This article is part of our Weekly PGA Preview series.
The PGA Tour heads north to "Jack's event" in Dublin, Ohio, this week as the ramp-up to the U.S. Open begins. Since Jack Nicklaus is so entrenched in this event, it is among the most sought-after titles outside of the majors. WGC events and the Players hold more prestige, but everyone wants to win in front of Jack, putting it near the level of those events. In other words, even though it's not a major, it's not a normal tour stop either; everyone in the field this week will be fully engaged.
Muirfield Village is again the course this year, which means there is plenty of course history in play. As for the previous winners; there are some big names on the list, but there are some surprises as well. This doesn't look like a surprise-winner type of year, though, as there are plenty of big guns in the field.
This Week: The Memorial – Muirfield Village, Dublin, Ohio
Last Year: Bryson DeChambeau shot a final-round 70 on his way to a playoff victory over Kyle Stanley and Byeong-Hun An.
FAVORITES
Rory McIlroy (9-1)
Outside of majors, nobody on the PGA Tour has played better than McIlroy. This is a big event, but it does not carry the pressure of a major, which means Rory is definitely in the mix. McIlroy has yet to win here, but he has four top-10s in seven starts.
Tiger Woods (12-1)
Woods did not look good his last
The PGA Tour heads north to "Jack's event" in Dublin, Ohio, this week as the ramp-up to the U.S. Open begins. Since Jack Nicklaus is so entrenched in this event, it is among the most sought-after titles outside of the majors. WGC events and the Players hold more prestige, but everyone wants to win in front of Jack, putting it near the level of those events. In other words, even though it's not a major, it's not a normal tour stop either; everyone in the field this week will be fully engaged.
Muirfield Village is again the course this year, which means there is plenty of course history in play. As for the previous winners; there are some big names on the list, but there are some surprises as well. This doesn't look like a surprise-winner type of year, though, as there are plenty of big guns in the field.
This Week: The Memorial – Muirfield Village, Dublin, Ohio
Last Year: Bryson DeChambeau shot a final-round 70 on his way to a playoff victory over Kyle Stanley and Byeong-Hun An.
FAVORITES
Rory McIlroy (9-1)
Outside of majors, nobody on the PGA Tour has played better than McIlroy. This is a big event, but it does not carry the pressure of a major, which means Rory is definitely in the mix. McIlroy has yet to win here, but he has four top-10s in seven starts.
Tiger Woods (12-1)
Woods did not look good his last time out, but that didn't come as a huge surprise considering the circumstances. Woods had a month off prior to his last start, this time, it will be just one week. He also has more time since his historic win at Augusta and things should feel more normal. As for his track record here, how about five wins and no missed cuts in 16 starts at this event?
Justin Rose (16-1)
When it comes to track records at this event, Rose's is mighty impressive. Rose has seven top-10s here in 12 starts, including a runner-up in 2015 and a win in 2010. The only thing with Rose is that he's hit or miss here. While Tiger is a perfect 16-16 on cuts made, Rose is just 9-12.
MID-TIER GOLFERS
Patrick Cantlay (20-1)
Cantlay hasn't finished outside the top 10 in a stroke-play event (by himself) since March. Sure, that's only three starts, but still, it's impressive. Even more impressive when you consider that two of those three top-10s came during majors. Cantlay looks like he's ready to make a big splash soon and this could be the week. Cantlay has made the cut in both of his starts at this event, finishing T4 here last year.
Matt Kuchar (22-1)
After a subpar 2018 season, there were questions about the state of Kuchar's game entering this season, but those questions were answered quickly with a win and then another win. It's not just the wins, though, Kuchar has played at a high level for the entire season, and there's no reason to think that trend collapses this week. Kuchar won this event in 2013, but even more impressive, he's finished outside the top 15 just once in his Last 10 starts here.
Tony Finau (22-1)
After another close call at the Colonial last week, the pressure to win must be mounting inside Finau's mind. Finau has just one win on the PGA Tour and it came at the Puerto Rico Open in 2016. It just doesn't make any sense. He has all the skills and doesn't seem to shrink under pressure, but for some reason, he hasn't found a second win. That said, he has produced at a high level the last few seasons, and considering his current form, perhaps he picks up that second win this week.
LONGSHOTS
Rory Sabbatini (66-1)
Perhaps a ticket with both Rory's is the way to go this week. The "other" Rory has been on fire lately, with top-10s in four of his last five starts on the PGA Tour. His record at this event is all over the place, but he did post a runner-up in 2012 and has missed just two cuts in 11 starts.
Kyle Stanley (80-1)
Stanley has been wildly inconsistent this season, but he has looked good in spots, one of which was just two starts back at the Wells Fargo Championship where he finished T8. That's not why he's on the list, though. He's here because he finished T2 here last year, T6 the year prior and solo third in 2012.
ONE AND DONE GOLFER
Highly Owned Pick: Tiger Woods - Those who were not ready to pull the trigger on Tiger at the Masters have a tough call to make this week: save him for Pebble or perhaps East Lake, or use him here, where he has a great track record. While many will save him for later, especially after the MC at the PGA Championship, he should still be a popular pick this week.
Moderately Owned Pick: Matt Kuchar - If you haven't used him yet, this may be the last, best spot to use Kuchar. Anyone who's missed out on Kuchar the last few months will be looking to cash in on him here. I can't argue with this pick as Kuchar has been amazingly consistent this season and he's played well on this track.
Lightly Owned Pick: Rory Sabbatini - If the field weren't so packed, Sabbatini would probably be a somewhat popular pick this week. As it is, many will fail to pull the trigger on Sabbatini as he's not exactly the most trustworthy golfer on the PGA Tour. But he's playing at a high-level and appears to be a decent choice if you are looking to make up ground.
Buyer Beware: Bryson DeChambeau - The defending champ is in a funk, and it doesn't look like he's going to pull out of it anytime soon. Considering how technical DeChambeau is about his swing, you'd think he'd be immune to prolonged slumps, but he enters this week having missed his last three cuts on the PGA Tour. He'll get it figured out, but I doubt it happens this week.
Last Week: Danny Lee (48) - $18,571; Season - $6,386,149
This Week: Matt Kuchar - You know those aforementioned "guys" who have missed out on Kuchar's performance this season? Yeah, that's me. That ends this week, though, as Kuchar is finally going to add to my totals instead of my opponent's totals. Kuchar has been lights out almost the entire season and has played well at Muirfield, which leaves no excuse for a poor performance this week.
FANDUEL PICKS
High/Mid/Low: Rory McIlroy ($12,000)/Patrick Cantlay ($11,000)/Harold Varner III ($7,800)
SURVIVOR PICK
Last week: Jordan Spieth - (T8); Streak - 3
This week: Tiger Woods - I've used Kuchar in the Survivor format, which means I have to look elsewhere for a safe pick. Enter Woods, who has never missed the cut at this event and has had plenty of chances. I might regret this in two weeks when I'm searching for a safe pick at Pebble, but you can't look too far ahead in this format. Survive and advance.
