Here's everything you need to know about 2024 Memorial Tournament PrizePicks plays and first-round picks for Thursday's PGA Tour event in Dublin, Ohio.
With the RBC Canadian Open in the rear-view mirror, we now look forward to this week's 2024 Memorial Tournament, which Muirfield Village Golf Club will host once again.
Hosting annually since 1976, Muirfield Village is a par-72, 7,569-yard track designed by Jack Nicklaus that plays difficult and features Bentgrass greens.
Find my 2024 Memorial Tournament PrizePicks plays for Thursday below.
2024 Memorial Tournament PrizePicks
Russell Henley Less Than 72 Strokes
Russell Henley has quietly been one of the best golfers on Tour over the past two years, making the weekend in 29 of his past 35 tournaments. Henley boasts 19 top-20 finishes over that stretch, including his win at the 2022 World Wide Technology Championship.
This success is likely to continue at Muirfield Village, a venue at which he has made the weekend in five of his eight career appearances. Two of those made cuts resulted in top-seven finishes, and it makes sense that Henley has thrived at this Jack Nicklaus design considering that Muirfield Village rewards scrambling more than any other aspect of the game.
Last year, five of the top-six finishers here ranked seventh or higher among the field in scrambling, the only statistic or metric in which such a trend occurred. Henley ranks 14th on Tour this season in Scrambling percentage.
Finally, he has shot 71 or lower in two of his past three rounds at Muirfield Village.
Make your Memorial Tournament plays with our PrizePicks promo code.
Collin Morikawa More Than 4 Birdies or Better
I wrote about Collin Morikawa in my FRL article this week, and if I like him to lead after the first round, then I obviously also like him to record four birdies or better in the process. Morikawa has a rich history at Muirfield Village, given that he won at this venue in 2020 for the Workday Charity Open, which was a one-time event that served as a replacement for the John Deere Classic during Covid.
Morikawa also finished runner-up here in 2021, so he clearly has no issues with this course. He is also in tremendous form with eight straight weekend appearances, boasting four top-10 finishes over that stretch.
Birdies have come in abundance for Morikawa this season. He currently ranks fifth on Tour in birdies per round at 4.44, and I expect that success to continue at Muirfield, given that he has also recorded four or more birdies (or better) in three of his past four rounds here.
Denny McCarthy Less Than 72 Strokes
Our final target for Thursday is Denny McCarthy, who has thrived at Muirfield Village. He has finished fifth or better each of the past two years here, shooting 72 or lower in seven of those eight rounds.
I discussed the importance of scrambling in the Henley section, so it makes sense that McCarthy is so comfortable at Muirfield Village given that the ability to get up-and-down is perhaps his greatest strength, due to his incredible putter. He ranks third on Tour this season in Scrambling percentage.
Finally, McCarthy enters this week in great form with seven top-10 finishes over his past 23 tournaments.
