BlogMemorial Tournament Preview and Picks

The Buzz:

So it’s back to Muirfield Village but with one important change. Since 2002 (except for pandemic years), the Memorial has been played two weeks before the U.S. Open. However, the PGA Tour made a change to play the Memorial one week before the U.S. Open. The reason is so they can play a signature event the week before the Open. Usually, that would be fine; players would be fine with playing two events in a row. Yes, some like to take the week off before a major. Still, with these signature events, we see majors having a signature event either the week before (like this year’s PGA Championship, played the week before the Wells Fargo) or the week after (like the Heritage, played the week after the Masters). We didn’t have a problem with that this year, but to put a little strain on it, they moved the Travelers, played after the U.S. Open, to be played after the Open. The Memorial has a full field of top players, but there will likely be some, like Rory McIlroy, who will not play in the Travelers. It’s a tricky thing for the players, for they want to play in Canada, and now, like Rory, they are forced to play in 4 in a row. But what makes this tricky is that players playing in 20 million dollar events, paying over $4 million for first place, had better be careful about complaining. Yes, we are seeing some fan backlash due to the greed in professional golf. This is a big ask on the PGA Tour trying to get players into events before and after a major, so we will have to see how this works out.

Usually, we would be happy to play Memorial the week before the U.S. Open. Memorial has many characteristics and traditions of a U.S. Open course, such as tight fairways, the need to hit big irons into the greens, and putting on tricky undulating greens. But all that goes out the window when Pinehurst hosts next week’s U.S. Open. The fairways at Pinehurst will be wider than they were at L.A. Country Club last year. The greens are also different, with Pinehurst greens sloping off their sides, which will require players to be able to get it up and down on missed greens. So we will see what happens, but we have three great weeks of golf ahead of us.

This brings up an interesting thought: the 2024 season is 75% complete. After the Travelers, only nine events are left before the FedEx Playoffs. But that number is off because there are conflicting events the week of the Scottish Open and British Open, plus the Olympics are in the mix. So, scheduling will be very important after the Travelers to keep you fresh for the three weeks of the playoffs. So after the Travelers, players have two weeks before the Scottish Open and then the British Open. Then, there is a week before the Olympics and a week before the playoffs. So we can see how the players handle the event load.

This will be the best field the Memorial has ever seen. Like Xander Schauffele, who finally broke out at the PGA Championship, several players have not had great years and are looking to break out and be in contention at Muirfield Village.

Defending champion Viktor Hovland played terribly between The Sentry and the PGA Championship, finding his game at Valhalla. But heading into this week, was the PGA more of a fluke than a reality? Golf Channel had an interview with Hovland in which he said that he has returned to how he thinks about golf in 2023 and how he swings. In a press interview, Hovland noted that after leaving instructor Joe Mayo, he is returning to working with Mayo. He feels he can make his swing more repeatable and that he will have a great summer. Now, before we start ripping into Hovland’s play this year, he is usually a slow starter. Now we know how well he played after winning the Memorial, but he did finish T-3rd at the Players, T-7th at the Masters, and T-2nd at the PGA Championship. Other than that, his game and results could have been better. Maybe something hit him when he missed the cut at the Masters; he tied for 24th at the Wells Fargo and tied for 3rd at the PGA Championship. So, in the next three weeks, we will see if he can turn his game around and play like he did last year. There is no way he can repeat last year’s performance of winning the FedEx Cup with two wins in the playoffs, but I can see him playing well the rest of the way.

Another lost player is Patrick Cantlay. He won the Memorial in 2019 and 2021 but has only finished in the top ten twice this year (T-4th Genesis and T-3rd Heritage).

• His stats, like strokes gained off the tee, have gone down a lot. In 2023, he was 4th; in 2024, he is 72nd.
• Strokes Gained Approach the Green was 18th in 2023; in 2024, he is 122nd.
• Strokes Gained Tee to Green. He was 3rd in 2023, but in 2024, he is 70th.
• In driving distance, he was 37th last year and T-95th this year.
• In Driving Accuracy he was 26th last year, 121st this year.
• In Greens in Regulation, he was 21st last year and 149th this year.
• His putting is consistent, down a bit, but nothing drastic.
• So we can see his game is not in good shape; his scoring average in 2023 was 69.190, and he is up just under two shots per round at 71.090; this is drastic and shows as he was 2nd last year making 4.50 birdies per round; this year is 149th making 4.07 per round.

