Teeing it up: the Memorial Tournament presented by Workday
We’ve arrived at Muirfield, hypothetically speaking of course because I’m still sitting in Raleigh, for FedEx Cup Regular Season event number 26: the Memorial Tournament presented by Workday. This event boasts a whopping $20million purse with $4million going to the winner. Nine of the top 10 players in the world will tee it up, and all 30 of the top 30 in the FedEx Cup standings are in the field.
Scottie Scheffler has been on fire this year when he hasn’t sported prison orange during a tournament week. He has won four of his last seven starts this season, including two wins at Signature Events (RBC Heritage & Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard).
The other hot name coming into Thursday’s opening round is, of course, Xander Schauffele. Schauffele, who finally broke through for that elusive Major Championship at the 2024 PGA Championship, sits second to Scheffler in the FedEx Cup standings. Xander is on a hot streak of his own, he’s made an astonishing (and Tour leading) 47 consecutive cuts.
Last year’s darling of the fall, Lucas Glover, is making his 20th consecutive appearance at the Memorial- the longest consecutive streak of any player for this event. He was on fire at the end of the 2023 FedEx Cup Regular Season but has not found the winning touch as of yet in 2024.
The darling of this year (or really feels like any year), Rory McIlroy, is the only other multiple event winner in the field for 2024 and will be seeking his third win of the season before heading into the U.S. Open. A T4 in 2016 is his best finish at Muirfield among five career Top-10s.
Let’s have some fun with our picks & thoughts on the annual visit to Jack’s place. I’ve asked other golf content creators to join me in this weekly tradition with their own touch on tournament thoughts. Of the dozens who ignored my requests, emails, DMs, and text messages, some were kind enough to share their opinions with the likes of Longleaf Golf.
First honors: Brian VanDongen with @fromthedropzone | fromthedropzone.com
Brian’s Tournament Thoughts:
It’s the lowercase “t” the Memorial Tournament week, which means you should get ready for plenty of Jack Nicklaus, memories of Tiger Woods’ dominance of the tournament, and milkshakes. Remember that Memorial in 2021 when defending champion Jon Rahm had to withdraw with a huge lead after the third round after testing positive for COVID-19? Remember Jon Rahm?
I’ll pick who is going to win, but first let’s talk about who isn’t. Justin Thomas is not going to win. He was on a dairy-free diet during this tournament last year, and he’ll overindulge and get weighed down from all the milkshakes he’ll consume this week. Strokes gained: lactose may be off the charts.
Collin Morikawa is my pick to win. I know, not a bold pick, but his game is trending since a strong performance (T-3) at the capital “t” The Masters, and top 16 finishes in every individual event since then. His game also fits the course pretty well with his strong driving accuracy and approach game.
My Pick: @longleafgolf
Jon’s Tournament Thoughts:
It’s a big week heading into the final event before the U.S. Open, and that includes a big payday.
I think the popular choice, as always, is Scottie. He’ll look to bounce back from the PGA Championship in a big way. Hovland is set to begin his title defense on Thursday alongside Xander Schauffele at 10:20AM. Only Tiger Woods has successfully defended at this event, and I don’t see Hovland joining Woods this year.
As always, I’ll be rooting for those with NC ties - and think that maybe this is Akshay Bhatia’s week to shine.
All that said, I’m going with….Rory McIlroy. He’ll pick up win number three this year coming off a solid finish at the RBC Canadian Open. His game looks to have found that long-lost competitive gear (except when he’s at Augusta). If he can tame the driver, then the rest of the field at the Memorial Tournament present by Workday better watch out!
All PGA Tour stats and tournament specific data referenced within are courtesy of the PGA Tour and PGA Tour Media. All PGA Tour & Tournament trademarks are property of the respective organizations are are not affiliated with Longleaf Golf or its associates.
