Horses for Courses: Collin Morikawa looking to turn runner-up results into victory at Muirfield Village

The Memorial Tournament, now in its 50th year, has known only one home, Muirfield Village Golf Club. The Dublin, Ohio, enclave is hosting the seventh of eight Signature Events of the 2025 season.

The field of 72 players includes defending champion and world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler (+280), who will tackle the crown jewel of the Jack Nicklaus design collection. Opened in 1974, Muirfield Village Golf Club currently tips at 7,569 yards and is one of the most difficult par-72 layouts on TOUR. Scheffler returns to middle America on a course where only four players have beaten him over his last three visits (2024-win, 2023-third, and 2021-third). In 16 loops around Jack’s place, he’s produced 11 rounds of 71 or better and owns the third-best stroke average (70.63) in event history. Scheffler was one of just three players in 2024 to square fewer than 10 bogeys (nine) for the week, continuing the winner’s trend of ranking in the top two in Bogey Avoidance in six of the last seven years.

Collin Morikawa (+1600), previously twice a runner-up, won the Workday Charity Open at Muirfield Village Golf Club the week before the Memorial in the truncated 2020 season. In 2024, he played in the final group with Scheffler, falling one short of a playoff. In the 2021 edition, he forced extra holes with Patrick Cantlay (+2000), but his Californian compatriot knocked him out and won the title for the second time. Morikawa was just two back after 54 holes in 2023 but withdrew with a back injury, wiping out another potential big payday. Cantlay is the only multiple-time winner in the field. Cantlay also shared third place in 2022 and secured fourth place in 2018 after leading on Sunday. His streak of paydays ended at seven last year.

Most top-10 finishes at the Memorial Tournament

Players listed below are competing this week.

The 2023 winner, Viktor Hovland (+3500), played in all five weekends when he visited the Columbus suburbs. Never finishing inside of the top 45 on his first three attempts, the Norwegian broke through and won on his fourth try. He is the only winner of the last seven to rank outside the top 12 in GIR. Conversely, he is the only champion from the seven who ranked inside the top five in SG: Putting (third) for the week.

Bogey Avoidance

Players listed below are competing this week; 2025 ranking

Only nine players have squared less than 10 bogeys over the three previous tournaments at Muirfield Village Golf Club. Three of them are highlighted above.

With room to move it off the tee, errant drives are subject to four inches of ryegrass, fairway bunkers, multiple water penalty areas, and mature hardwood trees.

The hole becomes more difficult the closer to the flag and greens averaging 5,000 square feet, some of the smallest targets on TOUR, will test players from the fairways and challenge those out of position.

The Bentgrass greens, the best, fastest surfaces outside of Augusta National Golf Club, demand the harmony of weight and line. Being below the hole is the best option.

Muirfield Village Golf Club ranked in the top 10 in scoring average for the last five years, majors included. Billy Horschel, who is not in the field this week, is the only player over the last three tournaments to post a score of double digits under par (-13).

The par-72 suggests scoring chances with four par-5 holes. Nope. The last five editions have ranked T8 or better in most difficult par-5 chances on TOUR, majors included.

Par is an excellent score this week.

International stars Justin Rose (+4500) and Hideki Matsuyama (+3500) won the Memorial for their first victory on the PGA TOUR. Both players have continued to produce over the last decade. Rose owns nine top-25 paydays from 10 weekends in his 15 previous visits but has only played twice in the last five years (MC-MC). The youngest winner in event history at 22 in 2014, Matsuyama led the field in scrambling in 2024 and shared eighth, plus earned a paycheck for T16 in 2023.

Tournament Notables

• The field of 72 includes 45 of the top 50 from the Official World Golf Rankings.
• The last player to win on debut was Matsuyama.
• John Huston owns the course record, 61, set in 1996 in Round 2.
• Tom Lehman owns the tournament scoring record, 268 (-20), set in 1994. Patrick Cantlay posted 19-under in perfect scoring conditions in 2019.
• No player has gone wire-to-wire.
• Kenny Perry is the oldest winner at age 47.
• Tiger Woods won by seven shots in 2001, the largest margin of victory, and is the only player to successfully defend the title (1999, 2000, and 2001).
• After two rounds, the field will be cut to the top 50, plus any ties, and any players within 10 shots of the lead.

Oddsmaker’s extras

• Matt Kuchar (+15000): His seven top-10 finishes are T3 all-time. Only six players have posted more loops under par. His last top-10 payday was T4 in 2017, but he’s played the weekend in his previous three visits.
• Ludvig Åberg (+2500): T5 on debut in 2024, the Swede posted three rounds of par or better before fading with 74 on Sunday. His track record at Augusta National (solo seventh in 2024; solo second in 2023) should not be dismissed.
• Si Woo Kim (+4500): Making his 10th start, the Korean has never missed playing the weekend. Highlighted by solo fourth in 2023 and T9 in 2021, his last five paydays are T18 or better.
• Matt Fitzpatrick (+5000): The Englishman has competed six times and hit the top 10 in half of those appearances, including the last two seasons (T5, T9). He led the field with 18 birdies in 2024.
• Max Homa (+8000): After skipping the proceedings in 2023 after T5 and T6 paydays of the previous two editions, the Californian returned in 2024 with T22.
• Sepp Straka (+4500): The Austrian’s first three starts resulted in 61st-MC-T45 before he cashed T16 in 2023 and T5 in 2024.
• Denny McCarthy (+4500): Before being defeated by Hovland in a playoff in 2023, he lurked at T5 in 2022. Opening and closing with 76 in 2024 saw him earn T39 money.
• Sungjae Im (+6000): The Korean cashed T10 in 2022 and T8 in 2024 and owns seven of his last 12 loops at par or better.
• Xander Schauffele (+1600): Despite never posting a round in the 60s on the weekend, the Californian owns five paydays of T18 or better from six weekends, including a career-best T8 in 2024.
• Justin Thomas (+1800): Making his 11th start, the two-time PGA Championship winner has not hit the top 10 in his last five starts in Ohio and has missed out on the weekend twice.
• Byeong Hun An (+9000): The Korean has qualified for the weekend six times from nine tries. All six paychecks are T25 or better, including T22 in 2024 and T24 in 2023, and he lost in a playoff in 2018.

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