This week’s Memorial event marks the start of a hectic - and highly rewarding - three week stint for the PGA Tour’s stars, and they are out in force.
World No 1 Scottie Scheffler will be aiming to end a win-less ‘drought’ that now spans a whole two tournaments - gasp - after his share of eighth at the USPGA was followed by a tie for second at the Charles Schwab Challenge.
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Scheffler is a 7-2 favourite to get back to winning ways, and boost his confidence ahead of next week’s US open, and the final $20millon signature event of the season, the Travelers.
Scheffler returns to a course where he has finished third in each of the past two years.
It could easily be third time lucky. And being presented with a trophy by tournament host Jack Nicklaus at Muirfield Village would confirm all is well again in Scheffler’s world, after his shock arrest at the USPGA.
But he faces stern competition with the game’s newest Major champion, Xander Schauffele, and the man he pushed out of second in the world rankings, Rory McIlroy, next best in the market at around 9-1.
Then there is Collin Morikawa, who was tipped here for the Charles Schwab, but finished a shot behind Scheffler in fourth. At 14-1 it is worth giving Morikawa another chance to put one over on his Ryder Cup team-mate.
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Golf tips
Davis Riley had the week of his life at the Charles Schwab as he bolted home five shots clear of the rest. But Morikawa was actually the only player to put together four rounds in the 60s.
He could not manage the really low round that would have given Riley something to think about. But the winning score this week is likely to be less than ten under, rather than twenty-something under.
That should suit Morikawa, and after his top four finishes in both of this year’s Majors, I still think his turn is not far away.
He looked threatening here last year when he was just two shots off the lead after 54 - only to pull out of the final round because of back spasms.
Course form counts for a lot at Muirfield Village. So Patrick Cantlay - who has two wins, a third and a fourth in seven starts here - has to come into the reckoning, especially at an eye-catching 25-1.
Hideki Matsuyama is also a previous Memorial winner, although that victory was ten years ago. But going back will still revive fond memories of his breakthrough PGA Tour victory.
Before a couple of moderate performances in the Majors Matsuyama was looking more like his old self, winning the Genesis and producing a couple of other good performances. At 45-1, he also looks over-priced.
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The Memorial is another elite event, with a field of just 73 starters. That condenses the market, and makes finding the big priced each way contenders a lot more difficult.
But Lee Hodges went into the notebook after his top 12 finish at the USPGA, and he impressed again when filling the same position at the Charles Schwab.
With some bookmakers offering ten places, Hodges will only have to show slight improvement to reward each way support at 150-1.
And after Victor Perez did us an each way favour last week by finishing fourth in Canada at 175-1, he can be backed at the same odds this time. He has to be worth a small interest again.
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The LIV bandwagon rolls into Houston this week, and Jon Rahm predictably heads the market at 8-1 - although if he is only half as erratic as he was at the USPGA, those odds will look pretty skinny.
Bryson DeChambeau is 10-1 to improve on his second place at the USPGA, but I prefer to take longer odds on two of LIV’s most consistent performers this year: Dean Burmester and Abraham Ancer.
Burmester has a win and a couple of thirds in seven LIV starts this year, and a share of 12th at the USPGA was another good effort.
So 20-1 looks reasonable as does the 22-1 about Ancer. He is another 2024 LIV winner, who has also posted three other top tens.
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