Cantlay is a quiet person who doesn’t give many interviews, but we do know that he has switched to an Odyssey 2 ball and a Scotty Cameron Mallet putter in recent weeks. But that will not help what is seriously wrong. He is driving poorly and not hitting great irons into the greens.

Another player struggling in 2024 is Max Homa. His best finishes of the year were T-8th at the Palmer and Wells Fargo and T-3rd at the Masters. However, he was T-35th at the PGA Championship and missed the cut at the Colonial, so there are concerns about him. His stats are down, but not as drastically as Cantlay’s. But the main problem has to be his putter; he was 6th in Strokes Gained Putting in 2023 and is 78th this year. He is missing a lot of putts in the six to nine-foot range, which is why his scoring average is up almost a shot and a half this year, going from 69.516 last year to 70.967 this year. Will he get it back this week? I would not bet on it.

One person I like this week is Tom Kim. I can’t put my finger on it; in 16 starts, he’s only had one top-15 finish, which came last week at the Canadian Open (he was T-4). I like him because his scores have dropped since the Masters, and he seems to have had that one bad round that hurt him. But in Canada last week, Kim opened with a 70 and gradually went down to a 68, then a 65, and then a final round 64. It was his most consistent event since his win in Vegas in October. So, he could be a great pick this week. Another person I like this week is Si Woo Kim, who finished 4th at the Memorial last year, T-13th in 2022 and T-9th in 2021. He has been consistent this year and seems to like finishing T-15. Historically, he has had one or two events a year where he was in contention; this week will be one of them.

Have to think both Xander Schauffele and Scottie Scheffler will be good. It’s hard to believe that Xander has never finished in the top ten in six Memorial starts, but that will happen this week. As for Scottie, his last two Memorial starts were 3rd in 2023 and ’21. You have to wonder if he didn’t get arrested on the Friday of the PGA if he’d be getting ready to play for his third straight major.

Things you need to know about the Memorial

This is the 49th annual Memorial Tournament. The first one was played in 1976 and has always been played at Muirfield Village. There are close ties between the Memorial Tournament and Jack Nicklaus. The tournament was a long-time vision of Nicklaus, who grew up playing at the famous Scioto Country Club, which hosted the 1926 U.S. Open. But the course wasn’t large enough to hold a major championship, so Nicklaus built Muirfield Village with that in mind. In some ways, the Memorial mirrors the Masters because it’s the tournament Nicklaus always thought was the best run on a great course.

The tournament was named because a different golfer is recognized for contributing to golf annually. The first Memorial Tournament honoree was Bobby Jones in 1976. This year, Tom Weiskopf and Juli Inkster the honoree; in the Journalism category, the 2024 selection is Doug Ferguson. The ceremony is on Wednesday afternoon.

Course information:

• Muirfield Village Golf Club
• Dublin, Ohio
• 7,571 yards  Par 36-36–72

Muirfield Village has a 76.9 rating and a slope rating of 153 from the championship tees. The course is very private. The tees and Fairways are Bentgrass Poa Annua, while the rough is Kentucky Bluegrass with ryegrass and fescue. The greens are bentgrass. They were redone before last year’s tournament, so with another year of growth, they should be great for this week.

The tournament got its start thanks to Jack Nicklaus. During the 1966 Masters, Nicklaus told some of his closest friends that he wanted to bring a major championship to the Columbus area. Unfortunately, the best course in town, Scioto Country Club, was not big enough to hold the tournament Nicklaus envisioned. He was getting into course designing, so he knew just enough to be dangerous on the subject. He also imagined that his course would have the same characteristics that Augusta National had, plus Nicklaus wanted the event to mirror Augusta National.

