The 2023 Memorial Tournament: PGA Tour Betting Odds

This is one of the elevated events on the PGA Tour with a new purse of $20 million (up from $12 million), and it’s a field limited to 120 players as an invitational. Because of Nicklaus, all the top players try to play here – the “Golden Bear” grew up in Ohio and starred collegiately at nearby Ohio State. Nicklaus designed Muirfield Village Golf Club in Dublin, a suburb north of Columbus. It’s a par 72 at approximately 7,530 yards. The 18-hole record of 61 was set way back in 1996. 

Seven players have won the event at least twice – Tiger Woods has captured it five times, last in 2012, but he’s nowhere close to playing again on Tour. Nicklaus won it twice. Per usual, no LIV players are teeing it up. One of them, Bryson DeChambeau, won the tournament in 2018.

The 2021 tournament was notable because it appeared that Spain’s Jon Rahm was poised to repeat after a three-stroke win in 2020. Rahm held a six-stroke lead after 54 holes in ’21 but was forced to withdraw after testing positive for COVID-19. Patrick Cantlay won it in a playoff.

The defending champion is Billy Horschel. He finished at 13-under 275 (second year in a row the winner had that score) and four up on Aaron Wise. Horschel was staked to a five-shot lead at the start of Sunday and no one ever got closer than two shots. He closed with an even-par 72. It was Horschel’s seventh PGA Tour win – he was the 2014 FedExCup champion — and he hasn’t won since. Tiger is the only player to repeat in the tournament, coming in 2011. 

The Memorial Tournament Golf Odds

World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler is +667 and world No. 2 Jon Rahm +742. Scheffler comes off a tie for third at the Charles Schwab on Sunday, his third straight Top 3 this year. He was third at this event in 2021 when he last played. Rahm won 2020 at 9-under 279 and as we noted probably would have repeated if not for getting sick in 2021. He comes off a disappointing T50 at the PGA Championship.

Patrick Cantlay is +1000, with Rory McIlroy and Xander Schauffele both +1300. Viktor Hovland is +2000. Cantlay won here in 2019 and in 2021 and was third last year. Schauffele hasn’t been worse than 18^th the past four years but also not had a Top 10. McIlroy has been 18^th in back-to-back years. Hovland hasn’t contended in three trips. One notable Top 10 player not competing this week: Max Homa. His sister is getting married. 

No Canadians have won this tournament. Mike Weir was one of four runners-up in 2008, two shots behind Kenny Perry. Corey Conners was the top finisher last year at T13, with Adam Hadwin T18, Mackenzie Hughes T37 and Adam Svensson T45. Conners is +4600 this week with Hadwin +13200, Svensson +11300, Taylor Pendrith +22200, Mackenzie Hughes +29100. 

The Memorial Tournament Golf Predictions

We like an American winner at -167. For an individual: Justin Thomas at +2600 despite not playing last year. He has a couple of Top 10s at the tournament and rarely plays poorly in back-to-back events – he struggled in the PGA Championship and hasn’t played since.