The Rundown: 2023 Memorial Tournament
With the Charles Schwab and Memorial Day Weekend behind us, summer is officially here. The calendar turning over to June means it's time for a return to 'Jack's Place' for one of the most famous and storied events on the PGA TOUR. This week, Muirfield Village hosts the ninth non-major designated event of the season and the last one before the U.S. Open at LACC . 16 of the OWGR top 20 will be after the boosted $20 million purse, but here's what you need to know to line your own pockets at the 2023 Memorial Tournament.
course notes & quotes
This week marks the 48th edition of the Memorial Tournament which began in 1976. A perennial standout on the TOUR schedule even prior to the 'designated' status, Muirfield Village attracts the world's best to compete in what is always a great event to kickstart the dog days of summer.
The Dublin, OH course has undergone several renovations since Jack Nicklaus shot a course-record 66 in a match against Tom Weiskopf at the grand opening in 1974. A massive overhaul in 2020 saw nearly every hole redone in an effort to retain the course's reputation as one of the more challenging tracks on TOUR, and Nicklaus certainly accomplished that.
A 7,571-yd par-72, Muirfield Village is one of the longer tracks on TOUR, and with small bentgrass greens at an average of 5,000 square feet, precision on approach is required. The fairways are reasonably easy to hit, with players finding the short grass around 70% of the time, but trouble awaits any stray tee shots. The 4" combination of Kentucky bluegrass, ryegrass and fescue rough is the most penal on TOUR with an average of +.47 strokes for missed fairways since 2015. Water is also a factor around here with hazards in play on 13 holes resulting in an average of .8 penalty strokes per player per round.
The recent renovation also limited the distance advantage off the tee with noticeable 'choke points' on several holes where the fairway narrows significantly at 300+ yards - a change bombers like Rory McIlroy are less than thrilled about.
"Everyone is now playing from the same spot with their second shot," McIlroy said of the renovation. "It's not an easy driving golf course by any means, but everyone is hitting to the same spot. I guess there are no different strategies off the tee. You look how condensed the field is, it's hard to separate yourself when a design is like that."
McIlroy's whining aside, he does have a point. Look no further than last year's winner Billy Horschel for proof that the shorter hitters have a chance at Muirfield Village. And with hot, dry weather in Ohio this week, the fairways should provide plenty of roll for those who lack elite carry distance off the tee.
Distance Difficulties
“It's not an easy driving golf course by any means, but everyone is hitting to the same spot. It's hard to separate yourself when a design is like that.”
— Rory McIlroy
Course history
With nearly 50 years of events at Muirfield Village, 'Jack's Place' has plenty of history to learn from. DataGolf ranks it as the 12th most predictive course based on previous history, but for this week, I'll be looking more closely at the last two events since the 2020 renovation.
Off the Tee
As McIlroy mentioned, many of the fairways at Muirfield Village tighten at 300+ yards, forcing the longer hitters off the tee to pull less than driver. So unlike the average TOUR stop, driving distance is an advantage but not a necessity. Of the 22 players to finish T10 or better in the last two editions of the Memorial, only seven ranked inside the top 15 in driving distance that week.
Tee to Green
With thick rough and water hazards lining the fairways, these pros will need to be hitting their approach shots from the short grass more often than not. But while recent winners Horschel and Collin Morikawa finished T7 and T11 in fairways hit the years they won, elite grinders have contended at the Memorial as well. Only 5/22 top-10 finishers since 2021 finished T15 in fairways hit for the week, proving that while penal, the rough at Muirfield Village can be managed.
Putting
Every green at Muirfield Village was resurfaced in the 2020 renovation, with all but four green complexes completely re-contoured. The bentgrass greens rank in the middle of the pack on TOUR in terms of SG: Putting difficulty, but it could be worth looking into hot bentgrass putters when making picks this week.
Betting picks & plays
There's no shortage of big names to choose from at the Memorial with most of the world's best taking part in the designated event. But I'm looking more at the mid-to-long-range numbers for the column this week. As always, be sure to check out the Tour Junkies Blog for more picks and insight from the rest of the gang, including DB's Betting Card which might feature a certain "Kim" we both like this week. With that said, here are some names and numbers I like at Muirfield Village.
Jason Day (+2500, T10: +260, T20: +115)
Jason Day has been a popular play each week for months now, even more so after finally returning to the winner's circle for the first time since 2018 with a win at this year's Byron Nelson. While TPC Craig Ranch presented a much different challenge than this week's venue, I think his game also sets up nicely at Muirfield Village, a track where he posted a T4 finish in 2020. He has more than enough skill to manage these tiny greens and thick rough as he ranks 2nd on TOUR in both scrambling and bogey avoidance, and he's been one of the stars of the season to this point ranking 6th in SG: Total.
Rickie Fowler (+4000, T10: +360, T20: +165)
This will likely be another popular pick, so I'd make sure to get Rickie Fowler at this number before any potential line movement later in the week. The Puma King has been playing rock-solid golf this season with only two missed cuts in 16 events, and he's coming off a blazing stretch of six top-20s in his last seven starts. He ranks 9th in SG: APP this season which will serve him well on this second-shot golf course, and he has plenty of positive experience at Muirfield Village with four finishes of T14 or better including a runner-up in 2017.
Si Woo Kim (+7000, T20: +240, T30: +125)
A true horse-for-course in the longshot range, I'll be sure to have a sprinkle on everyone's favorite Korean killer. Si Woo Kim must love him some Buckeye milkshakes at 'Jack's Place' because the guy plays well every time he visits. He's only missed the cut once in six trips, and his best two finishes came after the 2020 renovation, a T9 in '21 and a T13 last year. He should avoid the penal rough better than most as he ranks 12th on TOUR in driving accuracy, and his lack of power off the tee won't stand out with driving distance largely neutralized by the setup at Muirfield Village.
Meet the Author:
Nate Moore
A Georgia native, proud UGA alum and former media guy for Augusta National, the only thing Nate Moore loves more than the Peach State is a Top-20 parlay. Nate is a golf-obsessed sportswriter/journalist who brings his experience in the golf industry to the Tour Junkies brand.
Disclaimer: The views, opinions, and commentary in this post belong to its author and do not necessarily represent the Tour Junkies as a whole.