After the Masters, Nicklaus and his trusted friends conducted secret site surveys around the Columbus area and found the site he thought was perfect in the Northwestern part of town. In 1967, Nicklaus started buying the land that would be Muirfield Village with his own money.

By 1970, Nicklaus realized he had a future in building golf courses. He started his own company, and in 1972, under the supervision of Golden Bear Inc., construction began in Dublin, Ohio. The project encountered many delays, including excessive amounts of rain that ultimately postponed the completion of the project until late 1973. The project also almost bankrupted Nicklaus, who funded the whole thing. Nicklaus played the inaugural round of golf at Muirfield in October 1973. Fittingly, his round was marred by torrential rainstorms. The course officially opened on May 24, 1974, with an exhibition match between Nicklaus and Tom Weiskopf. Nicklaus shot a 66, which stood as the course record until 1979.

Over the years, Muirfield Village has racked up numerous prestigious awards. Still, the essential accolade that Muirfield Village gets every year is being voted one of the five best sites by PGA Tour players, not only because the course is excellent but also because the players are pampered here. This goes beyond even the PGA Tour rules. It’s the only tournament on Tour that bans equipment manufacturers, tournament representatives, and the media from the practice facilities and locker rooms.

When Nicklaus built the course in the ’70s, he had championships in mind and a yearly PGA Tour event in mind. Along with the Memorial, which started in 1976, the course held almost every other major tournament except for a U.S. Open or a PGA Championship. Other championships at Muirfield include the 1986 U.S. Junior Amateur, the 1987 Ryder Cup Matches, the 1992 U.S. Amateur, the 1998 Solheim Cup, and the 2013 Presidents Cup.

The par 72 course has 73 bunkers, with water coming into play on 11 holes. Muirfield Village plays a long, challenging 7,571 yards with Nicklaus’s new revamp on the course in 2020/21. With a course rating of 76.9 and a slope rating of 153, it is one of the most challenging venues on the Tour.

Nicklaus didn’t just design this course with the golfer in mind; he was one of the first designers to account for the fan. The 220-acre venue strategically incorporates hills and mounds, allowing fans to look down upon most of the action. This setup mirrors most traditional stadium-seating arrangements found at major sporting events.

Over the years, Nicklaus tweaked the course, and after the 2020 event, he did a complete revamp by redoing all 18 greens, redoing all the bunkers and contouring, and making changes to 16 of the 18 holes. The only ones he left untouched were the 12th and 14th holes. Along with the greens, all fairways were resurfaced, and additional drainage was installed.

Nicklaus had no sinister plot to make the course harder. He just felt that, at the age of 81, there were things he wanted to do. The changes were made to make the holes more playable and enjoyable, so we shouldn’t see any complaints this week that the course is too severe. If anything, Nicklaus may have taken some of the toughness out of the course, but many feel that scoring-wise, it will be about the same as last year.

For this year’s event, everyone will see a redone 16th hole. The changes Nicklaus made in 2020/21 caused many complaints, so Jack softened it up by moving the lake further from the green and redoing the bunkers.

Let’s take a look at vital stats that are important for those playing at Muirfield Village:

This year marks the 50th anniversary of Muirfield Village. Jack Nicklaus started this project in the 60’s to have a championship course in the city where he grew up. Nicklaus also wanted his course to host major championships, but Jack wasn’t about to wait; two years after the course opened, the Memorial Tournament began in 1976. In the five decades of the Memorial, there have been many historic moments, one of the reasons the course is one of the most popular on the PGA Tour and one that Nicklaus continues to tweak.
As Nicklaus gets older, he does less and less major work each year. The changes he makes now are more cosmetic than making the course harder. When Nicklaus turned 80 in 2020, he realized there weren’t many changes left. So, in 2021, Nicklaus made a lot of “cosmetic” changes to make the course as perfect as possible. He realized that in the 50 years since the course opened, he had painted his Mona Lisa, which was as perfect as possible. A perfect example of trying to make the Mona Lisa look better and hurting the painting was when, in 2021, Nicklaus put a lake in front of the par 3, 16th, making it drastically harder. Last year, Jason Day didn’t realize Nicklaus was within earshot and called the changes harsh, saying it was a “stupid hole. Jack realized he had gone too far in making the hole a little more challenging and worked on the hole for this year’s Memorial.

