The Memorial Tournament Betting Tips: 5 Panel Selections From Muirfield
In the build-up to this month’s US Open at Shinnecock Hills, the PGA Tour heads to Ohio for the Memorial Tournament, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary.
Understandably for the penultimate Signature Event of the season, Muirfield has attracted a high-quality field, including world number one Scottie Scheffler, who is bidding for a third successive victory at this Jack Nicklaus-designed course.
Scheffler is understandably the 10/3 favourite on one of the golf betting sites to make it a hat-trick, with Rory McIlroy – eyeing his first victory at ‘Jack’s Place’ – his nearest challenger at a general 10/1, although 11/1 is still available at the time of writing.
Ludvig Aberg (14/1), Cameron Young (16/1) and Xander Schauffele (18/1) make up the top five, followed by Russell Henley (20/1), who denied The Panel a 90/1 winner at Colonial over the weekend.
The American birdied the last three holes to force a play-off with Eric Cole and added another from five feet at the first extra hole to clinch the title.
That was a major disappointment for The Panel, but it was still a profitable week as JJ Spaun - another of the each-way selections – also placed, although he finished in a tie for sixth with three others.
Victory for Cole would have put the column in profit for the year, but hopefully the Memorial will prove to be a happy hunting ground at one of the toughest tests on the PGA Tour.
Muirfield is a classical, tree-lined par-72 course measuring 7,569 yards which underwent a huge renovation between 2020 and 2021, involving significant changes to most of the undulating greens, while all of the par-fives were lengthened.
As one would expect, Nicklaus has ensured that every facet of a player’s game will be tested, although a close look at champions from the last five years show that four of them topped the Strokes Gained: Tee-to-Green stats and scrambling also proved important – putting less so.
Using the above criteria, The Panel have picked out three each-way selections for their Memorial Tournament betting tips, plus one top 20 and a first-round leader.
Memorial Tips: In-Form Smalley Can End Poor Muirfield Run
The Panel have sided with Alex Smalley twice this year without success and although he has missed the cut in his two previous visits to Muirfield, this could be the year he finally manages to see the weekend and hopefully better.
Smalley moved into the world’s top 40 with third spot at the Charles Schwab Challenge which came a fortnight after he had finished runner-up to Aaron Rai at the USPGA Championship.
He was inside the top 20 in all three previous outings, so he heads to Dublin in excellent form and confident of landing a first PGA Tour title.
The elite nature of this limited 71-man field explains why Smalley is 50/1 with some UK bookmakers, but he ticks all the boxes for a major challenge this week.
Smalley was the sixth best from tee-to-green at Colonial last week and is inside the top 20 overall for that metric and approach this season, which should stand him in good stead on this second-shot venue.
Not regarded as a great scrambler, Smalley had a positive number for SG: Around the Green at Colonial, which bodes well for another title challenge.
The Memorial Tournament Betting Tips 1: Alex Smalley 50/1 (Each-Way) - With BetMGM
The Memorial Tournament Betting Tips:
- Alex Smalley 50/1 (Each-Way) - With BetMGM (Six Places)
- Sepp Straka 60/1 (Each-Way) - With BetMGM (Six Places)
- Hideki Matsuyama 40/1 (Each-Way) - With SpreadEx (Five Places)
- Alex Smalley 50/1 First-Round Leader (Each-Way) - With VirginBet (Six Places)
- Im Sung-jae 7/2 Top 20 - With Sky Bet
Memorial Tournament Betting Tips: Straka Hits The Sweet Spot
The Panel were on board Sepp Straka last year as an each-way selection at 35/1 and are happy to take the 60/1 on offer with BetMGM, which has six places available.
Straka returned to Austria last week for his national Open where he posted four sub-70 rounds to finish just outside the top 10 and his recent record at Muirfield suggests he can bring his European form back to the USA.
The world number 18 won twice on the PGA Tour last year when he was outright third at The Memorial, having finished fifth just 12 months earlier.
Straka was also in contention at the halfway stage in 2023 only to be undone by a weekend 73-75 which still proved good enough for a share of 16th place, so it’s clear that he enjoys this challenging test.
Consistent from tee-to-green (29th) on the PGA Tour season, he is also inside the top 10 for approach, an area when he was very strong in Kitzbuhel.
He’s up against some great players and has finished five and six shots behind Scheffler in the last couple of years, but there is no reason why he cannot hit the frame again or even better this week.
The Memorial Tournament Betting Tips 2: Sepp Straka 60/1 (Each-Way) - With BetMGM (Six Places)
The Memorial Tournament Predictions: Matsuyama Made For Muirfield
Hideki Matsuyama is in danger of slipping out the world’s top 20 for the first time since February 2024, but is playing well enough to add a seventh PGA Tour title to his name in this decade.
The 2021 US Masters champion ended 2025 with victory at the Hero World Challenge and brought his good form into the new year with four successive top 15 finishes, including a heartbreaking runner-up spot at the Phoenix Open.
The Panel had tipped the Japanese at 25/1 and he led by four heading into the final round only for Chris Gotterup to birdie five of the final six holes to force a play-off which he won.
Aside from a couple of bad weeks at Doral and Quail Hollow, Matsuyama has been playing consistently well and has not missed a cut since last year’s USPGA Championship.
Although he finished just inside the top 40 at Muirfield last year, he was 16th (2023) and eighth (2024) in his two previous visits, so he knows how to navigate this course.
Strong from tee-to green and for approach, the Japanese is also an excellent scrambler which will aid his cause should be find the thick rough with an errant drive.
Inside the top 30 at Aronimink, Matsuyama finished 13th at Colonial where he was just one shot off the head at the halfway stage.
It would be rare for Matsuyama not to win a trophy at least once in a season and he catches the eye at 40/1 with several betting apps.
The Memorial Tournament Betting Tips 3: Hideki Matsuyama 40/1 (Each-Way) - With SpreadEx (Five Places)
Memorial Tournament First-Round Leader Tips: Double Up On Smalley
The Panel have avoided the first-round leader market since the US Masters, but are making an exception this week.
Barring a slow start at Quail Hollow, Smalley has been bursting out of the blocks lately and was just one shot off the lead after Thursday’s round at Colonial.
That came just four weeks after a similar outcome at Doral, where he trailed Cameron Young by one after round one.
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Obviously, Smalley does not have a great record at Muirfield where he has not shot lower than a 73 in his four rounds, but he will be a better player for those experiences.
His opening-round form suggests he can low on this tricky course and he looks worth a punt at 50/1 with VirginBet to top the leaderboard on Thursday.
The Memorial Tournament Betting Tips 4: Alex Smalley 50/1 First-Round Leader (Each-Way) - With VirginBet (Six Places)
Memorial Tournament Top 20 Tips: Get On Im
Erik van Rooyen gave The Panel a return in the top 20 market at the Byron Nelson and hopefully that will be the case this week with Im Sung-jae.
The South Korean has finished inside the top 20 in three of his last four trips to Jack’s Place which is an encouraging start.
Although he missed the cut at the USPGA Championship and Colonial, he had secured top 10 finishes in the previous weeks at Doral and Quail Hollow.
Im is due another good week if the pattern holds and he has a chance of a top 20 at 7/2 with Sky Bet .
His tee-to-green and approach numbers don’t make for good reading, but he gained almost a stroke on the field for the former metric at the Byron Nelson, where he was typically strong around the dancefloor.
If he can stay away from the thick stuff, another strong showing looks on the cards.
The Memorial Tournament Betting Tips 5: Im Sung-jae 7/2 Top 20 - With Sky Bet
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