IT'S on to “Jack’s Place” Muirfield Village this week for the PGA Tour where a top field turns up to take part in the Memorial Tournament.
Muirfield is named after the Golden Bear’s favourite Open Championship venue and still playing to the original Jack Nicklaus design
The club has hosted the Ryder Cup (1987) and the Presidents Cup (2013) and features tree-lined fairways, 73 bunkers and 11 holes with water in play. Nicklaus is renowned for tinkering with the course every year but this year it has been left alone.
- Course: Muirfield Village CG, Dublin, Ohio, 7392 yards, Par 72.
Patrick Reed
I tipped Reed as one to watch at the beginning of the year and then didn’t back him in the Masters so when he won at Augusta it was a sore one to take.
However, this week could redeem the situation. If you ignore The Players Championship (T41) a couple of weeks ago he has been in really good form.
Including the Masters win he has had six top-10 finishes in a row. I’m surprised he doesn’t seem be one of the favourites although I’ll not complain if he wins.
Always thought Reed had a great all-round game for Muirfield and although his other two appearances aren’t that good he did finish eighth two years ago.
Strokes Gained Approach: 0.501 (33rd). Scrambling: 63.9% (21st). Putting Average: 1.741 (T22).
Emiliano Grillo
Argentine Grillo is another of my favourite players. He is having a great season with four top 10s, including two third-place finishes, one of which was last week at Fort Worth.
He has already qualified for the US Open and will be focusing in getting back into the OWGR which he did in 2015 and 2016.
Played here the last two years with an 11th and 40th-place finish. Muirfield is a course you have to get to know and with the form he is in Grillo can be in contention over the weekend.
- Strokes Gained Approach: 0.627 (17th). Scrambling: 62.35 (T39). Putting Average: 1.746 (T30).
Rory McIlroy
Don’t know about anyone else but I’m getting the feeling it’s getting close to “McIlroy Time”. After a good start to the year in January on the European Tour (T3 and 2nd) in Abu Dhabi and Dubai, February was a disaster on the PGA Tour.
He also missed the cut at the Valspar before finding form and winning the Arnold Palmer Invitational. A T5 finish in the Masters was a good finish but a final-round 74 let him down
He missed the cut at The Players but a second-place finish at the weekend in the BMW shows he isn’t far away from his second win of the season.
- Strokes Gained: Approach: 0.305 (52nd). Scrambling: 62.70% (34th). Putting Average: 1.754 (T42).
Recommended Bets
- 1.5pts ew Patrick Reed (33-1, Paddy Power) – 8 places
- 1.5pts ew Emiliano Grillo (Corals 40-1) – 7 places
- 1.5pts ew Rory McIlroy (Betfred 16-1) – 6 places
