The season’s third major is just around the corner and this week’s event will provide a nice tune-up for many of the big names who are getting ready for the U.S. Open.
The Memorial Tournament has always attracted a strong field, so making it a designated event this year only slightly increases the strength of field. There are only a few notables taking a pass this week, such as Max Homa and Tony Finau.
Similarly to last week, we see another invitational event which means a smaller field (120) with the low 65 and ties playing the weekend.
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PLAYERS TO WATCH
Scottie Scheffler
He’s the model of consistency right now with nothing but top-12 finishes on his resume since the CJ Cup last October. Scheffler has three previous appearances at Muirfield Village with a missed cut, T-22, and a third-place showing on his resume. He’s improved upon each return visit and he’ll continue to be a pre-tournament betting favorite until he shows any sign of slowing down his current pace.
Jon Rahm
While Scheffler has the edge in recent consistency, Rahm has piled up six wins since October. He’s also a past champ at Muirfield Village (2020 Memorial). He should have also won the following year but was forced to WD ahead of the final round, in which he was leading by six, due to testing positive for COVID-19. It wasn’t love at first sight for Rahm but he’s now been T-11 or better after eight of his last 11 rounds at this event.
Patrick Cantlay
While Rahm has played well here in recent years, Cantlay has an even longer track record of success at Jack’s Place. He’s played seven events at Muirfield Village and collected five top-10s in those appearances, with two of those doubling as wins. Sure, he got gifted one of those wins due to Rahm’s COVID situation, but the pure volume of good play at the course tells us that he likes the layout.
Rickie Fowler
He’s bagged top-20s in eight of his last 10 stroke-play events, continuing to trend back toward the winner’s circle. Fowler has a boom-or-bust relationship with Muirfield Village as he’s posted top-25s in seven of 14 appearances but also missed the cut in four of his last 10 tries at the course. His run of recent results would lend us to believe another top-25 should be on the way this week.
Jason Day
He’s a member at the course but has underperformed there over the course of his career. Day has landed just three top-25s in 14 tries at Muirfield Village with one of those coming at the 2020 Workday Charity Open, which featured a more generous course setup. His return to form in 2023 finally resulted in a win at the Byron Nelson a few weeks ago but he’s surrounded that win with a pair of missed cuts.
RANKING THE FIELD
1. Jon Rahm
2. Scottie Scheffler
3. Patrick Cantlay
4. Xander Schauffele
5. Rory McIlroy
6. Viktor Hovland
7. Tyrrell Hatton
8. Collin Morikawa
9. Rickie Fowler
10. Jordan Spieth
11. Sungjae Im
12. Justin Thomas
13. Matt Fitzpatrick
14. Jason Day
15. Cameron Young
16. Sahith Theegala
17. Corey Conners
18. Wyndham Clark
19. Tom Kim
20. Si Woo Kim
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