The thing about Muirfield is that it’s a challenging course but very manageable. In its 50 years, the winning score has been as high as even par and as low as 20 under. Last year, Viktor Hovland won at seven under, the highest since Greg Norman shot even par in 1990. Now, much of it concerns the weather; last year, the wind blew between 15 and 20 mph over the weekend. This year, the wind will be in the 15 to 18 mph range, except Sunday, when the wind will drop to 11 mph but with some early morning rain.

One thing is for sure: the course is always “perfect” year after year, and in Jack Nicklaus’s mind, he has made Muirfield Village as good as it can be. The Memorial field’s scoring average on the par-72 course last year was 73.52, making it the 5th hardest of the 58 courses on the PGA Tour in 2023. It was the second hardest non-major course behind Torrey Pines South. The only thing that made the scoring higher was the windy conditions, which blew up to 20 mph over the weekend.

Here is a look at the scoring average at Muirfield Village over the past few years:
*2022 – The average was 73.06, making it the 8th most challenging of the 50 courses on the PGA Tour that year. One of the significant changes to the course was the addition of sub-pumps under the course to make it firmer in wet conditions.
*2021 – Averaged 72.97, the 10th hardest of the 51 courses on the PGA Tour that year. The course was soft. It rained on Thursday and part of Sunday. The wind was normal, 10-15 mph, but the course was perfect for low scores.
*2020 – Average was 74.01, the 2nd hardest of 41 courses on the PGA Tour that year. The weather was terrible over the weekend, with lots of wind, one of the reasons it was 74.01 for the week.
*2019 – Averaged 72.08, the 13th hardest of 49 courses on the PGA Tour that year.

Looking at our four categories and knowing the course is 100% perfect, our first for Muirfield Village is Strokes Gained Tee-to-Green, which considers distance and accuracy off the tee and greens hit. Driving and greens hit are essential when looking at Muirfield Village’s stats over the past few years. Each year, greens hit and driving accuracy have always been critical and key to playing the course well.
The course ranked 1st in Greens in Regulation hit last year. It ranked 29th for driving accuracy and 20th for Driving Distance all holes.
Last year’s tournament winner, Viktor Hovland, was 14th in Driving Distance, averaging 300.2 yards per drive, T-51st in Driving Accuracy, hitting 30 of 54 fairways, and T-19th in Greens in Regulation, hitting 41 of 72 greens. Between the three stats, he ranked 12th in Strokes Gained Tee-to-Green.

Here is a look at the Driving Distance, Driving Accuracy, and Greens in Regulation for Memorial winners in recent years:
*2022 – The course ranked 12th in Driving Distance with an average drive of 285.7 yards (out of 50 courses), 39th in Driving Accuracy, and 4th in Greens in Regulation.
Winner Billy Horschel was 42nd in Driving Distance, averaging 285.2 yards per drive, T-7th in Accuracy, hitting 43 of 54 fairways, and 1st in Greens in Regulation, hitting 53 of 72 greens. Between the three stats, he ranked 1st in Strokes Gained Tee-to-Green.
*2021 – The course ranked 14th in Driving Distance with an average drive of 286.5 yards (out of 51 courses), 31st in Driving Accuracy, and 7th in Greens in Regulation.
Winner Patrick Cantlay was T-23rd in Driving Distance, averaging 290.3 yards per drive, T-28th in Accuracy, hitting 37 of 54 fairways, and T-1st in Greens in Regulation, hitting 54 of 72 greens. Between the three stats, he ranked 1st in Strokes Gained Tee-to-Green.
*2020 – The course ranked 22nd in Driving Distance with an average drive of 294.5 yards (out of 29 courses), 6th in Driving Accuracy, and 5th in Greens in Regulation.
Winner Jon Rahm was T-15th in Driving Distance, averaging 302.1 yards per drive, T-4th in Accuracy, hitting 36 of 54 fairways, and T-3rd in Greens in Regulation, hitting 48 of 72 greens. Between the three stats, he ranked 1st in Strokes Gained Tee-to-Green.
*2019 – The course ranked 15th in Driving Distance with an average drive of 282.5 yards (out of 35 courses), 43rd in Driving Accuracy, and 14th in Greens in Regulation.
Winner Patrick Cantlay was 2nd in Driving Distance, averaging 292.4 yards per drive, T-51st in Accuracy, hitting 38 of 54 fairways, and T-11th in Greens in Regulation, hitting 50 of 72 greens. Between the three stats, he ranked 2nd in Strokes Gained Tee-to-Green.
Interestingly, three of the five winners were 1st in Strokes Gained Tee-to-Green, while one was 2nd.

