Our golf writer takes a look at this week’s Memorial Tournament set to take place at the Muirfield Village Golf Club between 31 May and 3 June.
First staged in 1976, this invitational event was the brainchild of the ‘Golden Bear’ himself Jack Nicklaus. The event will comprise of only the top 75 players from last year’s PGA Tour.
Weirdly enough, the last three editions have been won by players on the fringe of the rankings. Jason Dufner came from the doldrums last year to claim the crown and there is an utter litany of players vying for the title this week. Tiger Woods marks his re-emergence post-Masters, clearly looking to fine-tune his game ahead of the US Open in two weeks’ time.
The Memorial Tournament | 31 May – 3 June | Muirfield Village Golf Club, Dublin, Ohio
Muirfield Village Golf Club was built in 1974 and was designed by Nicklaus himself as a homage to his favourite Open Championship venue. He has continually tinkered with the design over the years. It is a tree-lined course with fairly generous fairways. Having said that, the rough is fairly penal and is comprised of a mixture of Kentucky bluegrass, fescue and rye. The smaller than average bentgrass greens are undulating and faster than usual and water is in play on eleven holes. Length off the tee is not critical here, with accuracy and the ability to hit greens in regulation far more definitive.
Trying to pick an outright favourite this week in nigh on impossible. Rory has been so close on so many occasions this season whilst the likes of Bubba Watson and Jason Day have won on multiple occasions. Dustin Johnson showed some improvement at the Players while Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas will always be a factor. Then you have to take into consideration last week’s champion Justin Rose. Not to mention the presence of Masters Champion Patrick Reed and Tiger Woods. So there one is lining up to be an absolute humdinger in what has proved to be an unpredictable PGA Tour season.
Past Winners
2017: Jason Dufner (-13)
2016: William McGirt (-15)*playoff
2015: David Lingmerth (-15)*playoff
2014: Hideki Matsuyama (-13)*playoff
2013: Matt Kuchar (-12)
To Win Outright:
Jason Day 12/1 | Dustin Johnson 12/1 | Rory McIlroy 14/1 | Justin Rose 14/1 | Justin Thomas 14/1
Value Bets
Mark Leishmann- To Win 40/1, To Place 17/2
Mark Leishmann has slowly become one of the most consistent players in world golf, and he should absolutely thrive on this tight course that demands accuracy. Leishmann must be kicking himself that he finished runner-up to Aaron Wise at the Byron Nelson. He returns to a course where he hasn’t finished lower than T15 in his last three visits. He had top 10 finishes at the Masters, Farmers, Arnold Palmer and Tournament of Champions, highlighting his ever growing brand of consistency.
Kevin Na- To Win 60/1, To Place 13/1
At 60/1, Kevin Na is someone sneaking under the radar who could be a factor this week. He started off the season well with a top 20 at Pebble Beach and an excellent T2nd at the Genesis Open. He then went a bit cold, with three consecutive cuts prior to his latest resurgence. But now he looks one extremely solid, with a T6th at the Byron Nelson followed by a solo fourth at Fort Worth. He also has course history, having lost to Hideki Matsuyama in a playoff here in 2014.
Kevin Streelman- To Win 150/1, To Place 33/1
Looking for a dark horse bet of note, you could do far worse than Streelman at 150/1 this week. Streelman is exactly the kind of accurate hitter who could thrive at Muirfield this week. Streelman’s last three visits to Muirfield yielded encouraging results of T18th, T8th and T13th. He also is in decent form, with three top 10 finishes in his last ten outings. Furthermore, Streelman currently sits at fifth in Greens in Regulation, which is an exceptionally important stat on this golf course.
The Man to Beat- Bubba Watson- To Win 28/1, To Place 6/1
Bubba is one of those guys who tends to thrive at specific events, which is clearly best demonstrated in his love of Augusta. Watson finished solo third here in 2014 and managed a tie for sixth when battling for form last year. And he clearly has rediscovered the magic in his game this season. A two-time winner already this year, he strikes me as much better value at 28/1 than the likes of Spieth and Johnson, who have won one title between them. His victories at the Genesis Open and WGC Match-Play seem to suggest that Bubba has managed to overcome some of the demons that have haunted him over the last few years.
Written by Damien Kayat for @Hollywoodbets.net
