What a beautiful stretch of golf we have with the Memorial Tournament followed by the U.S. Open over the next two weekends.
The Tour first heads to Jack Nicklaus' Muirfield Village Golf Club in Dublin, Ohio for the 2024 rendition of the Memorial. Muirfield Village, also known as "Jack's Place," has been a staple on Tour for years as this is annually one of the toughest tests.
Last year, Viktor Hovland won in a playoff over Denny McCarthy at seven-under par. It is extremely rare that a PGA Tour event is won at single digits under par — which is a testament to the challenge Muirfield Village poses.
In 2020, Nicklaus renovated the course by adding length and changing a few green complexes as the course became even tougher. Jack's place will once again pose a very stern tee to green test this week, and this should benefit the best ball-strikers.
Find my 2024 Memorial Tournament One & Done Picks below.
2024 Memorial Tournament One & Done Picks
Scottie Scheffler +390
We're doing it — we saved Scottie Scheffler for this week. Muirfield Village is an absolutely perfect fit for Scheffler, and this is a signature event that will give the winner a massive bonus compared to regular events.
Scheffler posted one of the greatest tee-to-green performances without winning in this event last season. He gained over 16 strokes ball-striking to the field, which is otherworldly. Even for his elite standards, he still averages gaining single-digit strokes ball-striking weekly.
However, his 16 Strokes Gained: Ball-striking were offset by a baffling display of putting. We know Scheffler struggles on the greens from time to time, but he lost a whopping eight strokes putting that week — which was the second-worst display of his entire career.
Scheffler is the best ball-striker in the world by a wide margin, and this is the perfect course where ball-striking is rewarded handsomely. He will be able to really separate himself from the jump and will start this event on second base.
Coming into the week, the ball-striking has taken a slight dip, but he is still by far the best golfer in the world. Scheffler had his C game in his last start at Colonial and still finished second. He has had a week off to calm the nerves and dial in his golf swing. Consequently, I fully expect Scheffler to show up this week and finish no worse than a tie for fifth.
If you have saved Scheffler, this is the spot to run him out.
Byeong Hun An +5500
55-1 is a tough number on Ben An in a field like this, but the ball-striking does not lie: An has posted a top-five ball-striking season of anyone on Tour.
If there is one track that will reward this, it is Muirfield Village. An does not have much win equity but can surely post a top-five result at very little ownership.
He has excellent course history here after tying for second in 2018 (when he lost in a playoff to Bryson DeChambeau) and is surely a better golfer this time around. An is both long and straight with high iron upside. He struggles with the putter, but there is a way to avoid needing an amazing putter this week.
If you are looking for a very low-owned golfer with upside, An is your man!
Will Zalatoris +7500
If you want to go down the betting board a little bit, Will Zalatoris is your guy. He has only won once on the PGA Tour but always elevates his game in tougher conditions.
Zalatoris' last three top-10 finishes have come at the Masters, the Arnold Palmer Invitational and The Genesis Invitational. Those are three of the toughest tests on Tour, and Jack's Place fits right into that mix. His results have not been amazing of late, but they were not played on Zalatoris' preferred difficult tracks.
His approach numbers in his T43 finish at the PGA Championship indicate that his game is in a good place, and this is a great spot to roll the dice on him. In 2022, Zalatoris finished in a tie for fifth in this event when he gained over nine strokes ball-striking.
This is an excellent spot for Zalatoris to get back in the mix and potentially grab his second win. If you do not have access to Scheffler, click Will Zalatoris in your the Memorial Tournament One & Done pool.