Our 2nd category for The Memorial is putting inside 10 feet. We chose this because Muirfield Village has some great greens; they are only 5,000 square feet but have a lot of undulation, and the bentgrass is easy to read. Still, with the greens running 12 on the stipmeter, you will do very well if you make a lot of putts at that distance. Now, for last year, Muirfield Village ranked 21st in putting inside 10 feet out of 41 courses played for the year. As for winner Hovland, he ranked 5th, making 61 of 64 putts inside 10 feet.

Here is a look at the putting inside 10 feet of the Genesis Invitational winners in recent years:
*2022 – The field made 87.93% of their putts inside ten feet, the 19th toughest of the 36 courses that tracked putts that year.
Winner Billy Horschel made 64 of 71 putts inside 10 feet (90.14%) for a T-25 ranking.
*2021 – Those who putted inside 10 feet made 88.83% of their putts, which was the 35th hardest of the 51 courses that tracked putts for the year.
Winner Patrick Cantlay made 59 of 70 putts (84.29%) and finished 61st.
*2020 – 87.57% of putts were made for those putting inside 10 feet, as it was the 13th hardest of the 29 courses that tracked putts for the year.
Winner Jon Rahm made 65 of 71 putts inside 10 feet (91.55%) and finished T-11th.
*2019 – 87.24% of putts were made for those who putted inside ten feet, as it was the 12th hardest of the 35 courses that tracked putts for the year.
Winner Patrick Cantlay made 64 of 71 putts inside ten feet (90.14%) and ranked 19th.
Yes, it’s tough to make putts inside ten feet at Riviera.

Our third important stat is scrambling, and you can see why. Since the course is a shot-maker’s delight, you can see that if you miss a lot of greens, you better get it up and down to play well. Last year, Muirfield Village ranked 8th out of 58 courses in scrambling, while winner Hovland ranked 21st, getting up and down on 19 of the 31 greens he missed.

Here is a look at the scrambling of Memorial winners in recent years:
*2022 – Muirfield Village ranked 14th in scrambling out of the 50 courses that tracked scrambling for the year, getting it up and down 54.92% of the time.
Winner Billy Horschel was 1st, getting it up and down 16 of the 19 greens he missed.
*2021 – Muirfield Village ranked 11th in scrambling out of 51 courses that tracked scrambling for the year, getting it up and down 53.60% of the time.
Winner Patrick Cantlay was T6, getting it up and down on 12 of the 18 greens he missed.
*2020 – Muirfield Village finished 1st in scrambling out of the 41 courses that tracked scrambling this year, getting it up and down 48.40% of the time.
Winner Jon Rahm was T-3rd, getting it up and down 16 of the 24 greens he missed.
*2019 – Muirfield Village was ranked 7th in scrambling out of the 49 courses that tracked scrambling for the year, getting it up and down 55.06% of the time.
Winner Patrick Cantlay ranked 5th, getting it up and down 16 of the 22 greens he missed.
The winner has to do a great job of getting it up and down on the greens he misses.

Our final category is Par Breakers because making eagles and birdies is significant. Last year at Muirfield Village, 1,181 birdies were made, which ranked 22nd in the number of birdies made for the event. There were 29 eagles made last year, which ranked T-29th. Thanks to this, 18.27% of the holes were played par (par breakers) as the Memorial ranked 12th in par breakers. Winner Hovland was T-2nd with 19 birdies and no eagles. He was T-2nd in Par Breakers.

