The return of five-time winner Tiger Woods to competitive tournament play only strengthens an already stellar field at the Memorial Tournament. Players who competed last week didn’t have to travel with Muirfield Village Golf Club hosting a second straight event; does that give golfers who competed last week an advantage? Tournament organizers promised to change the layout for the Memorial making the course longer, changing tee boxes, pin placements and rough length. Is that enough to even the playing field? Collin Morikawa escaped last week with a playoff win and players got a good look at Muirfield. That didn’t sway oddsmakers from pegging OWGR No. 1 Rory McIlroy, who didn’t play last week, as the betting favorite. Nine of the OWGR top-10 will peg it up, including defending champ Patrick Cantlay. Visit BookMaker.eu for a complete list of tournament matchup odds when you’re ready to place a wager.
Memorial Tournament Matchup Odds at BookMaker.eu
Bubba Watson -110 vs. Danny Willett -110
Phil Mickelson +150 vs. Rory Sabbatini -170
Adam Hadwin -120 vs. Ian Poulter +100
Matthew Wolff -105 vs. Cameron Champ -115
Matthew Fitzpatrick -135 vs. Joaquin Niemann +115
Shane Lowry +110 vs. Corey Conners -130
Sungjae Im -110 vs. Billy Horschel -110
Tony Finau -160 vs. Jordan Spieth +140
Kevin Streelman -120 vs. Marc Leishman +100
Abraham Ancer -130 vs. Patrick Reed +110
Jason Day +105 vs. Sergio Garcia -125
Rickie Fowler -115 vs. Daniel Berger -105
Matt Kuchar -130 vs. Kevin Kisner +110
Xander Schauffele -150 vs. Tiger Woods +130
Gary Woodland -135 vs. Justin Rose +115
Brooks Koepka +135 vs. Hideki Matsuyama -155
Webb Simpson -140 vs. Tiger Woods +120
Xander Schauffele +100 vs. Webb Simpson -120
Viktor Hovland -135 vs. Brooks Koepka +115
Sepp Straka +120 vs. Kevin Na -140
Dustin Johnson +100 vs. Collin Morikawa -120
Rory McIlroy -130 vs. Patrick Cantlay +110
Viktor Hovland +110 vs. Hideki Matsuyama -130
Justin Thomas -115 vs. Rory McIlroy -105
Jon Rahm -135 vs. Collin Morikawa +115
Bryson DeChambeau +100 vs. Rory McIlroy -120
Dustin Johnson +105 vs. Jon Rahm -125
Justin Thomas -135 vs. Patrick Cantlay +115
Bryson DeChambeau -125 vs. Patrick Cantlay +105
Bryson DeChambeau -105 vs. Justin Thomas -115
Need to Know
While staff will do what it can to alter the course between tournaments there are some things they can’t change. You have to figure those who played last week will have an edge over those that didn’t. Talent will override course experience, and most of the field has played Muirfield before, so maybe it’s not that big a deal. A thicker rough puts an emphasis on hitting fairways. The greens will be faster with not as much slope. It will be tougher to hit the dance floor but easier to make putts. The Jack Nicklaus-designed layout stretches to 7,456 yards at par 72 and will play right into the hands of the top contenders. Like we saw at the Workday, strong iron play is a key to success. For the second week in a row I went 2-2-1 on matchup picks. Just like a number of players I’m also working on getting the rust off my game. Let’s take another stab at it.
Memorial Tournament Matchup Picks
Tiger Woods +130 vs. Xander Schauffele
I’ve gone against Tiger in the past and he made me pay for my lack of loyalty. I was thinking about staying away from him this week since he hasn’t played competitively since the Genesis in February when he finished last among players that made the cut. Turns out he was taking a wait and see approach with the Tour’s handling of COVID. And you know Woods only plays when he thinks he has a chance. Oh, and those five Memorial wins and his current price are convincing reasons to stick with the Big Cat.
Bryson DeChambeau -105 vs. Justin Thomas
The hottest golfer spanning the shutdown, DeChambeau has positioned himself as one of the best if not the best on Tour. Just take a look at his recent results. He won the Rocket Mortgage Classic a few weeks back, the only thing he hadn’t done in a stretch of seven straight top-10s that included five top-5s. DeChambeau is a better golfer now than he was in 2018 when toppled the field at the Memorial. He intimidates other golfers with his majestic drives and does enough around the green to make him a threat every time.
Jon Rahm -135 vs. Collin Morikawa
Rahm is too good and too consistent to struggle for long. We saw a sign that things were flipping for him last week with a final round 64, which was the low score of the day. He finished T27, his best since the restart, and he stays on a course that changes more to his liking. His tee blasts will help him gain strokes and he should feel more comfortable after missing the cut at the Memorial in 2017. It’s hard to face Morikawa after his win and plus-odds make him inviting. It’s just too hard to go back-to-back and the field is hungry.
Joaquin Niemann +115 vs. Matthew Fitzpatrick
Given the quality of the field it’s going to be difficult for a longshot to win outright. Chances are much better in a head-to-head matchup. The faster the greens the better Niemann’s chances are of having success. He’s flying under the radar after a T31 on the same track last week. Keep in mind a final round 65 at the Schwab was followed with a T5 at the Heritage. He closed the Workday with a 68 meaning good things are ahead for the Chilean.
Hideki Matsuyama -130 vs. Viktor Hovland
I wrestled with this one going back forth on the matchup winner. I finally concluded that Matsuyama’s expertise driving and reaching greens is too much to overlook. He had problems last week with the flat stick leading to a T22 and with easier conditions I expect those issues to be resolved. Besides, Hovland has to be fatigued after playing every tournament since the restart.
BookMaker offers play-by-play betting odds for live sporting events every day! The user-friendly wagering interface on your smartphone provides an easy way to place bets on the go. Mobile betting lines are updated by the minute so click here to start gambling on thrilling live action at BookMaker Sportsbook. The Memorial Tournament is scheduled for July 16-19, 2020 and can be seen on Golf Channel and CBS.
