For the next several weeks, the PGA Tour heads to the Midwest and northern part of North America, and this week marks one of the most prestigious stops of the season at “Jack’s Place” for the 50th playing of the Memorial Tournament. This event has been dominated by Scottie Scheffler in recent years, but there will be plenty of players in the field hoping to shake Mr. Nicklaus’s hand in victory on Sunday afternoon.

With the U.S. Open just two weeks away, the Memorial has always served as one of the best preparation tests on Tour. Players will once again have to navigate thick rough, demanding driving corridors, elite ball-striking requirements, and some of the fastest bentgrass greens they’ll see all season. Several Carolinians enter the week with strong histories at Muirfield Village and hopes of breaking through, most notably Ben Griffin, who finished runner-up to Scheffler here last season. As always, Muirfield Village tends to separate those playing great golf from those searching for form, setting the stage for another exciting week in Dublin, Ohio.

J.T. Poston

J.T. Poston bounced back reasonably well at last week’s Charles Schwab Challenge after a disappointing PGA Championship, finishing tied for 35th. Poston has now made 9 of 13 cuts this season, and unlike many Signature Events, the Memorial features a 36-hole cut for the top 50 players and ties.

While Poston has yet to record a top-20 finish this season, he does have two top-25 finishes, including one at the Truist Championship. Statistically, his tee-to-green game has been solid. He ranks 67th in Strokes Gained: Off-the-Tee, gaining 0.119 strokes per round, and 84th in Strokes Gained: Approach, gaining 0.056 strokes per round. His overall Strokes Gained Total still sits slightly below average, ranking 108th while losing 0.191 strokes per round.

This will be Poston’s eighth appearance at the Memorial Tournament. He has made the cut in five of seven previous starts and owns one top-25 finish. Last year was forgettable, however, as he finished nine-over through two rounds and missed the cut.

Entering the week, Poston is listed at +195 for a Top-20 finish (including ties), +550 for a Top-10 finish (including ties), and +12500 to win outright. He also has a 72-hole matchup against fellow North Carolinian Ryan Gerard, where he is currently a modest underdog at +110 compared to Gerard’s -138.

I expect Poston to make the cut, but based on his history at Muirfield Village and current form, it is difficult to see him seriously contending for a top-20 finish.

Andrew Novak

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Andrew Novak turned in a respectable performance in his first start after the PGA Championship, finishing tied for 54th at the Charles Schwab Challenge. Through 16 starts this season, Novak has made 12 cuts while recording two top-10 finishes and five top-25 finishes.

One area where Novak stands out statistically is around the greens. He ranks 37th in Strokes Gained: Around-the-Green, gaining 0.235 strokes per round. That skill set could prove especially valuable this week given the small and demanding putting surfaces at Muirfield Village. He has also improved significantly with his iron play, ranking 54th in Strokes Gained: Approach at 0.253 strokes gained per round.

His overall Strokes Gained Total sits just below the Tour average, ranking 97th while losing only 0.066 strokes per round, largely due to inconsistent putting.

Last season marked Novak’s debut at the Memorial Tournament. He successfully made the cut but struggled over the weekend, eventually finishing tied for 51st at 11-over par.

Novak enters the week at +230 for a Top-20 finish (including ties), +750 for a Top-10 finish (including ties), and +15000 to win outright. If he continues to lean on his iron play and short-game strengths, he has a legitimate opportunity to improve on last year’s result.

Akshay Bhatia

Although the weekend didn’t go particularly well for Akshay Bhatia, he rebounded nicely after his missed cut at the PGA Championship with a T-28 finish at the Charles Schwab Challenge.

Bhatia has made 9 of 13 cuts this season while compiling one victory, two top-five finishes, three top-10 finishes, and seven top-25 finishes. The biggest concern remains his driving. He ranks 130th in Strokes Gained: Off-the-Tee, losing 0.255 strokes per round in that category. Fortunately, he has more than compensated elsewhere, ranking 12th on Tour in Strokes Gained Total while gaining 1.104 strokes per round overall.