Here is a look at the Par Breakers of the Memorial winners in recent years:
*2022 – Made 1,237 birdies (22nd hardest) and 26 eagles (T-19th) as 18.61% of holes were under par, making it the 13th hardest of the 50 courses that year.
Winner Billy Horschel made 15 birdies (T-24th) and had one eagle as 22.22% of the holes played were under par, and he ranked T-20th in Par Breakers.
*2021 – Made 1,229 birdies (20th hardest) and 24 eagles (13th) as 18.71% of holes played were under par, making it the 16th hardest of the 51 courses that year.
Winner Patrick Cantlay made 20 birdies (3rd) and no eagles as 27.78% of the holes played were under par, ranking him 3rd in Par Breakers.
*2020 – Made 1,212 birdies (21st hardest) and 28 eagles (T-16th) with 16.97% of holes played under par, making it the 5th hardest of the 41 courses that year.
Winner Jon Rahm made 18 birdies (T-3rd) and no eagles as 325.00% of the holes played were under par, ranking him T-3rd in Par Breakers.
*2019 – Made 1,448 birdies (30th hardest) and 26 eagles (18th) as 21.33% of holes played were under par, making it the 27th hardest of the 49 courses this year.
Winner Patrick Cantlay made 25 birdies (1st) and no eagles as 34.72% of the holes played were under par, ranking him 1st in Par Breakers.
So the winner has to make a lot of birdies and eagles.

So you can see there are many ways to win at Muirfield Village, but you still have to hit the fairways and stay out of the rough. Then you have to hit the greens, and if you’re a good putter, you’ll do well at the Memorial.

*Strokes Gained tee-to-green: The per-round average of the number of strokes the player was better or worse than the field average on the same course & event minus the players’ strokes gained putting value.

*Putting inside 10 feet: This is very easy. Count every putt from ten feet in to see who makes the most.

*Scrambling: The percent of time a player misses the green in regulation but still makes par or better.

*Par Breakers: Percentage of eagles and birdies made during the course of a tournament

The 72 of the 73 players from this year’s field with stats from 2024.

Click any column title in the table header to sort columns.

DraftKings tips

Most DraftKings points earned

We have compiled a database beginning at the 2023 Sentry and going through the 2024 RBC Canadian Open, a total of 69 events (we don’t put in the Zurich team event). The database includes how many points a player won during the event and his cost. From the database, we can determine the total DraftKing points earned, the players’ average points earned per event, and average points based on the number of rounds played.

Of the players in the field, here are the top 60 playing in at least nine events:

*Here are the guys that cost the most on DraftKings this week:

• Scottie Scheffler – $12,500
• Rory McIlroy – $11,100
• Xander Schauffele – $10,900
• Viktor Hovland – $10,200
• Collin Morikawa – $9,800
• Ludvig Aberg – $9,500
• Patrick Cantlay – $9,400
• Justin Thomas – $9,200
• Tommy Fleetwood – $9,100
• Hideki Matsuyama – $9,000

If the top three on this list are doing this well, they make the next couple of players on the list non-starters.

Scottie Scheffler is the top dog at $12,500, and that is a boatload of money to risk on just one pick. Not to be a broken record, but he has always had a high-point total to make it worthwhile. He has finished 3rd in his last two starts; yes, you have to pick him. As much as I like Rory McIlroy, who is $11,100 this week, I’m sorry, but with Scheffler and Schauffele being better picks, I don’t see many going for McIlroy. Also, I wouldn’t say I like him historically, he hasn’t been in the mix late Sunday in his 12 Memorial starts, so I’m passing on him.  Xander Schauffele at $10,900 is a good pick because he has not only found his game but has a new sense of confidence that he showed the golf world he can win the big one.  See a good battle between Xander and Scottie. Viktor Hovland at $10,200 is not a good pick, even if he is the defender. He played terribly all year until the PGA Championship. Yes, his game will be better this week, but I still won’t make him one of my six picks due to his cost. Collin Morikawa at $9,800, is a great person who may be passed up with all the incredible talent. His putting is better, and in addition to a runner-up finish in 2021, he won the special Workday event at Muirfield Village in 2020. Ludvig Aberg at $9,500 is a no for me; he’s playing the Memorial for the first time, and I don’t think he will be a factor. Patrick Cantlay at $9,400 is a big no for me; I explained above how bad his stats are for 2024. I don’t think his game is sharp, and it will take a good finish for me to change my mind. Justin Thomas at $9,200 is also a no for me; I know he T-5th at Heritage and T-8th at the PGA Championship, but his game is not suited for this course. It’s not because he’s terrible, but I won’t take Tommy Fleetwood at $9,100. He has missed two cuts in two Memorial starts and needs to earn more points to pick him. Hideki Matsuyama at $9,000 is always a thought on this course where he’s won,  but his back is given minor warnings that say he isn’t a factor.

