Out of the Rough: the Memorial Tournament presented by Workday (2026)

When it comes to the terms 'picturesque’ or ‘pristine’ there are a few golf courses in the world that instantly come to mind.

Of course, the first would undoubtedly be Augusta National but not far down the list would be Muirfield Village, the host of this week’s Memorial Tournament. 

We’re back for another installment of one of the most storied non-majors on the PGA Tour schedule in the Memorial Tournament.

Known as “Jack’s Place,” Muirfield is the crowning achievement of Jack Nicklaus’ post-playing career.

Although an already prestigious event, annually being one of the biggest drawing non-major events of the year, the added element of the Signature Event status ensures the World’s best will be on tap this week. 

This week serves as the penultimate Signature Event of the season, with next month’s Travelers Championship being the final.

This tournament dates back to 1976 and as previously mentioned, sits upon one of the most breathtaking and visually-appealing backdrops the sport of golf has to offer.

The Field

Same song, different dance.

World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler comes in as the defending back-to-back champion. He looks to become the first golfer to win three straight of the same event since Steve Stricker did so at the John Deere Classic between 2009 and 2011.

World No. 6 Collin Morikawa is the most notable absentee as he has withdrawn from this event citing rehabilitation of his ongoing back injury.

Viktor Hovland (World No. 31,) is another notable absentee from this event.

Beyond that, those who qualified will be playing this week in Ohio.

Other former winners of this event playing this week include Billy Horschel (2022,) Patrick Cantlay (2019 and 2021,) Hideki Matsuyama (2014) and Justin Rose (2010.) 

Also note that all golfers will begin play from Hole 1. There will be no split starts with half the field starting on Hole 1 and the other half starting on Hole 10 this week. 

The Course

Success at Muirfield Village is simple. Hit the fairways to avoid the long penal rough, hit pure iron shots and have a strong around-the-green game. Simple enough, right?

It plays as a par-72 at 7,571 yards while featuring 68 sand bunkers and having water in play on 13 of the holes.

Muirfield Village is known for its long rough that is some of the most penal on all of the PGA Tour. 

It is nearly impossible to hold the firm, fast and tight Bentgrass greens while hitting from the rough. This adds a massive incentive on hitting the fairways.

It also adds an emphasis to around-the-green play with the inability to hold the greens from such positions.

This course also features the longest proximity-to-the-hole from inside 100 yards from the rough and the second lowest going-for-the-green rate of any course in the regular rotation. Additionally, it features the second lowest birdie rate from the rough.

With the need to play from the fairway, players must be precise with their approach shots and hit the necessary landing areas to hold the greens.

Despite the greens being firm and fast, they don’t play hard at all. Actually, Muirfield has the third lowest three-putt rate of any regular PGA Tour course and is inside the top five in makes from five feet to ten feet. In 2021, the field made 89-percent of its putts from inside ten feet.

In all Muirfield Village plays more to major conditions than not.

Along with the known long-penal rough, another unique aspect to Muirfield is the fact that all four par-fives are the only holes on the entire course to play at a scoring average below par. Scoring low on these holes is a must for any potential winner.

The greenside sand traps annually result in the longest proximity-to-the-hole lengths of any course on the regular PGA Tour rotation. You combine that with these lightning-fast greens, you have a big focus on those who are among the Tour’s best in sand saves percentage.

With all of this added, Muirfield also sits inside the top five of courses with the lowest scrambling percentage at just 53-percent.

It has been a few seasons since Muirfield had undergone a massive renovation as work began directly following the conclusion of the 2020 Memorial Tournament.

Come 2021, a full 100 yards was added to the course, pushing it to that 7,571 previously mentioned yard mark. 

Brand new greens complexes were among the restorations as well.

Typically, Muirfield Village tweaks the fairways, greens and bunkers from year-to-year. That won’t be the case this season as the venue has put a focus on increasing the fan experience.

New digital scoreboards have been added and new fan activities are planned for this year’s installment. 

The Weather

As of the time of writing this, Thursday currently calls for just a five-percent chance of precipitation. Friday, Saturday and Sunday are all calling for a 25-percent chance. Winds will begin the week at eight miles-per-hour coming out of the south on Thursday. From there, winds will jump to ten miles-per-hour coming out of the south-west on Friday. The south-west winds will continue into Saturday and will peak at 11 miles-per-hour. Winds will switch to coming out of the north on Sunday and are set at nine miles-per-hour. Temperatures are set at 82-degrees on Thursday before peaking at 84-degrees on Friday. Temperatures will settle back to 82-degrees across the weekend.

Key Stats

• Strokes Gained: Approach (SG: APP)

• Strokes Gained: Around the Green (SG: ATG)

• Strokes Gained: Off the Tee (SG: OTT) / Hit Fairway Percentage

• Strokes Gained Putting on Bentgrass (SG: PUTT Bentgrass)

• Greens in Regulation Percentage (GIR%)

• Scrambling / Scrambling from the Rough

• Par Five Average Scoring

• Bogey Avoidance

• Approach Shots from 175-200 Yards

• Sand Saves Percentage

Betting Card

Matt Fitzpatrick (+2200)

I’m unsure if I’ll ever stop betting on Fitzpatrick this season. He, along with my next selection, have been littered across these articles all season long, and that’s for good reason. Fitzpatrick is currently fourth on Tour in SG: APP, seventh in all three of hit fairway percentage, GIR% and bogey avoidance, eighth in both SG: ATG and par-five average scoring, 23rd in scrambling, 34th in SG: OTT, 48th in proximity to the hole from 175-200 yards, 50th in SG: PUTT Bentgrass and 52nd in scrambling from the rough. In other words, he’s nearly top 50 on Tour in each of the 12 statistical categories I took into consideration this week. He last played the PGA Championship where he placed 14th. Prior to that he placed 52nd at the Truist Championship and won both the Zurich Classic of New Orleans and the RBC Heritage. He also placed 18th at the Masters Tournament, won the Valspar Championship and placed second at THE PLAYERS Championship. He placed 31st here a season ago, fifth in 2024, ninth in 2023, missed the cut in both 2022 and 2021. He also placed third here in 2020. 

