PGA Tour 2026: Best bet, ‘One-to-do’ picks for Memorial Championship at Muirfield Village Golf Club

Known for its delicious milkshakes, Muirfield Village Golf Club in Dublin, Ohio, hosts the Memorial Tournament, one of the PGA Tour’s premier events of the season. Organized by legendary golfer Jack Nicklaus, the winner of the Memorial will be presented with a gold statue of Nicklaus and will shake hands with the man himself.

World No. 1 and back-to-back Memorial champion, Scottie Scheffler, is trying to become the first guy to win three times on the PGA Tour since Steve Stricker won the John Deere Classic from 2009-11. Scottie will become the second golfer to 3-peat at Muirfield after Tiger Woods from 1999 to 2001.

Hands up: This season has been brutal for me from a betting standpoint. My PGA Tour 2026 bankroll is -31.26 units (u), and I only hit one in 2026. Regardless, there are still two majors and a bunch of events to get out of the hole, too comeback season starts this week in Muirfield.

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2026 Memorial Tournament Betting Card

The following odds are based on my previous bets on the golfers listed below. It can be changed.

• Rory McIlroy +1366 (1.46u) and Top-10 with ties +145 (1u), both in Kalshi.
• Patrick Cantlay +3800 (0.53u) and Top-10 with ties +239 (0.5u), both in Kalshi.
• Hideki Matsuyama +7043 at Polymarket (0.28u) and Top-20 with ties +139 (1u) in Kalshi.
• Nick Taylor +13400 (0.15u) and Top-20 with ties +228 (0.5u), both in Kalshi.

Rory McIlroy

There is not much left for Rory to accomplish in golf after winning the grand slam at the Masters last year. He successfully defended his title by winning another green jacket this year. McIlroy can surpass Scheffler and Cameron Young for the best season on TOUR with a win this week.

That said, at this point, Rory’s only focus is on building his legacy, which is clear from his schedule, which only includes majors and signature events. The Memorial are two more non-majors that McIlroy has never won and will be looking to add to his resume.

He did not play at the Memorial last year. It upset Nicklaus, and Rory will have to make it up to him. Obviously, they are friends as golf icons, but McIlroy has never shaken hands with Jack at Muirfield, and Nicklaus is 86 years old, so he won’t have much of a chance.

The other three best golfers of the post-Tiger era, Bryson DeChambeau, Jon Rahm and Scottie, have already won the Memorial. Woods has won the Memorial five times and Nicklaus twice. And, it’s not like Rory has played poorly at Muirfield: He has five top-10 finishes in 13 Memorial tournaments.

And, not that it matters much because Rory can win on any course, but Muirfield is Jack’s ode to Augusta, where McIlroy won two straight Masters. The bottom line is we have to get Rory motivated this week, and he’s my No. 1 ranked golfer in the world right now.

Patrick Cantlay

A two-time Memorial winner in 2019 and 2021, Cantlay has the second-best course record in the field behind Scheffler. Cantlay has hit a near total in all 10 career visits to Muirfield, the most important This is Jack’s place.

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In the meantime, he walks into the leading Muirfield. Cantlay has a T12-or-better streak in our straight starts — T7 at the Valspar Championship, T12 at The Masters, T8 at the RBC Heritage and T10 at the Truist Championship — bookended by a T32 at THE PLAYERS and a T35 at the PGA Championships.

He scored tee-to-green strokes (driving, approach and around-the-green) in all six events. Putting is not so predictable at Muirfield, and it was the weakest club in his bag this year. But Cantlay has received green stripes in his last 8 visits to Muirfield.

Hideki Matsuyama

This is something else a course horse. Hideki won the Memorial in early 2014 with other Top-20s, including three top-10s. Matsuyama has cooled off after starting the season with straight T13-or-better finishes, but he never missed the cut in 2026.

Jack Nicklaus congratulates Hideki Matsuyama after winning the 2014 Memorial Championship at Muirfield Village Golf Club in Dublin, Ohio. (Greg Bartram/USA TODAY Sports)

His driving has been worse this season. However, Hideki is called to his plate and still has a world-class short game, which are two very important skills for Muirfield. Surprisingly, he is placing well this year. So, if Hideki can hit the fairway this week, or just get out of the water, he could be in for a treat on Sunday.

Nick Taylor

The 2023 Canadian Open champion enters the Memorial in a strong position to lead. Taylor was T9 at the 2026 Cadillac Championship, T14 at the Truist and T26 at the PGA Championship in his last three appearances.

He played better in the PGA Championship than the T26 showing; Taylor was T2 after three rounds before shooting a final round of 74 (+4).

Last year, he tied for the lead at the Memorial after two rounds and finished fourth. Taylor has hit his approach in five of his seven visits to Muirfield, one of the toughest “second shot” courses on TOUR.

Nick Taylor hits a tee shot on the 18th hole in the third round of the 2024 Memorial Tournament at Muirfield. (Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch/USA TODAY NETWORK)

In addition, This is Jack’s place it is a tough course with fast and narrow Bentgrass greens. However, the Canadian is ranked 14th on TOUR this year in scoring and eighth in Strokes Gained: Around-the-Green, with Bent his best putting position.

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Taylor has earned a stroke with driving accuracy in four of his last five starts, including three signature events and two major titles. If he continues to hit his best, the rest of his game is good enough to put him in Memorial contention.

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Memorial Tournament 2026 ‘One-and-Done’: Patrick Cantlay

Mayo Cup season standings: 4,272nd with $4,127,923

Despite his good course history, I hope Cantlay doesn’t get famous this week because he hasn’t won since 2022. Anyway, I have used the first six betting favorites and Matsuyama. That pretty much compels me to pick Cantlay here.

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