By TOM LaMARRE
It’s a tribute to one man that the Memorial Tournament Presented by Workday has such a strong field every year.
Many of the top golfers in the world head to Muirfield Village Golf Club in Dublin, Ohio, because the tournament’s founder and host is legendary Jack Nicklaus, considered by many to be the greatest golfer of all-time.
This year, there are 16 of the top 20 players entered in the 48th Memorial, including the top five—Scottie Scheffler, Jon Rahm of Spain, Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland, Patrick Cantlay of Los Alamitos and UCLA, and Xander Schauffele of La Jolla and San Diego State.
“Any time Jack puts his name into something, it’s going to have certain significance,” Rahm said. “When you’re paired with a challenging golf course, it makes it even better. I think there’s something special around here.
“Obviously the course has changed a little bit and recently it’s changed quite a bit. But it still has the same essence, right, that to call yourself a Memorial champion and have that handshake with Jack on the 18th hole is pretty unique. Just little things that make some tournaments better than others. Those little traditions, like that one on 18 is one of those things. It’s very special.”
Muirfield Village Golf Club, which opened in 1974 and obviously was designed and reworked a few times by Nicklaus, plays to 7,543 from the back tees and a par of 72.
The players love it, and one in particular named Tiger Woods, who has won The Memorial a record five time, but isn’t playing in the tournament this year as he continues to rehab a right foot and leg injury.
“This course in particular is very special to him; it’s very special to us as players,” Woods said. “Obviously because of what he’s done to the golf course, but more so what he’s meant to us as players.”
BEST BETS
1. Scottie Scheffler, United States – The top-ranked Scheffler, in addition to winning twice this season, has finished in the top 15 in his last 14 events on the PGA Tour, including a tie for fifth in the Byron Nelson, a tie for second in the PGA and a tie for third in the Charles Schwab in his last three starts. He tied for third in the Memorial last year and also tied for 22nd in 2020.
2. Jon Rahm, Spain – Rahmbo Would love to regain the top spot from Scheffler this week and should be recovered from an illness that sidelined him briefly earlier this year. He won the Genesis and the Masters in addition to finishing second in Mexico and has four victories this season. The second-ranked Rahm captured the 2020 Memorial and finished 10th last season.
3. Patrick Cantlay, United States – The fourth-ranked Cantlay claimed two of his eighth PGA Tour victories in The Memorial in 2019 and 2021, in addition to tying for third last year and finishing fourth in 2018. He is coming off a tie for ninth in the PGA, in addition to tying for second in the Shriners, finishing third in the Genesis and RBC, and tying for fourth in API.
4. Viktor Hovland, Norway – Hovland, ranked seventh in the world, stumbled late in the Charles Schwab Challenge to tie for 16th, but that came after he tied for second in the PGA, and he has 10 finishes in the top 10 on the PGA Tour, including a tie for third in the Players and a tie for seventh in the Masters. His best result in three Memorial starts was a tie for 47th in 2021.
5. Rory McIlroy, Northern Ireland – Coming back after managing a tie for seventh in the PGA despite battling an illness, the third-ranked McIlroy won the Dubai Desert Classic and the CJ Cup earlier this season, in addition to tying for second in the Arnold Palmer Invitational. His best result in 11 previous appearances was a tie for fourth in 2016 and he finished solo fifth in 2011.
6. Xander Schauffele, United States – The fifth-ranked Schauffele tied for 18th in the PGA, but before that he posted fourth straight top-10 finishes including a tie for 10th in the Masters and solo second in the Wells Fargo. He has eight top-10 results, but has yet to win as he did three times last season. He has four straight top-20s in the Memorial, the best a tie for 11th in 2021.
7. Cameron Young, United States – The 2020-21 PGA Tour Rookie of the Year, who has four victories on lower tours but has yet to break through on the big circuit, showed he is getting close when he tied for seventh in the Masters and tied for seventh in the Arnold Palmer Invitational. In his only appearance in the Memorial Tournament last year, he tied for 60th after opening with 67.
8. Corey Conners, Canada – After claiming his second PGA Tour victory recently, both in the Valero Texas Open, Conners has followed that up with a tie for eighth in the Wells Fargo and a tie for 12th in PGA to give him nine results in the top-25 this season. His best result in fourth appearances in the Memorial was a tie for 13th last season, and he tied for 22nd in 2020.
9. Jordan Spieth, United States – Despite a troubling left elbow injury this season, the 11th-ranked Spieth tied for fourth in the Masters, tied for third in the Valspar, tied for fourth in the Arnold Palmer Invitational, tied for sixth in Phoenix and lost in a playoff at the RBC Heritage. His best results in 10 Memorial starts were a tie for third in 2015 and a tie for seventh in 2019.
10. Si Woo Kim, South Korea – In addition to claiming his fourth PGA Tour victory this season in the Sony Open in Hawaii, Kim has six other finishes in the top 25, including a tie for second in the AT&T Byron Nelson and a tie for eighth in the Shriners. His best finish in seven starts in the Memorial was a tie for ninth in 2021 and he tied for 13th as defending champion last year.
OTHER PLAYERS TO WATCH: Collin Morikawa, United States; Jason Day, Australia; Rickie Fowler, United States; Billy Horschel, United States; Tyrrell Hatton, England; Justin Thomas, United States; Shane Lowry, Ireland; Hideki Matsuyama, Japan; Matt Fitzpatrick, England; Sungjae Im, South Korea; Sahith Theegala, United States.