Tommy Fleetwood (+3000)

As previously mentioned, I’ve been on Fleetwood a bunch this season as well. He is currently second on Tour in scrambling from the rough, fourth in proximity to the hole from 175-200 yards, sixth in SG: ATG, 11th in hit fairway percentage, 13th in bogey avoidance, 15th in par-five average scoring, 17th in scrambling, 30th in SG: OTT, 32nd in SG: PUTT Bentgrass, 56th in SG: APP, 68th in sand saves percentage and 76th in GIR%. Fleetwood missed the cut in in his latest outing at the PGA Championship but placed fifth at the Truist Championship, 23rd at the Cadillac Championship, 52nd at the RBC Heritage, 33rd at the Masters Tournament, tenth at the Valero Texas Open and eighth at THE PLAYERS Championship prior. He also placed 16th here a season ago and 20th in 2024. 

Min Woo Lee (+5000)

We last saw Lee at the PGA Championship where he placed 18th. Prior to that he placed 14th at the Truist Championship and 18th at the Cadillac Championship. Earlier in the season he was the runner-up at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am and also placed third at the Texas Children’s Houston Open and sixth at the Arnold Palmer Invitational. He is currently seventh on Tour in SG: OTT, 23rd in sand saves percentage, 25th in scrambling, 26th in scrambling from the rough, 28th in SG: ATG, 32nd in bogey avoidance, 36th in par-five average scoring, 62nd in hit fairway percentage, 70th in SG: APP, 70th in proximity to the hole from 175-200 yards, 75th in SG: PUTT Bentgrass and 80th in GIR%. He placed 49th at this event a season ago and missed the cut in 2022.

Maverick McNealy (+5500)

There are always exceptions to the rules. We’re focusing on golfers who can hit fairways and come with a strong iron game. McNealy is a long-hitter with a brilliant short-game. He doesn’t really hit the mold. However, he placed fifth here a season ago. McNealy is currently ninth on Tour in sand saves percentage, tenth in par-five average scoring, 20th in SG: PUTT Bentgrass, 27th in proximity to the hole from 175-200 yards, 31st in SG: ATG, 45th in scrambling, 50th in SG: OTT, 71st in both bogey avoidance and scrambling from the rough, 100th in GIR%, 104th in SG: APP and 131st in hit fairway percentage. He placed 18th in his latest outing at the PGA Championship. Prior to that he placed 37th at the Truist Championship, 30th at the Cadillac Championship, 16th at the RBC Heritage, 18th at the Masters Tournament and 21st at the Valero Texas Open. 

Nick Taylor (+15000)

Onto the first of two longshots, Taylor placed fourth at this event a season ago. He also placed 27th in 2024, 42nd in 2021 and missed the cut in 2020. He placed 26th in his latest outing at the PGA Championship and prior to that placed 14th at the Truist Championship and ninth at the Cadillac Championship. Taylor is currently tenth on Tour in SG: ATG, 11th in bogey avoidance, 14th in scrambling, 19th in sand saves percentage, 31st in SG: APP, 36th in par-five average scoring, 46th in scrambling from the rough, 66th in hit fairway percentage, 67th in GIR%, 91st in proximity to the hole from 175-200 yards, 113th in SG: PUTT Bentgrass and 119th in SG: OTT. 

Brandt Snedeker (+60000)

Muirfield Village is a course where the older, short hitters can contend. That’s right up Snedeker’s alley. He is currently first on Tour in both SG: ATG and sand saves percentage, fifth in proximity to the hole from 175-200 yards, 19th in scrambling, 23rd in scrambling from the rough, 28th in hit fairway percentage, 32nd in SG: APP, 37th in bogey avoidance, 42nd in SG: PUTT Bentgrass, 68th in par-five average scoring, 99th in GIR% and 158th in SG: OTT. Don’t worry about the off-the-tee number, that’s due to his lack of distance. Snedeker placed 28th last week at the Charles Schwab Challenge. Prior to that he missed the cut at the PGA Championship but won the ONEflight Myrtle Beach Classic. He also placed 30th at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans, 39th at the Valero Texas Open and 18th at the Valspar Championship. He also placed seventh here a season ago. He also missed the cut in 2024 and placed 41st in 2023 and 60th in 2022.

2025 Betting Card

• Ludvig Aberg (+2500) - T16th

• Corey Conners (+3300) - T25th

• Russell Henley (+5000) - T5th

• J.J. Spaun (+7500) - MC

• Davis Thompson (+11000) - T49th

2024 Betting Card

• Collin Morikawa (+1600) - 2nd

• Patrick Cantlay (+2800) - MC

• Si Woo Kim (+5500) - T15th

• Shane Lowry (+6600) - 49th

• Andrew Putnam (+18000) - T45th

2023 Betting Card

• Xander Schauffele (+1400) - T24th

• Jason Day (+2800) - MC

• Sungjae Im (+3500) - T41st

• Rickie Fowler (+4000) - T9th

• Tom Kim (+6000) - MC

• Si Woo Kim (+6000) - 4th

• J.J. Spaun (+27000) - T30th

• Andrew Putnam (+30000) - T5th