The penultimate PGA Tour signature event of the season is set to take place this weekend at Muirfield Golf Club in Dublin.
It is the final PGA event before the US Open next week and with all of the best players on the tour taking part, it is set to be a thrilling weekend of golf.
Last year, the course and the conditions around Muirfield proved to be a real challenge for players with Viktor Hovland winning with a score of -7. It was the perfect preparation for the US Open, the hardest tournament of the season, and organisers will be hoping for something similar this time around after several low-scoring tournaments.
All eligible players are taking part with the exception of Robert MaCintyre who has spent the week celebrating with family and friends after his maiden PGA Tour triumph at the Canadian Open last weekend.
The rest of the field is stacked, however, with Scheffler, Schauffele, McIlroy, Aberg and last year's winner, Hovland, all teeing it up.
What do you need to win around here and who is best set up for a good week in Dublin? After getting two out of three predictions correct at the Canadian Open last week, here are my Memorial Tournament Betting Tips.
Memorial Tournament Betting Tips
Muirfield is a course with wide fairways so accuracy with the driver isn't all that important this week. Instead, the key will be who hits their irons accurately with approach shots notoriously difficult around the par-72 course.
Water is a legitimate hazard on 11 of the holes while there are 150 bunkers in play. The biggest reason why approach shots are so difficult around Muirfield, however, is that the greens are significantly smaller than the average.
Patrick Cantlay E/W (10 places) – 7/2
Patrick Cantlay has found life difficult on the PGA Tour this season with off-course drama perhaps having a negative impact on his game. However, nobody will be more excited about the prospect of playing at Muirfield than Cantlay this week given his record here.
He is a two-time champion of the tournament, having lifted the title in 2019 and 2021 so it goes without saying that this is a golf course that suits his game down to the ground. In addition to his two victories, he also has a third-placed finish and a fourth-placed finish in the last six years.
Past champions typically do well around here, illustrating that is quite a niche course suited to only a select few. Tiger Woods has won it five times, Kenny Perry has won it three time while Tom Watson, Greg Norman, Hale Irwin and Jack Nicklaus have all won it twice alongside Cantlay.
Justin Thomas top 10 finish – 21/10
Given how well Justin Thomas has performed this season, it seems unfathomable that the general consensus at the end of last season was that he shouldn't have been anywhere near the US Ryder Cup team.
This season, however, JT has four top-ten finishes, including an eighth-place finish at the PGA Championship—the last tournament he played. Thomas, therefore, comes into this with plenty of freshness, which could prove vital given that many of the field have played at least once since the last major.
Thomas is a phenomenal iron player and ranks 6th this season for shots gained on approaches to the green. That should stand him in good stead this week when attacking the small and dangerous greens around Muirfield.
Tommy Fleetwood top 20 finish – 10/11
I backed Tommy Fleetwood for a top-ten finish at the Canadian Open last week, and he was well on course for that heading into the final round, only to fade away. I'm backing him again this week, as his game looked in fantastic nick for 3/4 of the Canadian, and this is a course that should suit him.
While iron play is important, what you do when you inevitably miss a green is arguably more important. When it comes to scrambling this season, Fleetwood is 5th in the field this week, which shows how brilliant his touch is around the greens.
Jordan Spieth and Andrew Putnam ranked highest for scrambling during the 2023 Memorial Tournament. They both finished in a tie for fifth at the end of the tournament, illustrating just how important scrambling will be this week.
Andy is tipster who has been calling Golf tournaments for several years across many different platforms. He has covered all tournaments from the Asian Tour to the Masters.
Viktor Hovland 16/1 @ various to repeat last year’s victory @ Muirfield. GL 🍀 all & enjoy the ⛳ Golf.👍