Pristine Muirfield Village Golf Club and host Jack Nicklaus require the world’s best to pack a lunch this week.
49th Memorial Tournament
Muirfield Village Golf Club
Dublin, Ohio
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Mike Glasscott: 49th Memorial Tournament presented by Workday tips
Win: Collin Morikawa (14/1)
Top 10: Si Woo Kim (7/2), Patrick Cantlay (11/5), Ben An (7/2)
Top 20: Billy Horschel (81/50), Kurt Kitayama (21/10), Lee Hodges (14/5)
Bet365: Top of the Board
Scottie Scheffler (15/4): The Texan has cashed solo third in his last two visits to MVGC in 2023 and 2021. Already a winner of a legacy event (Arnold Palmer Invitational), a major (Masters), and THE PLAYERS, he’s only been beaten by nine golfers in his last SEVEN starts. If, he gets off to a slow start, the live odds might be better.
Xander Schauffele (8/1): Fresh off his first major championship at the Jack Nicklaus design at Valhalla, the Californian is looking for his first top 10 at THIS Jack Nicklaus layout. The best putter at the top of the board, the PGA Champion is no slouch tee-to-green. Winning a major championship is said to be a life-changing event. I will give him a week to get his game back in competitive order before Pinehurst No. 2 for the U.S. Open next week.
Rory McIlroy (17/2): It is not very often when the top three players at the top of the Bet365.com board have not won the event. Making his 13th start at Memorial, the Ulsterman is still looking for his first podium finish. How tough is MVGC? McIlroy has just two rounds in the 60s from his last 18 rounds yet has finished T18 or better in his last three visits, including T7 in the 2023 edition.
Collin Morikawa (14/1): I am one of many who believe that the two-time major champion returns to the winner’s circle this week. Trending beautifully after a pair of top-five paydays at the PGA Championship and Charles Schwab Challenge at Colonial, MVGC requires outstanding iron play, and that’s his calling card. Remember, the perfect greens are not difficult to putt when the approach shots are on the proper side of the hole. All aboard!
Viktor Hovland (16/1): His quote about MVGC Tuesday is a beauty: “This golf course doesn’t care about your memories or good vibes. It’s going to punish you.” The reigning champion needed 19 birdies to offset 12 bogeys last year to win. After an early season slump, he has perked back to life with T21 at the immense Quail Hollow Club and solo third at Valhalla. The Norwegian only missed 16 GIR in Louisville in his last event.
Ludvig Aberg (22/1): The Swede took off the week before the PGA Championship to assure he was ready for the test at Valhalla. He received extra rest on Saturday and Sunday after missing the cut. Playing just once in the last six weeks, I’m interested to see where his game is before the next major championship.
Justin Thomas (25/1): Like Schauffele, the Kentuckian has thrown up plenty of decent results this season but has not answered the final question. Inspired by the home crowd at Valhalla, he remarked that he’s close to breaking the winless streak that stretches back to May of 2022.
Patrick Cantlay (25/1): Ah, there he is. The 2019 winner ran solo fourth in 2018. After the renovation, he won the first edition and followed with T3 in defense. Sitting on 5-under after 36-hole last year, he closed 74-78 to fade to T30. Nobody has a better stroke average at this event (minimum 10 rounds played) than his 70.32. His best results this season are on tracks where he annually rakes in the cash, T4 at Riviera, and T3 at Harbour Town. This week qualifies.
Players to consider for Top 10 or Top 20 action:
Byeong-Hun An: Making his ninth visit, the Korean has cashed T25 or better in all five weekends he’s made the cut, including a playoff loss in 2018. Top four finishes in May at TPC Craig Ranch and Quail Hollow Club tell me he’s not searching for answers heading to MVGC.
Corey Conners: Finally! The Canadian waited until his National Open to cash his first top-10 check of the season. The momentum should continue on a track where superior iron play is the key.
Si Woo Kim: His stat profile leaves no doubt as to why he’s been around the first page of the leaderboard here over the last three years. Missing the cut at the PGA Championship is the only blemish from 15 attempts in 2024.
Billy Horschel: The 2022 winner isn’t having any swing issues this time. The winner at Puntacana cashed T8 at Valhalla before T24 at Colonial his last time out.
Sepp Straka: In his last eight events, he’s played the weekend six times and cashed T16 or better at TPC Sawgrass, the Masters, Harbour Town, Quail Hollow Club, and Colonial.
