The annual visit to Jack Nicklaus’ tournament in central Ohio means another Signature event on the PGA Tour schedule, which of course means world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler back at the top of the odds board. Scheffler enters The Memorial Tournament on a run of 10 straight top-10 finishes, his most recent a runner-up result in the Charles Schwab Challenge two weeks ago.
Even better for Scheffler: the criminal charges stemming from his traffic incident outside the PGA Championship in Louisville were dropped May 29, meaning he’s once again free to focus on golf and only golf (well, outside of that new baby, of course). And Scheffler has placed third in each of his past two appearances at The Memorial, finishing one stroke out of a two-man playoff won by Viktor Hovland last year.
So indeed, we appear to once again be nearing Peak Scottie in this tune-up event to the U.S. Open at Pinehurst No. 2. And if the previous Signature events are any indication, Muirfield Village Golf Club is looking at a showdown among A-listers—five of the six Signature events held so far this season were won by major champions, the exception being the limited-field season-opener at Kapalua claimed by Chris Kirk.
Memorial Tournament Odds & Betting Favorites
| Golfer | Odds |
|---|---|
| Scottie Scheffler | +350 |
| Rory McIlroy | +850 |
| Xander Schauffele | +900 |
| Collin Morikawa | +1400 |
| Ludvig Aberg | +1600 |
| Viktor Hovland | +1800 |
| Justin Thomas | +2500 |
| Patrick Cantlay | +2500 |
| Hideki Matsuyama | +3300 |
| Tommy Fleetwood | +3300 |
| Byeong Hun An | +4000 |
| Jordan Spieth | +4000 |
| Max Homa | +4000 |
Odds as of June 3
PGA Tour The Memorial Best Bets
Scottie Scheffler Top American (+260)
Scheffler’s ridiculous success this season has put sports bettors in something of a quandary—the guy has been so good, you have to find a place for him somewhere in your wagering portfolio, but he offers zero value in anything beside outright winner. So we’re hedging a bit by taking the nationality prop, which guards against Rory McIlroy, Hovland, Ludvig Aberg or some other top-flight international winning, and still offers a plus-money opportunity -- and of course, the bet also pays if Scheffler wins.
Rory McIlroy Top-5 Finish +175
What to make of Rory right now? McIlroy won at a Quail Hollow layout he knows better than his own backyard, won the team event in New Orleans with Shane Lowry, and everywhere else seems to have that one bad round that leaves him playing catch-up at the end. That was certainly the case last week in the RBC Canadian Open, where even a sparkling Sunday 64 wasn’t enough to win. The good news is that McIlroy is almost always in contention—he’s been top 12 in four straight and five of his last seven starts—and still offers positive value for a top-five finish this weekend.
Max Homa Top-10 Finish (+300)
It’s been a few weeks since we’ve heard anything from Homa, who made the cut but could never really vault into contention at the PGA Championship, and missed the cut at the Charles Schwab Challenge his last time out. But Homa steps up his game on big-time golf courses, which we’ve seen repeatedly this season—T13 at Torrey Pines, T16 at Riviera, T3 at Augusta National, T8 at Quail Hollow. Muirfield Village, which has hosted the Ryder Cup in addition to The Memorial, fits that definition. Homa has placed fifth and sixth in his past two starts on the layout known for its 71 bunkers and shaggy “eyebrows” around the greens.
PGA Tour The Memorial Betting Tips
While the cachet of being Nicklaus’ home tournament certainly played a role in getting The Memorial on the list of PGA Tour Signature events, it didn’t need much help—Muirfield Village is a big-boy golf course where Tiger Woods won five times. Hovland won there last year despite carding just one sub-70 round, which speaks to the challenging nature of the 7,500-yard layout since its most recent renovation in 2020.
Last year’s victory served as a springboard for Hovland, who went on to win the Tour Championship and then carried that momentum into 2024 where he finished third in the PGA Championship. The last player to win The Memorial in back-to-back years was Woods, in 2000 and 2001. This weekend’s event also marks the first outing for Xander Schauffele since his PGA Championship title; the X-Man has been top 20 in four of six career Memorial appearances, with a best finish of T11.
Scheffler’s average finish of 9.3 is the best of any player at The Memorial, although Patrick Cantlay has enjoyed perhaps the longest stretch of success at Muirfield Village with two wins, a third and a fourth since 2018. Jordan Spieth has been top 20 in Dublin for four straight events, though he’s been without a top 10 since early April. McIlroy’s career-best finish of fourth at The Memorial came in 2016, though he did tie for seventh last year.
Even though this is a Signature event with just 73 players, there are value possibilities to be found. Si Woo Kim has been excellent in The Memorial, with a solo fourth, T13 and T9 his past three appearances, and he’s +400 for another top 10 this week. So is Tom Kim, coming off a T4 in the Canadian Open. The overlooked Sepp Straka, who’s been 11th or better in four of his last five starts, is +450 for a top-10. And Denny McCarthy, who lost to Hovland in last year’s playoff and was T5 the year before that, is +1200 to finish in the top five again this week.
