A 74-strong field will descend upon Muirfield Village in Dublin, Ohio for this week’s The Memorial Tournament, the penultimate Signature Event of the PGA Tour season.
Jack Nicklaus designed this par-72 course measuring 7,569 yards and it is a true second-shot track, with the smaller than average undulating greens demanding precision on approach.
Scottie Scheffler returns to defend the title he won by one stroke last year and he is in superb form, having won the CJ Cup Byron Nelson and US PGA Championship before last week’s tied-fourth finish at the Charles Schwab Challenge.
With a 36-hole cut to the top 50 and ties, there is an added degree of pressure as the stellar field battles it out for the $4million winner’s cheque and 700 FedEx Cup points.
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Memorial Tournament betting tips
- Patrick Cantlay to win and each-way @ 21/1
- Shane Lowry to win and each-way @ 30/1
- Denny McCarthy to win and each-way @ 45/1
Muirfield memories to spur Cantlay on
Muirfield Village has been a happy hunting ground for Patrick Cantlay, who claimed the spoils here in 2019 and 2021 and has a further two top-five finishes and a top 10 at this course on his CV.
Accurate approach play has been a key area of success at this venue and the 33-year-old American is 10th in strokes gained approach and second in greens in regulation on the US circuit this season.
While the putter hasn’t been as reliable as previous years, world number 15 Cantlay is still a dab hand with the flat stick and he put in two good showings in back-to-back Signature Events recently, going T13 at the RBC Heritage and T4 at the Truist Championship.
Having taken a week off after missing the cut at the US PGA Championship, Cantlay should be recharged for this trip to one of his favourite courses.
Dublin joy for Lowry
Shane Lowry endured heartache a couple of starts ago at the Truist Championship, faltering in the final round to finish tied-second behind Sepp Straka, and the Irishman subsequently failed to make the weekend at the US PGA.
Refreshed after taking last week off, the 38-year-old’s solid approach play, which has him ranked sixth in strokes gained approach, should help him get into contention in Dublin.
With a ranking of 20th in scrambling and 18th in strokes gained around-the-green, Lowry’s short game is as good as ever and he is more than capable of putting in a strong challenge for glory.
McCarthy to break PGA duck
Denny McCarthy is still searching for his maiden PGA Tour title but there have been enough positive signs this season to suggest that breakthrough is not far away.
The American is one of the best putters on tour, ranking sixth in strokes gained putting, while his work around the greens has been impressive with a scrambling standing of 19th.
With McCarthy’s iron play looking sharp when tied-eighth at the US PGA last time out, he can keep that momentum going with another bold showing at Muirfield, where he lost in a play-off to Viktor Hovland in 2023.
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