Here is our feature in which we help you decide which guys make the cut the most in a tournament.  The importance of picking six players who play 72 holes is vital in playing well in Draftkings, and this list will help.  It’s a look going back to the 2010 Memorial on who has made the most cuts.  Of course, those who make a lot of cuts and are priced low are very helpful.  To get on this list, you have to make at least three Memorial starts:

• Patrick Cantlay made 7 cuts in 7 starts for a 100.0%.  His DraftKings cost is 9,400.
• Viktor Hovland made 4 cuts in 4 starts for a 100.0%.  His DraftKings cost is 10,200.
• Scottie Scheffler made 3 cuts in 3 starts for a 100.0%.  His DraftKings cost is 12,500.
• Jordan Spieth made 10 cuts in 11 starts for a 90.9%.  His DraftKings cost is 8,600.
• Si Woo Kim made 7 cuts in 8 starts for a 87.5%.  His DraftKings cost is 7,700.
• Tony Finau made 6 cuts in 7 starts for a 85.7%.  His DraftKings cost is 7,900.
• Matt Kuchar made 11 cuts in 13 starts for a 84.6%.  His DraftKings cost is 6,100.
• Rory McIlroy made 10 cuts in 12 starts for a 83.3%.  His DraftKings cost is 11,100.
• Xander Schauffele made 5 cuts in 6 starts for a 83.3%.  His DraftKings cost is 10,900.
• Corey Conners made 4 cuts in 5 starts for a 80.0%.  His DraftKings cost is 8,500.
• Harris English made 4 cuts in 5 starts for a 80.0%.  His DraftKings cost is 7,200.
• J.T. Poston made 4 cuts in 5 starts for a 80.0%.  His DraftKings cost is 7,100.
• Hideki Matsuyama made 7 cuts in 9 starts for a 77.7%.  His DraftKings cost is 9,000.
• Rickie Fowler made 10 cuts in 14 starts for a 71.4%.  His DraftKings cost is 7,000.
• Shane Lowry made 5 cuts in 7 starts for a 71.4%.  His DraftKings cost is 7,900.
• Jason Day made 8 cuts in 12 starts for a 66.6%.  His DraftKings cost is 7,600.

(Those that I like are in bold)

*Players in that $7,500 to $8,900 price range, which ones are worth the money?:

Sahith Theegala is also worth a look at $8,800, even though he missed the cut in Canada. He finished T-5 at the 2022 Memorial and has played well in 2024. Max Homa at $8,700 is a toss-up pick.  That’s because he has been on a roller coaster this year, but have to remember he was T-5th in 2022 and T-6th in 2021. On top of that, think he is close to breaking out this year.  Corey Connors at $8,500 has been consistent in 2024 and hasn’t missed a cut since last year’s U.S. Open. He finished T-13th in 2022 and tied for 6th last week in Canada. Byeong Hun An at $8,400 is also an option; many don’t remember, but An finished T-2nd at the Memorial in 2017. He was T-4 at the Byron Nelson, 3rd at the Wells Fargo, and T-43rd at the PGA Championship so that he may be on to something. You can get Matt Fitzpatrick for just $8,200; he is good on challenging courses and could be okay for this week. Alex Noren at $8,100, could be good; he had eight straight top-25 finishes, but he missed the cut last week in Canada. That doesn’t mean much; he could be okay with it this week. It’s hard to believe you can get Tony Finau for just $7,900. He has only missed the cut once in his last 19 starts at Valspar, so he could earn you many points at a low price, also like Shane Lowry at $7,900. He has picked up a lot of Draft Kings points lately and could even get a top-five finish. Another good cheap pick is Cameron Young at $7,800. This was also my thought last week in Canada, but he missed the cut to be ruined by other picks. On the other end of the spectrum, Tom Kim is just $7,800, ready to break out and have a good summer. Keegan Bradley at $7,700, is also a reasonable pick at a low price. He finished T-2nd in his last start at Colonial and could be a surprise this week. Denny McCarthy at $7,600 is also a thought. He was runner-up last year at the Memorial and has had some good moments in 2024, including a runner-up at the Valero Texas Open.

