The Memorial: Rahm deservedly favourite, but Paul Higham has a tempting selection at 38

Off to Jack's place

We’re off to one of the highlights of the PGA Tour this week and one of the most recognisable events on the circuit as Jack Nicklaus hosts The Memorial at Muirfield Village. 

The invitational event has been staged for 45 years and with so much prestige it’s unsurprising to see seven of the world’s top 10 in attendance – although the huge $12m prize fund may have also helped. 

Nicklaus makes sure the players have to work hard for their money though, with success at Muirfield Village all about keeping out of the devastating, gnarly rough off the tee, and hitting pinpoint iron shots to some of the smallest, quickest greens on tour. 

Wholesale changes were made to the venue of Europe’s first ever Ryder Cup win on American soil in 1987, with all 18 greens rebuilt to enable more crafty pin placements – yet keeping them as rapid as possible. 

The closing stretch is where the tournament is won and lost and is as beautiful to the eye when viewing on TV as it is treacherous to play if you’re in contention on Sunday. It’s an event well worth watching.  

Rahm favourite in tournament for front-runners  

Jon Rahm should really be going into this as the double-defending champion as he was a dominant winner in 2020 and led by six last year after three rounds before disaster struck. 

The Spaniard was told on the 18th green of all places that he’d tested positive for Covid-19 and was forced to pull out of what looked a certain tournament victory, much to his clear and obvious dismay. 

Rahm responded magnificently by winning the US Open a couple of weeks later, and he’s the 12.5 favourite again given how dominant he’s been in his last seven rounds here. 

And if he’s out in front again don’t back against him, despite the last two winners on the PGA Tour coming from miles back to pinch victories. 

History shows us that it simply doesn’t happen here, so Justin Thomas and Sam Burns won’t be coming from seven behind again, as 12 of the last 13 winners have been in the top five after 36 holes. 

And that’s without factoring in the extra juice he’ll be bringing after last year’s big miss – Rahm with a point to prove is a dangerous man – plus his obvious style fit for the course, as he leads the PGA Tour in strokes gained off the tee and is second tee-to-green.  

Rory McIlroy is the second favourite for The Memorial, after finishing second, fifth and eighth in his last three tournaments

A flushers paradise 

So why does Rahn fit the bill? Well, you have to keep your ball out of the rough and you have to find the right spots on the greens, as last year’s leaderboard showed with the five best tee-to-green players finishing in the top six. 

Rory McIlroy is next best at 14.5 and arrives after finishing second, fifth and eighth in his last three outings and leading the PGA Tour in scoring, while sitting in third off the tee and tee-to-green.  

His chances are obvious but he will need to improve on his MC-32-18 finishes in his last three starts at Muirfield. 

Patrick Cantlay (19) is the defending champion, has won this twice in four years while adding a fourth and seventh, and is the only man to average under 70 here over the last five years so his claims are obvious. 

As are those of Collin Morikawa (26), who won the easier tournament staged here in 2020, but then added a runner-up finish in The Memorial last year and will go close if his iron play is back to his best. 

Jordan Spieth (24) is just a fascinating golfer at the moment, one minute he’s hitting it off the reservation then missing short putts, the next he’s holing everything and knocking in birdies for fun. 

He’s somehow managed a win, second and seventh in his last four starts and could easily run this in, but backing him should also come with a health warning. 

Good week for a first-time winner?  

Will Zalatoris is a PGA Tour winner in waiting, and a missed cut last week is no bad thing after his recent schedule. He’s a one-man stripe show and leads the tee-to-green strokes gained rankings on tour. 

We all know about his putting stroke, but the stats are far better than the aesthetics would have you believe - and with his ball-striking prowess attacking these smaller greens, he only needs an average putting week anyway to make his odds of 38 look like a gift. 

Shane Lowry has been lightly raced this season, but has top threes in two of his last four starts and has been ultra-consistent with 11 straight strokeplay top 25s.  

A T6 here last season showed a liking for the new changes, and he can often thrive when conditions are tough – while he’s also won at another tough Ohio track in Firestone, so at 30 he’s well worth a look. 

Patrick Reed has finished fifth and 10th the last two years here, so this could be the course where he sparks back into life after some promising signs in his T7 at Colonial last week. 

He’s been in bullish mood about his iron play and that’s good news as at odds of 55 we could just be getting in ahead of the curve with the former Masters champion. 

Recommended bets 

Jon Rahm @ 12.5 

Shane Lowry @ 30 

Will Zalatoris @ 38 

Patrick Reed @ 55