Weekly PGA Preview: the Memorial Tournament

This article is part of our Weekly PGA Preview series.

The Memorial Tournament

Muirfield Village Golf Club
Dublin, OH

The PGA Tour heads to Dublin, OH for another edition of the Memorial Tournament.

Before we get to, a few words on the RBC Canadian Open, well actually more of a question and that is, is the Canadian Open fun now? Okay, onto the business at hand, we're back to with another signature event this week and more importantly, it feels like we're starting to find some normalcy in this season. It started with a bunch of underdog winners, then Scheffler had his stretch, then Scheffler got arrested (it's still weird typing that), and of course there's the McIlroy divorce and I'm sure I'm forgetting something else, but it feels like things are about to calm down and for golf, that's a good thing. Other sports might revel in off the field action, but after LIV came into the picture a couple years ago, I dare to say that most golf fans just want the drama to be on the course only. As for what we can expect this week, I think this next stretch is going to be very interesting. Is Scheffler going to continue to dominate now that's he's got his off-course drama behind him? Will Schauffele find a new gear after his first major? Will Rory go on a run? There's a lot to look forward to on the course over the next couple months, let's hope that's where all the drama in golf unfolds.                                                            

All odds via FanDuel Sportsbook as of 5:00 PM ET Tuesday.                   

LAST TIME

Viktor Hovland shot a final round 70 on his way to a playoff victory over Denny McCarthy.

FAVORITES

Scottie Scheffler (18-5) 

For those that weren't following golf in the early 2000's, a number like this might seem insane, but for those of us that witnessed Tiger in his prime, this like is merely outrageous. Here's the tough part with Scheffler's lines now, he's got a really good chance to win every time he tees it up, but there's just not enough value anymore. All it takes is one bad round and he could be toast, but what are the odds he'll have a bad round unless he gets hauled away in hand cuffs prior to his round? Not good, but I still can't play this number.  

Rory McIlroy (9-1)

Public confidence in Rory is about as high as it's been in quite a while. Though he didn't win as a favorite this past week or contend at the PGA Championship, he still has the look of a guy who is ready to win a lot of events. McIlroy's track record here is good, but his best finish was a T5 in 2011. With that said, he's finished inside the top-20 in six of his past eight starts, so he'll be in the mix, it's just a matter if he can close this week.       

Xander Schauffele (9-1)

Schauffele is no stranger to being among the favorites, even at a signature event, but after picking up his first major win this past month, he's now firmly entrenched with the big boys. Schauffele has never had a problem playing well at big events outside the majors, so it will be interesting to see if he goes on a little run now that he's got even more confidence. Like McIlroy, his track record here is good, but not great. With that said, Schauffele could take off as a major winner. He's in the mix this week.                                             

THE NEXT TIER

Viktor Hovland (18-1)

Just a couple weeks ago, it looked like Hovland might have trouble finding his form at any point this season, but his surprise showing at the PGA Championship has turned everything around. Now he returns to this event as the defending champ and filled with a renewed confidence. I like Hovland's upside this week, but I am a little concerned that this is the first event since the PGA Championship. In other words, are we sure he's back? It certainly won't help that he's defending this week, but I have a feeling he'll figure everything out and at least be in contention come Sunday.

Patrick Cantlay (25-1)

This has not been Cantlay's year, but he's no stranger to winning and his upside remains as high as anyone outside of Scheffler, so the question is, will a return to a site where he's had a lot of success kick-start his season? This is a hit or miss pick, which is fine when you're betting a player to win, not as good when making a OAD pick, but that's not what we're talking about here, so I'd say go ahead and make this play as Cantlay knows how to win here, he's done it twice.

Hideki Matsuyama (45-1)            

Matsuyama got off to a great start this year with a win at the Genesis Invitational, and after a mini-run which saw him post top-10s at The PLAYERS and the Valero Texas Open a back issue creeped into the picture. He pulled out of the Wells Fargo, but returned for the PGA Championship a week later. It's been a couple weeks since his most recent start, so hopefully he's back near 100% as he has a good chance to make some noise this week. Matsuyama has three top-10s here in nine starts, including a win in 2014.

LONG SHOTS

Tom Kim (55-1)

I recall mentioning about a year ago that odds like this wouldn't be around much longer for Kim, but after an unspectacular 2023 season, followed by a slow start this season, here we are, back in longshot land. Kim is simply too good to be down here for long however and after this past week's T4 at the RBC, it might be the right time to jump back on this train.         

Si Woo Kim (60-1)           

Kim has struggled to find his best form this season, but he's still managed to make a lot of cuts and occasionally play well on the weekend. Okay, that's not exactly a ringing endorsement, but Kim's track record here is pretty solid and if he gets going early, he could be a factor. Kim has finished inside the top-10 in two of his past three starts at this event.          

ONE-AND-DONE LEAGUES

Highly-Chosen Pick: Xander Schauffele - Schauffele is probably available on most OAD teams at this point and if that's the case, then he's going to be very popular this week. Though he's a major winner now, he's still not quite at the level where you need to save him for a major, so a signature event feels like the right spot. My only concern is that this will be his first start after a huge win, so we don't know where's he's at mentally.  

Moderately-Chosen Pick: Viktor Hovland - It won't take much for OAD players to get back on the Hovland express, so his performance at the PGA Championship is going to place him on a lot of teams this week. I like this play, but I'm a little hesitant to take him off of one good start. With that said, he is the defending champ and he is one of the best players in the world. If he is truly back however, it might be wise to save him for one of the final two majors.  

Lightly-Chosen Pick: Si Woo Kim - This probably isn't the week to go too far down the list because there are a lot of high-end golfers with good track records here, but if you are looking to gain some ground, Kim might be your guy. He's not at the top of his game right now, but a return to Muirfield Village is bound to help his cause.            

Buyer Beware: Ludvig Aberg - I'll start by stating it wasn't easy to find someone that fits the bill this week. I had a hard time advising against any of the top players, but there might be a reason to fade Aberg this week. Aberg has had a great season already, but he missed the cut at the PGA Championship and perhaps that's the sign that a slump might be coming. I know, it's a stretch but there weren't really any good options for this spot.  

This Week: Patrick Cantlay - If you haven't done so already, now is the time to start mapping out the finish to the season. Including the FedExCup events, but excluding the TOUR Championship, there are six big purses left. Excluding the LIV players, I have roughly 5-to-8 guys that I could use during those events, which means I need to be smart when to deploy each of them. I wanted to take Xander here, but I'll need him down the stretch, so I'm going with Cantlay as this looks like the best spot to use him. I don't like his form this season, but he did play well at the RBC Heritage just over a month ago and maybe returning to a site where he's had a lot of success will get him going.

Previous Results

FANDUEL PICKS

Upper Range:  Viktor Hovland ($11,200) 
Middle Range: Max Homa ($10,300) 
Lower Range: Denny McCarthy ($8,900)

SURVIVOR LEAGUES

This Week: Patrick Cantlay - I was burned by the double-up this past week as Adam Hadwin inexplicably missed the cut, but I feel good about going back to the well this week. Cantlay has never missed the cut at this event and while his form has not been great this season, I would be shocked if he were to miss the cut here. 

Previous Results