His history at the Memorial is encouraging. He has made the cut in two of three appearances and has steadily improved his finishing position each year, progressing from a missed cut to a T-22 and then a T-16 finish last season.

Interestingly, Saturday has been his downfall at Muirfield Village. He posted a third-round 75 in 2024 and a third-round 80 in 2025 after entering the weekend in strong position both times.

This week, Bhatia is listed at +140 for a Top-20 finish (including ties), +420 for a Top-10 finish (including ties), and +8000 to win outright. If he can simply be average off the tee, he has all the tools necessary to contend once again.

Tom Hoge

Tom Hoge’s 2026 season appears to be moving in the right direction, as he has now made three consecutive cuts dating back to the PGA Championship.

Last week at Colonial, Hoge played three solid rounds but was undone by a disastrous third-round 79, eventually finishing tied for 71st. Even so, he has now made 12 of 17 cuts this season while recording three top-10 finishes and four top-25 finishes.

The issue remains that nearly all of Hoge’s positive statistical value comes through his approach play. He ranks 64th in Strokes Gained: Approach, gaining 0.189 strokes per round, while losing ground to the field in every other major strokes-gained category.

As a result, he currently ranks 143rd in Strokes Gained Total, losing 0.767 strokes per round.

At the Memorial, Hoge has made four cuts in seven appearances, recording one top-10 finish and two top-25s. His recent results at Muirfield Village have been solid, including a T-45 in 2024 and a career-best T-7 finish last season.

This week, Hoge is +550 for a Top-20 finish (including ties), +1800 for a Top-10 finish (including ties), and +75000 to win outright.

While his recent course history is encouraging, his struggles off the tee and around the greens make it difficult to envision another high-end finish. Unless his iron play carries him throughout the week, this could be a difficult setup for him despite last year’s success.

Ryan Gerard

After a couple of underwhelming performances at the Truist Championship and PGA Championship, Ryan Gerard bounced back in a big way last week at the Charles Schwab Challenge. He found himself in contention late on Sunday before ultimately finishing tied for 10th at 9-under par.

Through 16 starts this season, Gerard has made 14 cuts while compiling two runner-up finishes, two top-5s, three top-10s, and five top-25 finishes. His iron play has been the driving force behind his success, as he currently ranks 10th on Tour in Strokes Gained: Approach, gaining 0.608 strokes per round. He has also been solid off the tee and on the greens, gaining strokes in both categories relative to the Tour average.

Overall, Gerard now ranks 38th in Strokes Gained: Total, gaining 0.608 strokes per round, a significant jump from where he stood just a week ago.

Last season marked Gerard’s first appearance at the Memorial Tournament. Despite a slow start, he battled back to make the cut and eventually finished tied for 23rd.

This week, Gerard is listed at +140 for a Top-20 finish (including ties), +420 for a Top-10 finish (including ties), and +7000 to win outright. Given his strong driving, elite iron play, and solid debut at Muirfield Village last year, it’s difficult to envision him having a poor week. A Top-20 finish feels well within reach, and a Top-10 would not be surprising.

Jacob Bridgeman

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Following a missed cut at the PGA Championship, Jacob Bridgeman elected to take the last two weeks off. That missed cut was his first of the season, as he still owns an impressive 12-for-13 record when it comes to making weekend appearances.

Even with a few quieter performances recently, Bridgeman has enjoyed a breakout season, highlighted by one victory, three top-5 finishes, four top-10s, and eight top-25s.

His biggest strength has been on the greens. Bridgeman ranks second on Tour in Strokes Gained: Putting, gaining 0.837 strokes per round. He has also gained strokes both off the tee and with his approach play. The lone weakness in his statistical profile has been around the greens, where he ranks 116th, losing 0.139 strokes per round.

Even with that weakness, Bridgeman ranks 16th in Strokes Gained: Total, gaining 1.044 strokes per round on the field.