Denny McCarthy: Plenty of scar tissue here and on TOUR. Beaten in a playoff last year, he was T5 in 2022. This property fits his eye.
Kurt Kitayama: The 2023 winner at Bay Hill sits 23rd in SG: Off the Tee and 16th in SG: Approach. Ball-strikers move up the list.
Davis Riley: The winner at Colonial three weeks ago has led or shared the first-round lead here the last two seasons. A cheeky, first-round leader ticket at worst.
Lee Hodges: Cashing T12 on debut last year, the Alabama native posted three rounds of 72 or better to sit one shot off the 54-hole lead. Now he knows what it takes on Sunday to bother the leaders.
NOW PLAYING:
| Host Course | Muirfield Village Golf Club |
| Yards (per official scorecard): | 7,569. |
| Par: | 72 (36-36). |
| Greens: | L-93 007 Creeping Bentgrass; 5,000 square feet on average. |
| Stimpmeter: | 13 feet and up. |
| Rough: | Kentucky Bluegrass, Ryegrass, and fescue at four inches plus. |
| Bunkers/Water Hazards/In-Play | 68/13/13 |
| Architect(s): | Jack Nicklaus (1974; 2020). |
| Defending Champion (event): | Viktor Hovland (-7*). |
| Multiple Champion(s) Entered: | Patrick Cantlay (2021, 2019). |
| Course Record | 61; John Huston (Round 2, 1996). |
| 72 Hole Tournament Record: | 268, 20-under; Tom Lehman (1994). |
| Facts of the Week: | Tiger Woods is the only winner to successfully defend the title (1999-2001). |
Muirfield Village Golf Club
Built on land outside the suburb of his hometown of Columbus, Ohio, Muirfield Village Golf Club was built and designed by Jack Nicklaus with help from Desmond Muirhead in 1974.
The Dublin, Ohio, course named after Muirfield in Scotland, hosts the PGA TOUR for the 49th consecutive edition.
Joining The Greenbrier Resort, MVGC is the only other course to host the Ryder Cup and Solheim Cup. The club has also staged the 2013 Presidents Cup, the 1992 U.S. Amateur, and the 1986 Junior Amateur.
The latest, most extensive renovation came after the July 2020 edition. Every tee box, green complex, fairway, and bunker were rebuilt, and the course lengthened 151 yards.
The most dramatic change for the 2024 tournament was moving the tee box 30 yards right on the Par-3 16th. The course plays two yards shorter than 2023.
The course was rated in the top 10 in scoring average each year after the changes. The Par-5 holes also rank in the top 10 of most difficult played on TOUR annually. The 2023 edition provided the most difficult GIR and the hardest Par-3 holes. It is not an easy golf course. The last time the cut was Even par or better was in 2018.
For the fourth week in a row and the fifth time in six events, Bentgrass tests the putting acumen. The L-93 007 strain runs at just .900 of an inch, and the surfaces are in the conversation for the best on TOUR each year.
At only 5,000 square feet on average, they provide less-than-average targets on approach. Keeping the ball below the hole, whether on approach or scrambling, is a key to success.
With plenty of room off the tee to swing driver, errant rips will find four inches plus of Kentucky Bluegrass/Ryegrass and Fescue. Water penalty areas gobble up wayward shots, and the parkland of mature hardwood trees will require pitching out. It is not an easy golf course.
John Huston (Round 2, 1996) owns the course record of 61.
Tom Lehman posted 20-under 268 in 1994.
