Only a week to go before the US Open and all those playing in Europe are back in North America to prep for that event. Jack Nicklaus\u2019s home course Muirfield Village Golf Club outside of Columbus, Ohio is the site for this week\u2019s PGA event \u2013 the Memorial. <\/p>\n
2012 Memorial Tournament<\/strong> Defending Champion:<\/strong> Steve Stricker ($1,116,000)<\/p>\n Muirfield is widely regarded as one of the most beautiful stops on TOUR and although it may not be the longest, it is always ranks in the top half in terms of difficulty. Distance is important but not crucial this week \u2013 it is putting and a player\u2019s all-around game that is key to win.<\/p>\n Last week I got it right \u2013 I picked Zach Johnson and although he did his best to let me down, he eventually paid me off.<\/p>\n Let\u2019s try to keep the roll going \u2013 here goes with my pick for the Memorial!<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Luke Donald 9\/1<\/strong><\/p>\n Destroyed the field last week in Europe and gained the #1 ranking back in the process. He has six wins in the last 15 months worldwide and has three top 15s in his last three starts at Muirfield. Donald is on top of his game and with that magical putter is instant favorite this week.<\/p>\n Rory McIlroy 12\/1<\/strong><\/p>\n Has anyone seen the real Rory? McIlroy has really struggled of late missing two straight cuts. The good news is that he has fared well in his only two starts at Muirfield – T10 (2010) and T5 (2011) and he has three top threes in his last six starts in the US. Rory won\u2019t be held down for three straight weeks \u2013 guaranteed!<\/p>\n Phil Mickelson 16\/1<\/strong><\/p>\n Phil is a factor in every event he enters \u2013 period! His last outing was a T7 in the Byron Nelson and he has finished top 20 in six of his last seven starts in this event. Phil is playing solid golf should be in the thick on Sunday.<\/p>\n Tiger Woods 16\/1<\/strong><\/p>\n Woods has mentioned that he feels \u201cclose\u201d to being at full speed. I don\u2019t buy it \u2013 in his last three starts he has finished 40th twice and he missed a cut. Tiger is a four-time winner here so he can\u2019t be counted out but at this point he is far too untrustworthy.<\/p>\n Justin Rose 18\/1<\/strong><\/p>\n Rose actually won this event in 2010 for his first PGA TOUR win and he does have a fourth place finish in 2004 and a T2 in 2008 in this event. Coming off an impressive second last week at the BMW Championship, you have to consider Rose as a front runner this week. He has six top 10s already this year and is fourth on TOUR in greens in regulation.<\/p>\n Rickie Fowler 20\/1<\/strong><\/p>\n Fowler has become Keegan Bradley \u2013 consistent and impressive. He has four straight top 10s and three top 5s during that span. He has done well at Muirfield as well finishing second in 2009. There are absolutely no negatives in Fowler\u2019s game at the moment except for the unfortunate wardrobe choices. He will contend for sure!<\/p>\n Steve Stricker25\/1<\/strong><\/p>\n Is the defending champion but has been quiet this year despite being ninth on the PGA TOUR in greens in regulation. Stricker is a solid player but hasn\u2019t quite shown the flash in 2012.<\/p>\n Jim Furyk 28\/1<\/strong><\/p>\n Furyk missed the cut here last year but don\u2019t let that fool you \u2013 he loves this course. He won in 2001, came second in 2009 and he has finished top 10 three times while making the cut in seven of eight appearances. He is playing well at the moment \u2013 a playoff loss at the Transitions, a top 10 in the Heritage and a fourth place finish last week. The putter is working for Furyk making him a decent 28\/1 shot.<\/p>\n Webb Simpson 35\/1<\/strong><\/p>\n Has four top 10s in 12 starts this season but seems to wilt under the pressure a bit. He ranks 18th on TOUR in both greens in regulation and Strokes Gained-Putting; third in birdie average and did post a very impressive T7 in this event last year.<\/p>\n Bo Van Pelt 35\/1<\/strong><\/p>\n Finished T3 in 2010 and T13 at this event last year and has been playing well with two straight top 20s. Van Pelt has been impressive and may be due!<\/p>\n Jason Day 40\/1<\/strong><\/p>\n Day calls this area home and he is a member of Muirfield yet he has had his issues in this tournament \u2013 no top 25s in three career starts. Day, like so many had a brutal PLAYERS but has finished T9 in two other events leading up to the Memorial.<\/p>\n Ernie Els 45\/1<\/strong><\/p>\n Els has been playing very well of late after not getting an invitation to the Masters. He has five top 10s worldwide this year and he has a good track record at Muirfield – six top 10s including a victory in 2004 and, most recently, a T8 in 2009<\/p>\n Dustin Johnson 50\/1<\/strong><\/p>\n Johnson a sleeper? He is coming off a back injury to a tournament that he finished T4 in last year. While a win is hard to imagine, you just don\u2019t see Johnson at 50\/1 anymore!<\/p>\n Charl Schwartzel 50\/1<\/strong><\/p>\n Has been under the radar mostly because he has struggled and he has been playing overseas. But Schwartzel could do well on a course that is set up similar to the Masters!<\/p>\n Ben Curtis 50\/1<\/strong><\/p>\n Curtis has reemerged on the radar in a big way with four straight top 15s in the U.S. before a T68 at Wentworth last week. He is eighth on TOUR in greens hit and first in Strokes Gained-Putting \u2013 perfect for this course and he did finish 69-67 last year at this event to come T13.\u00a0\u00a0[soliloquy id=”82219″]<\/p>\n Jonathan Byrd 60\/1<\/strong><\/p>\n Has three straight top 12s and is coming off a T11 last week. He shared third place at Muirfield Village in 2009 and tied for seventh last year making him a serious threat this year.<\/p>\n Ryan Moore 65\/1<\/strong><\/p>\n He finished second here in 2007 and has two other top 10s \u2013 2008 and 2010. Moore has been playing well as of late and is an intriguing 65\/1.<\/p>\n Justin Rose at 16\/<\/strong>1 comes into the Memorial in good form and brimming with confidence. His game is well suited for this course and in a tournament as wide-open as I can remember, I\u2019ll take one of the more consistent players on TOUR to win it all.<\/p>\n My sleeper this week is Ben Curtis at 50\/1<\/strong> who, despite playing very well is not getting the love from the oddsmakers.<\/p>\n CLICK TO BET<\/p>\n
\nLocation: Dublin, Ohio, United States
\nCourse: Muirfield Village Golf Club
\nDate: May 31 – Jun 3, 2012
\nTotal Purse: US $ 6,200,000
\nWinner’s Share: US $ 1,116,000 (18% of total purse)<\/p>\nThe Favorites:<\/h3>\n
The Contenders:<\/h3>\n
The Sleepers<\/h3>\n
The Pick:<\/h3>\n
2012 Memorial Championship Betting Lines & Future Odds<\/h3>\n