Blog#145 Memorial Tournament Preview Muirfield Village GC Dublin OH

Blog#145 Memorial Tournament Preview Muirfield Village GC Dublin OH

June 6 to 9, 2024 PAR 72

Purse $20M Same as last year

HISTORY

This is the 48th Memorial and is one of my favorite tournaments.  I lived in Westerville OH from 1978 to 1983 and had the good fortune to attend the tournament every day for 5 years.  The course is magnificent from a player and patron standpoint.  Like the Masters it is an Invitational and as a signature event which will have a field of 73.  However at Jack Nicklaus’ insistent it will have a cut.  The the first one in 1976  won by  Roger Maltbie who made $40,000.  Last year Viktor Hovland won $3.6M in a playoff with  Denny McCarthy each finished 1st at -7.

My PREDICTION TO WIN If not Scheffler, Patrick Cantlay, a risky pick but Jack likes his game and he won in 2019 & 2021.  Last year I picked him as 1 of 4 to win but he was never in it.

As in so many tournaments this year, a longshots may win.

FAVORITES

1 S Scheffler 4/1 How can he not be the favorite, he should win.

2 R McIlroy 8/1 His game has been very good for the last month, he may challenge Scheffler.

3 X Schauffele 9/1 Win at the PGA clutch after getting blown out by Rory at the Wells Fargo.

4 C Morikawa 14/1 He continue to be pick a high but can’t win until his putting is consistent. 

5 V Hovland 18/1 He won last year and had his best finish this year at the PGA. 

6 L Aberg 18/1 Good young player and is rested, he could win, my 2nd choice.

7J Thomas 25/1 No chance, like his buddy Jordan Spieth can’t put 4 good RDs together.

8 W Clark 35/1 Same as above!!!

9 Tommy Fleetwood 35/1 Has played well this year not good enough to win.

10 Max Homa 35/1 Disastrous+8 in the 1st RD at Charles Schwab and misses cut, no chance. 

LONGSHOTS  

#1 Tom Kim 60/1 He had his best 2 RDs of the year last week on 3&4, could sneak in.

#2 Keegan Bradley 65/1 Don’t know why but he may do it and I like this guy. 

#3 D McCarthy 75/1 Played great last week may be best pick of longshots.

#4 C Conners 55/1 Finished 6th at the Canadian Open with 4 RDs under 70. 

#5 D Riley 200/1 He outplayed everyone at the Charles Schwab winning by 5 strokes. 

Jack Nicklaus came up with the idea of honoring the games greatest achievers each year.   They are remembered with a plaque in Memorial park (pictured) along the first fairway which now has 83 plaques of famous golf contributors.  One or more is added each year.  Bobby Jones was the first in 1976 followed by Walter Hagan, Francis Ouimet, Gene Saracen, Byron Nelson, Harry Vardon and the list goes on.  This years Honorees Juli Inkster 7 time LPGA major winner in the 1980’s & Tom Weiskopf Ohio native, 16 time PGA tour winner, 1973 OPEN.