newspaper I always wanted to, going to lovely places around the world, populated in the main by people I would have chosen to be with. Surely, no journalist could ask for more." -- Dai Davies, former golf correspondent of The Guardian, who died Monday.

Copyright 2008 Associated Press. All rights reserved.