You need to take the victories when they come, so I’m accepting full credit and praise for picking Scottie Scheffler to win the PGA Championship.
The Texan wasn’t even at his best when dominating the field at Quail Hollow to win his third major title. He reeled Jon Rahm in, gave him hope, then spat him back out again. He is back for more at the Memorial after breezing to a tied-for-fourth finish at the Charles Schwab Challenge without breaking a sweat.
I won’t be putting Scheffler up this week, even though he is the defending champion and even though Rory McIlroy, the only player in the world who can relate to his talent, has chosen not to play.
Scheffler doesn’t represent value pitching up at Muirfield Village this week. I managed to catch him at a time when there was some juice in his price before things got underway at the PGA earlier this month, but at 3/1, I’m happy to go value-hunting with other players who have great pedigree at this venue that was created by the 18-time major-winning legend Jack Nicklaus.
The winner will shake the Golden Bear’s hand behind the 18th green at Muirfield Village, and hopefully, I can predict who that will be.
Memorial Tournament Best Bets
Venue: Muirfield Village, Ohio
Date: May 29 – June 1, 2025
Course stats: Par 72; 7569 yards
Purse: $20 million
Defending champion: Scottie Scheffler (-8)
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Betting Odds: Memorial Golf Tournament
Collin Morikawa @16/1
Collin Morikawa has come second twice in five appearances at the Memorial Tournament. His runner-up spot in 2021 is somewhat tainted, given Jon Rahm was about 50 shots ahead after 54 holes, but had to withdraw with a positive COVID-19 test.
Last year, he came second to Scheffler, and he was only one shot behind. His game was superb at Muirfield Village in 2024. He gained a full shot on the field in every department except around the greens, and this was symptomatic of his solid season.
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He came in the top four in the first two majors of last year, and he also placed in the top 16 at the US Open and The Open. Morikawa has hit the bar a couple of times in 2025, coming second at the Sentry and at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, where he threw away a healthy lead at Bay Hill to concede victory to Russell Henley.
At 16/1, it feels like Morikawa is a past champion at Memorial, but he isn’t. Statistically, he has been very good in 2025. He is sixth in total strokes gained, seventh in approaching the green and second in driving accuracy.
Viktor Hovland @ 30/1
Unlike Morikawa, Viktor Hovland is a past champion at the Memorial. He secured a narrow win in a playoff over Denny McCarthy in 2023 and finally announced himself at one of the PGA Tour’s Signature Events. Other than coming 15th at last year’s Memorial, his form at this venue is quite pedestrian in 2020, 2021 and 2022, so it is only recently that he’s been hot in Ohio.
Despite the openly voiced concerns with his own game, Hovland won the Valspar Championship at Innisbrook, which is a tough test. Among three missed cuts, there has been solid form in 2025. As well as winning, he came tied for 21st at the Masters and tied for 13th at the RBC Heritage at Harbour Town.
Chipping was once an issue for Hovland, but the statistics show this hasn’t been the case this year. He is eighth in strokes gained around the green, 36th in driving accuracy and 26th in proximity to the hole. We are still some way from what we thought Hovland could have achieved by this stage in his career, but there have been fresh glimmers of hope in 2025.
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It is hard to see where a major championship win might come from now, given the tests that Oakmont and Royal Portrush might present, but I can certainly see Hovland ticking off another Signature Event victory.
Hideki Matsuyama @ 33/1
Hideki Matsuyama won the Memorial in 2014, which is a scary thought. Matsuyama is a low-key one of the most experienced players on tour, and that decade has flown by. Since winning in a playoff against Kevin Na, Matsuyama has made three top-10s at Muirfield Village.
This is clearly a course fit for the Japanese star who is always difficult to predict, but nevertheless, he is a serial winner and possesses immense quality. He won the Sentry at the start of the season, which was his 11th win on the PGA Tour.
He also came tied for 21st at the Masters, tied for 17th at the Truist, tied for 22d at Bay Hill and tied for 13th at the Genesis Invitational. Matsuyama has been a picture of consistency, while also bagging himself a win, which are hard to come by, proven by the action each Sunday on the PGA Tour.
Matsuyama is 13th in total strokes gained, 17th from tee to green, third in scrambling and eighth in the proximity to the hole. At 33/1, there is good value in Matsuyama’s price, but it is hard to know when this star peaks.
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