For PGATour.com’s Rob Bolton, one name immediately jumps into mind when it comes to the sleeper front for this week’s Memorial Tournament. And that name is Jamie Lovemark. He’s starting to hit his stride once again, earning a T18 at the AT&T Byron Nelson two weeks ago. Key for Lovemark this week is to hit the greens in regulation. The last three times he’s ranked inside the top 25 in a field in that department, Lovemark has managed to record a top 20 in the tournament.
Ollie Schniederjansis another golfer who has caught the eye of Bolton. The PGA Tour rookie is 13-for-18 this season with four top 10s and is currently ranked 44th in the FedExCup standings. For the season, the Georgia Tech alum is tied for 20th in proximity to the hole, T14 in par-5 scoring, 25th in strokes gained: approach-the-green and 31st in strokes gained: tee-to-green. Schniederjans is pegged at +8,000to win this week.
Patrick Cantlay’s another guy who’s playing some solid golf as we speak. The 25-year-old hasn’t missed a cut in his last six starts and sits comfortably at 50th in the FedExCup standings. During that stretch, Cantlay recorded a runner-up finish at Copperhead and a T3 at Harbour Town. His odds of winning the Memorial Tournament are priced at +4,000.
Rounding out Bolton’s sleeper picks are Harold Varner III and Patrick Rodgers. Varner came close to winning this tournament last year but a final-round 79 wrecked his chances. As we have mentioned earlier, greens in regulation will be key this week and Varner has excelled in that department this season. He’s inside the top third on Tour in that specific department. Rodgers, on the other hand, loves playing at Muirfield Village as evidenced by his fifth-place finish at the Memorial Tournament in 2015. The Indiana native is just 5-for-17 on the season, but all of his paydays this campaign are top-30s.
ProGolfNow (Sam Belden)
Sleeper Picks
Kevin Na
Sung Kang
David Lingmerth
Kevin Streelman
Stewart Cink
Looking for a worthy sleeper? How about Sung Kang? The Korean is in a rich vein of form, nabbing top-20s in four of his last six starts, including a solo second at the Shell Houston Open and a tie for sixth at the Valero Texas Open. Kang is 24th in scoring average this season, so he should have plenty of opportunities at Muirfield this week. His odds of winning the Memorial are priced at +8,000.
Sam Belden also favors Kevin Na and David Lingmerth to do well this week. Na and Lingmerth have stellar records here at Jack’s place and Belden is firm in his belief that they can turn their seasons around at the Memorial. Na has found the top 15 in three of his last four starts at the Memorial while Lingmerth (+8,000) won this tournament back in 2015.
Rounding out Belden’s sleeper picks are Kevin Streelman and Stewart Cink. Streelman showed he’s still got it, scoring a pair of 68s last weekend to nab a T18 at the Dean & DeLuca Invitational. Streelman will look to keep the momentum going at the Memorial Tournament, where he’s found the top 20 in each of the past few years. Cink is another player who loves playing at Muirfield Village. The Georgia Tech product has made the cut in each of his last 18 appearances in this tournament. With his 10th-place finish at Colonial, Cink has now recorded eight top-30s this year.
