The Memorial Tournament: One-and-Done Picks & Predictions

The 2024 Memorial Tournament presented by Workday is preparing to tee off at Muirfield Village Golf Club in Dublin, Ohio on Thursday morning. It’s the penultimate Signature Event, with the eighth and final one occurring at the Travelers Championship at TPC River Highlands following the U.S. Open which tees off next week.

All of the stars are set to compete at the Memorial Tournament this week. Scottie Scheffler, Xander Schauffele, and Rory McIlroy comprise the betting favorites, while Viktor Hovland is coming off of a T3 finish at the PGA Championship and will look to build off of it as the defending champion at Muirfield Village.

In this article, we’re recommending several golfers to deploy in one-and-done and survivor league contests. Players will be categorized under one of three values and we’ll wrap up with a favorite golfer to use at Muirfield this week. For those new to one-and-done leagues, as a manager, you can only use a golfer one time throughout the season. The higher that a golfer finishes on the final leaderboard at an event, the more points get awarded to the manager. Choose wisely!

Make sure to follow me on X @Matt_MacKay_ for more free PGA betting insights and advice throughout the week.

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Big Guns

Scottie Scheffler
The World No. 1 golfer is back in the field following a runner-up finish at the Charles Schwab Challenge. Despite recording yet another runner-up finish, Scottie Scheffler didn’t play his best brand of golf against Davis Riley in the final pairing, finishing the round one-over-par.

Scheffler will look to start hot at Muirfield this week, where he’s logged third-place finishes in 2021 and 2023.

Rory McIlroy
Rory McIlroy is playing fantastic golf entering Muirfield. He’s never won this event, however, McIlroy did record a T7 finish at Muirfield last year, falling out of contention on Sunday due to a final round of 3-over-par.

Ranked third strokes gained: off-the-tee and 20th strokes gained: approaching the green, McIlroy’s putting has also improved, which is why he’s recorded an outright win, along with T12 and T4 finishes in the last three events he’s played.

Secondary Options

Xander Schauffele
Xander Schauffele finally won a major at Valhalla during his last outing on the PGA Tour. This means the Californian is well-rested and full of confidence entering Muirfield on Thursday.

He’s recorded nine top-ten finishes in 2024 and hasn’t missed a cut yet, so there’s a ton of upside and little not to like about Schauffele right now, especially with his ball-striking and off-the-tee prowess.

Viktor Hovland
Reuniting with his former swing coach proved fruitful for Viktor Hovland during his third-place finish at the PGA Championship. Hovland was in contention well into the back-nine on Sunday at Valhalla but missed a couple of birdie putts to wind up two strokes back from forcing a playoff with Schauffele.

Ranked 11th in strokes gained: off-the-tee, Hovland’s comfort-level at Muirfield should be strong, considering his playoff win over Denny McCarthy in 2023.

Sneaky Plays

Si Woo Kim
Si Woo Kim has been very good at the Memorial Tournament throughout his career, including a solo fourth-place finish at Muirfield Village in 2023. Kim ranks top-30 in strokes gained: off-the-tee, approaching the green, and around the green.

His putting is dreadful, which hurts his chances to contend down the stretch, but he’s in great form elsewhere in his bag. A string of top-20 finishes in April and May were ended with a missed cut at Valhalla and a T56 at the Charles Schwab Challenge, so expect Kim to bounce back with a strong effort at Muirfield this week.

Denny McCarthy
Denny McCarthy is one of the best putters on the PGA Tour this season, ranking third in strokes gained: putting. He’s also logged top-five and runner-up finishes at Muirfield Village in 2022 and 2023.

McCarthy is third in scrambling, eighth in sand save rate, and 45th in driving accuracy. His irons tend to get him into trouble, but McCarthy is as experienced as any golfer in this field at this course. Factor in added motivation from his playoff loss to Hovland at this event a year ago, combined with another playoff loss to Akshay Bhatia at Valero, and McCarthy should be primed for an explosive outing this week.

Favorite One-And-Done: Scottie Scheffler

It’s chalky but there’s little not to like about Scottie Scheffler at Muirfield Village this week. He’s top-five in all strokes gained metrics, excluding putting, which we’ve seen him overcome during his four wins on the PGA Tour this season.

If you’re still holding onto Scheffler, feel free to let him rip at the Memorial Tournament. Even if he doesn’t win, another third-place finish will provide a flood of lucrative points to help you climb the season-long leaderboard in one-and-done and survivor contests once Sunday’s final round concludes.