Recent Winners
2023 Season Winners
| Event | Winner |
| Sentry Tournament of Champions | Jon Rahm |
| Sony Open in Hawaii | Si Woo Kim |
| The AMERICAN EXPRESS | Jon Rahm (2) |
| Farmers Insurance Open | Max Homa (2) |
| AT&T Pebble Beach | Justin Rose |
| WM Phoenix Open | Scottie Scheffler |
| The Genesis Invitational | Jon Rahm (3) |
| The Honda Classic | Chris Kirk |
| Arnold Palmer Invitational | Kurt Kitayama (first TOUR win) |
| THE PLAYERS Championship | Scottie Scheffler (2) |
| Valspar Championship | Taylor Moore (first TOUR win) |
| Corales Puntacana | Matt Wallace (first TOUR win) |
| WGC – Dell Technologies MP | Sam Burns |
| Valero Texas Open | Corey Conners |
| Masters | Jon Rahm (4) |
| RBC Heritage | Matt Fitzpatrick |
| Zurich Classic of New Orleans | Davis Riley & Nick Hardy (first TOUR win for each) |
| Mexico Open at Vidanta | Tony Finau (2) |
| Wells Fargo Championship | Wyndham Clark (first TOUR win) |
| AT&T Byron Nelson | Jason Day |
| PGA Championship | Brooks Koepka |
| Charles Schwab Challenge | Emiliano Grillo |
| Memorial | Viktor Hovland |
| RBC Canadian Open | Nick Taylor |
| U.S. Open | Wyndham Clark (2) |
| Travelers Championship | Keegan Bradley (2) |
| Rocket Mortgage Classic | Rickie Fowler |
| John Deere Classic | Sepp Straka |
| Genesis Scottish Open | Rory McIlroy (2) |
| The Open Championship | Brian Harman |
| 3M Open | Lee Hodges (first TOUR win) |
| Wyndham Championship | Lucas Glover |
| FedEx St. Jude Championship | Lucas Glover (2) |
| BMW Championship | Viktor Hovland (2) |
| TOUR Championship | Viktor Hovland (3) |
| Fortinet Championship | Sahith Theegala |
| Sanderson Farms Championship | Luke List |
| Shriners Children’s Open | Tom Kim |
| ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP | Collin Morikawa |
| World Wide Technology | Erik van Rooyen |
| Butterfield Bermuda | Camilo Villegas |
| The RSM Classic | Ludvig Aberg |
2024 Season Winners
| Event | Winner |
| The Sentry | Chris Kirk |
| Sony Open in Hawaii | Grayson Murray |
| The American Express | Nick Dunlap (a) |
| Farmers Insurance Open | Matthieu Pavon (rookie) |
| AT&T Pebble Beach | Wyndham Clark (54 holes) |
| WM Phoenix Open | Nick Taylor |
| The Genesis Invitational | Hideki Matsuyama |
| Mexico Open at Vidanta | Jake Knapp (rookie) |
| Cognizant Classic | Austin Eckroat (first time) |
| Arnold Palmer Invitational | Scottie Scheffler |
| THE PLAYERS Championship | Scottie Scheffler (2) |
| Valspar Championship | Peter Malnati |
| Texas Children’s Houston Open | Stephan Jaeger (first time) |
| Valero Texas Open | Akshay Bhatia |
| 88th Masters Tournament | Scottie Scheffler (3) |
| RBC Heritage | Scottie Scheffler (4) |
| Zurich Classic | Rory McIlroy & Shane Lowry |
| THE CJ CUP Byron Nelson | Taylor Pendrith (first time) |
| Wells Fargo Championship | Rory McIlroy (2) |
| 106th PGA Championship | Xander Schauffele |
| Charles Schwab Challenge | Davis Riley |
| RBC Canadian Open | Robert MacIntyre (first time) |
The 49th Memorial Tournament
Not many venues have hosted 49 consecutive events on TOUR. Roger Maltbie was the inaugural winner here in 1976.
Tiger Woods, not entered this week, won five times and is the only player to successfully defend the title.
Patrick Cantlay, champion in 2021 and 2019, is the only multiple winner in the field.
The invitational field of 73 players includes 44 of the top 50 in the Official World Golf Rankings and nine of the top 10.
The top 50 and ties, plus any player within 10 shots of the lead after two rounds, will play the final 36 holes.
Hideki Matsuyama, the 2014 champion at 22 years old, is the only player to win on debut outside of the inaugural edition and is the youngest player to raise the trophy.
Kentucky native Kenny Perry won this event three times. His last victory came at age 47, the oldest winner.
The 2016 winner, William McGirt (not entered), is the last champion to pick up his first win on TOUR at MVGC.
The winner will take home 700 FedExCup points plus $4 million from the $20 million purse in the final legacy invitational (Tiger Woods, Arnold Palmer, and Jack Nicklaus) this season.