Some of the “bargains” this week at the Memorial

Billy Horschel at $7,400, should be remembered; he won the Memorial in 2022 and was a winner at the Corales Puntacan a few weeks ago. Please don’t laugh when I suggest Christiaan Bezuidenhout at $7,300. He has made three Memorial cuts in three tries and has been consistent on the 2024 PGA Tour. Lucas Glover at $7,000, is a good choice on this course; he has made a lot of cuts in 2024 and could surprise us this week. You also can go right with Rickie Fowler at $7,000. He plays well at Muirfield Village, has played well in 2024, and is cheap enough to get you many points and a possible top-ten finish. The same goes for Justin Rose at just $6,900. He is a past champion at the Memorial and a two-time runner-up. He has made his last four cuts and finished T-6 at the PGA Championship. Thomas Detry is just $6,800 and has made a lot of cuts in 2024. He made the cut at the Memorial last year, finished T-48th, and was T-4th at the PGA Championship a few weeks ago. For some cheap players, you can’t go wrong with Lee Hodges at $6,500. He was T-12th at the Memorial last year and has been consistent in 2024, including his last two starts, finishing T-12th at both the PGA Championship and Colonial. Then we have Matt Kuchar at $6,100. Yes, he has been up and down, mostly down in 2024, but he has made 14 of 16 cuts at the Memorial, a course perfect for his game.

Here are some of the secrets of what it takes to play well at the Memorial:

Key stat for the winner:

• Muirfield Village is a course that could get you ready for a U.S. Open.  No matter how comfortable, you can’t overpower this course, you have to hit it in the fairway and think each shot to the green.

Another key:

• Those who do well in majors do well at Muirfield Village. Of the 36 different Memorial champions, they have accounted for 540 wins on the PGA Tour, while 21 have won a total of 72 major championships. What’s more, 17 of the last 31 Memorial champions have won a major championship.
• In Memorial’s history, only three leaders after the first round have won (Ernie Els in 2004, Justin Rose in 2010, and Jason Dufner in 2017). 15 second-round leaders have won, and 21 third-round leaders have won. Between 1994 and 2006, 11 of the 14 winners were in the lead after the third round. But since 2007, only 6 champions had the lead going into the final round, so again, look for someone coming out of the pack to win.
• Overpowering the par fives is important, but Patrick Cantlay still won in 2021, even though he was just 5 under.  Things were different in 2019 when Patrick Cantlay was 12 under the best of the winners since Tiger Woods was 14 under in 2001.  In 2022, Billy Horschel won, playing the par 5s in 9 under.  Last year, Viktor Hovland was only 5 under on the par 5s.
• Only 12 times in the Memorial’s history has a player shot four rounds in the 60s, eight of them winning. The last time it happened was in 2019 when Patrick Cantlay did it. Before that, Byeong Hun An did it in 2018, and Steve Stricker did it in 2011. The last time that happened before that was in 2005 when Bart Bryant prevailed.
• Last, we have to talk about the weather. This tournament has always had its share of severe weather. I remember when I used to attend this event between 1988 and 2003. One year, Barbara Nicklaus hired an Indian chief to do dances to avoid bad weather. This year, the weather will be much better, something that rarely happens in this event.