The Memorial Tournament Betting Picks and Guide (2021)
We’re two weeks away from the 2021 US Open, but first, the PGA Tour stops at Muirfield Village Golf Club in Dublin, Ohio, for the Memorial Tournament. A strong field is led by defending champion Jon Rahm, as many of the world’s top golfers make their last tournament appearance ahead of 2021’s third major. Below, we preview the 2021 Memorial Tournament and highlight our best betting picks.
Rahm won this event at 9-under par in 2020. His victory came on the heels of Collin Morikawa’s Workday Charity Open win, also at Muirfield Village GC. Two of the top seven players in the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) are teeing it up this week in Ohio. The US Open will be played at Torrey Pines in San Diego, Calif., from June 17-20. World No. 1 Dustin Johnson and two-time US Open champ Brooks Koepka are among those who are off this week.
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Previous Winners of the Memorial Tournament
- 2020: Jon Rahm
- 2019: Patrick Cantlay
- 2018: Bryson DeChambeau
- 2017: Jason Dufner
- 2016: William McGirt
Course Preview (Muirfield Village Golf Club)
Muirfield Village, designed by Jack Nicklaus, has hosted the Memorial Tournament since Nicklaus founded the tournament in 1976. Since hosting the Workday Charity Open and the 2020 Memorial Tournament in back-to-back weeks, MVGC underwent a significant overhaul. Changes include adding more than 140 trees throughout the course to help tighten fairways and redoing the bentgrass greens.
The par-72 venue was also slightly lengthened to 7,543 yards. Water is in play on up to 10 holes. The renovated greens are still considered to be the toughest challenge on the course. They'll play firm and fast with contours and run-off areas, emphasizing short-game play.
Relevant Betting Stats
- Strokes Gained: Around-the-Green
- Scrambling
- SG: Tee-to-Green
- SG: Approach
- Par 4 Efficiency: 450-500 Yards
Outright PGA Betting Picks
Viktor Hovland (+1800 on BetMGM Sportsbook)
The 23-year-old Norwegian is looking for his third career PGA Tour victory. He made the cut in 11 of 12 international events played this year and has racked up six top-10 finishes, including back-to-back T3s at the Valspar Championship and Wells Fargo Championship. He most recently tied for 30th at the PGA Championship and enters the week 12th in the OWGR.
Hovland finished third at the Workday Charity Open last year before tying for 48th in tougher conditions at the Memorial. The course is expected to more closely resemble the easier conditions of the first tournament. According to Data Golf, he's an expert ball-striker who's averaging 0.80 SG: Approach and 1.76 SG: Tee-to-Green through 53 measured rounds this season.
Hideki Matsuyama (+3000 on DraftKings Sportsbook)
The 2021 Masters champ tied for 39th at the AT&T Byron Nelson and 23rd at the PGA Championship in his next two events. He returns to Muirfield Village GC as the 2014 champion, and he has averaged 1.74 strokes gained on the field per round over 28 career rounds at this venue.
Matsuyama is inconsistent with the putter, but he's strong around the greens and averages 0.71 SG: Approach per round. The major champ is an excellent value at DraftKings Sportsbook, with a share of just the 13th-best odds to win as the 14th-ranked golfer in the OWGR.
Long-shot Betting Picks
Gary Woodland (+6600 on DraftKings Sportsbook)
Woodland has played 40 career rounds at Muirfield Village with an average of 1.28 strokes gained on the field per round. He tied for fifth at the Workday Charity Open and 22nd at the Memorial Tournament last summer. The former US Open champ has fallen to No. 55 in the OWGR, but he has two top-10 finishes this year, including a fifth-place showing at the Wells Fargo Championship.
He's gaining 0.42 strokes per round on approach and from tee-to-green. He's just +4500 to win at BetMGM Sportsbook and represents solid value at DraftKings.
Christiaan Bezuidenhout (+8000 on FanDuel Sportsbook)
Bezuidenhout tied for 30th at the PGA Championship amid an excellent putting performance despite losing 0.72 strokes per round off-the-tee. His 0.54 SG: Around-the-Green for the season rank third among golfers with at least 18 measured rounds played. The South African debuted at MVGC last summer with a T-22 finish at the Memorial. His strong short game is well-suited to this venue, especially with the new greens leveling the playing field against more experienced golfers in this field.
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Esten McLaren is a featured writer at BettingPros. For more from Esten, check out his archive and follow him @EstenMclaren.