The 2019 Memorial Tournament is kicking off, with plenty of the shiniest names in the world of golf in contention for the title at Muirfield Village. Last year, Bryson Dechambeau edged two others in a three-man playoff to take home the win, but can he defend his title in the face of a renewed Tiger Woods and company? Let’s take a look at some of the favorites, sleepers, and a long shot at the Memorial Tournament below.
McIlroy is always going to be a man to watch at almost any tournament he’s entered himself into. It’s the same case for the Northern Irishman, who has kept himself in contention for a title in three of four starts since winning the PLAYERS Championship last March. McIlroy had a T9 or better at the World Golf Championship-Dell Technologies Match Play, at the Wells Fargo Championship, and at the recently concluded PGA Championship. So far this season, McIlroy leads the PGA Tour with nine top-10 finishes, which is also his most in five years. (He had 12 back in 2014.) Don’t expect McIlroy to falter at the Memorial, where he has five top 15 finishes in seven starts.
Woods is coming off a disappointing campaign at the PGA Championship in which he was cut, thus killing the excitement of everyone who were expecting big things from the legendary golfer after his Masters victory. Having said that, we can’t just sit here and ignore the fact that the man is a five-time winner at the Memorial. He took home the top prize at the tournament in 1999, 2000, 2001, 2009, and 2012. If Woods needs any more motivation to do well at Muirfield Village, he only needs to get reminded that he’s a PGA Tour event win away from tying Sam Snead’s record (12).
Don’t let Rose’s T58 at the Charles Schwab Challenge distract you from the fact that the man is a monster at Muirfield Village, where he has seven top 10s, including a win. Rose won the Memorial Tournament in 2010 and was also a runner-up in the same event in 2008 and 2015. The defending FedEx Cup champion has a win and two top three finishes in 10 starts this season. He is 17th overall on the tour with a 307.3 driving distance and 27th with a 4.15 birdie average.
Scott’s putting has been on point this season, and that makes him a tasty sleeper at the Memorial Tournament, with the course at Muirfield Village favoring such tee-to-green artists. Scott is 17th overall in the PGA Tour with a .356 strokes gained around the green. Save for a cut at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans, Scott has been very competitive in his past few starts, which includes a T8 at the PGA Championship. Scott has a total of three top five finishes in 11 starts overall at the Memorial.
Dechambeau is the defending champion at the Memorial Tournament, but he’s getting some long odds to make it two in a row at the event. That’s fair, since he hasn’t been flashing a good form of late, with a cut in each of his past three starts. He also hasn’t finished better than T29 in his last six overall. Still, as the defending champion, one can hope that Dechambeau captures the same magic he had in 2018 to win the tournament.
Let’s talk about the other Rory in the room. Sabbatini has been making loud noises in recent PGA Tour events, having made it inside the top 20 in each of his last five starts. That stretch includes a T3 at Zurich Classic of New Orleans and a T5 at the AT&T Byron Nelson. In his most recent outing, he went T6 at the Charles Schwab Challenge. Can he keep his hot streak going? Let’s just say he was a co-runner-up during the 2012 edition of the Memorial Tournament.