Recent Winners – Memorial
Italics – not entered this week.
| Year | Winner | Notes |
| 2023 | Viktor Hovland (-7*) | Defeated Denny McCarthy in a playoff. Highest winning total since 1990. |
| 2022 | Billy Horschel (-13) | The last player to finish the event in double digits, the Florida man won by four. |
| 2021 | Patrick Cantlay (-13*) | Knocked out Collin Morikawa in a playoff to win for the second time. First event after the major renovation of 2020-2021. |
| 2020 | Jon Rahm (-9) | Won by three shots. |
| 2019 | Patrick Cantlay (-19) | Missed tying the tournament record by a shot. |
Mike Glasscott: 49th Memorial Tournament presented by Workday tips
Win: Collin Morikawa (14/1)
Top 10: Si Woo Kim (7/2), Patrick Cantlay (11/5), Ben An (7/2)
Top 20: Billy Horschel (81/50), Kurt Kitayama (21/10), Lee Hodges (14/5)
One and Done
I’ll be joining Spotter’s game again this season. Now, where did I put my checkbook…
35 events.
1 player per event (plus a backup pick if your guy gets kidnapped on Wednesday night and doesn’t make it to the first tee Thursday).
1 use per year.
Add up the total money and Spotter is yer uncle!
| Event | Selection | Earnings |
| The Sentry | Collin Morikawa | 690,500 |
| Sony Open in Hawaii | Corey Conners | 18,592 |
| The American Express | Adam Hadwin | 310,800 |
| Farmers Insurance Open | Jason Day | 0 |
| AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am | Jordan Spieth | 70,125 |
| WM Phoenix Open | Matt Fitzpatrick | 156,200 |
| The Genesis Invitational | Max Homa | 329,000 |
| Mexico Open at Vidanta | Tony Finau | 145,125 |
| Cognizant Classic | Russell Henley | 32,850 |
| Arnold Palmer Invitational | Scottie Scheffler | 4,000,000 |
| THE PLAYERS Championship | Will Zalatoris | 0 |
| Valspar Championship | Sam Burns | 0 |
| Texas Children’s Houston Open | Wyndham Clark | 54,418 |
| Valero Texas Open | C Bezuidenhout | 67,735 |
| 88th Masters Tournament | Rory McIlroy | 175,500 |
| RBC Heritage | Patrick Cantlay | 1,160,000 |
| Zurich Classic | Nick Taylor | 122,375 |
| THE CJ CUP Byron Nelson | Stephan Jaeger | 112,100 |
| Myrtle Beach Classic | Daniel Berger | 20,350 |
| Wells Fargo Championship | Sahith Theegala | 47,000 |
| 106th PGA Championship | Brooks Koepka | 113,962 |
| Charles Schwab Challenge | Taylor Moore | 0 |
| RBC Canadian Open | Mackenzie Hughes | 295,316 |
| Total Winnings: | 7,921,948 |
His game has more fun stuff to it. Reach out @A340Spotter on Twitter or A340Spotter@frontier.com for more details and to join.
Recapping Last Week – RBC Canadian Open
I’m loading up on any and all hockey players, curlers, and Tim Horton franchisees.
MY CHOICE: Mackenzie Hughes – T7
Playing in the penultimate group, the local lad birdied three of his first four on Sunday but played his final 10 holes in three over to post 70 and share seventh.
Others to Consider:
Taylor Pendrith: The Canadian produced a spectacular run of results over the last month but was halted at the PGA Championship with a MC. Winner at TPC Craig Ranch earlier this season. T21
Adam Svensson: His victory was on a Par-70 with big greens at The RSM Classic two years ago. T51.
Shane Lowry/Tommy Fleetwood: SOMEBODY HAS TO WIN THE OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP, RIGHT? T33, T21
Rory McIlroy: The angle this week is the field isn’t deep enough. The other angle is the prize pool isn’t worth it. T4 after 65-64 to close!
This Week – 49th Memorial Tournament
I’m done overthinking everything.
So I’m not thinking, PERIOD!
MY CHOICE: Ben An
Too much heat! Too much power tee-to-green!
Too many players already burned!
Others to Consider:
Patrick Cantlay: The course horse this week. Giddy up, if you can.
Viktor Hovland: I’m never a fan of following in Tiger’s footsteps, but he isn’t concerned about that history.
Si Woo Kim: Risky, rewardy, but he’s rocked here since the renovation.
Justin Thomas: If you believe he’s really, really close then fire away. I’m not crazy about any of these plays with a major championship next week.
Good luck! You’ll need it!
Glass Houses 