This will be his second appearance at Muirfield Village. Last season, he put together three solid rounds before stumbling on Sunday, ultimately finishing tied for 31st at 5-over par.

This week, Bridgeman sits at +190 for a Top-20 finish (including ties), +550 for a Top-10 finish (including ties), and +10000 to win outright. With a year’s worth of experience at the course and the level of golf he has displayed throughout the season, his Top-20 price stands out as one of the more appealing values among the Carolinians.

Ben Griffin

Ben Griffin continues to build momentum with another strong stretch of golf. At the PGA Championship, he posted four consistent rounds to finish tied for 14th, and he followed that up with four rounds under par at the Charles Schwab Challenge, resulting in his second third-place finish of the season.

Griffin has now made 13 cuts in 16 starts while recording two top-5 finishes, three top-10s, and six top-25s.

Statistically, he has improved off the tee, now losing only 0.061 strokes per round in that category. His iron play remains a weakness, but he continues to make up for it around the greens and on the putting surfaces. Griffin ranks ninth in Strokes Gained: Around-the-Green, gaining 0.445 strokes per round, and 16th in Strokes Gained: Putting at 0.499 strokes gained per round.

Those strengths have helped him climb to 41st in Strokes Gained: Total, gaining 0.583 strokes per round overall.

Prior to last season, the Memorial Tournament had been a difficult event for Griffin, as he missed the cut in both of his first two appearances. Everything changed in 2025 when he finished solo second behind Scottie Scheffler.

Entering this week, Griffin is -130 for a Top-20 finish (including ties), +220 for a Top-10 finish (including ties), and +3500 to win outright. He is also favored in both of his featured matchups, listed at -125 against Justin Thomas over 72 holes and -125 against Min Woo Lee in his first-round matchup.

Griffin arrives at Muirfield Village in excellent form and with unfinished business after last year’s runner-up finish. Another strong week would not be surprising.

Lucas Glover

Although Lucas Glover managed to make the cut at last week’s Charles Schwab Challenge, the weekend did not go according to plan. Rounds of 75 and 72 dropped him into a tie for 71st.

Glover has now made just six cuts in 12 starts this season, with only two top-25 finishes to show for it.

His strongest statistical categories remain off the tee and approach play, but even in those areas he is still losing strokes relative to the field. As a result, Glover ranks 148th in Strokes Gained: Total, losing 0.946 strokes per round.

This week marks his 22nd appearance at the Memorial Tournament. Throughout his career, he has made 13 cuts, recorded one top-10 finish, and one top-25 finish. Recent history has been particularly rough, as he enters the week having missed the cut in three consecutive appearances.

Glover is a longshot across the board, sitting at +500 for a Top-20 finish (including ties), +1600 for a Top-10 finish (including ties), and +50000 to win outright.

Given both his recent form and course history, it is difficult to make a compelling case for Glover this week, especially in a Signature Event field loaded with elite talent. 

Mac Meisner

Mac Meissner enters the Memorial Tournament on a high note after finishing tied for third alongside Ben Griffin at last week’s Charles Schwab Challenge.

The season has been impressive overall, as Meissner has made 10 cuts in 13 starts while recording one third-place finish, three top-10s, and four top-25 finishes.

What stands out most about Meissner’s statistical profile is its balance. He gains strokes in every major category except off the tee, where he is essentially Tour average, losing only 0.011 strokes per round.

That well-rounded game has helped him climb to 22nd in Strokes Gained: Total, gaining 0.820 strokes per round on the field.

This will be Meissner’s first appearance at the Memorial Tournament, but confidence is clearly on his side after his recent result. He enters the week at +190 for a Top-20 finish (including ties), +550 for a Top-10 finish (including ties), and +15000 to win outright.

While the lack of course experience is worth noting, his consistent play throughout the season suggests he is more than capable of making the cut and contending for a Top-20 finish. A Top-10 result is certainly possible, though it may be asking a bit much in such a strong field.