First held 50 years ago, the Memorial Tournament takes centre stage on the PGA Tour this week at the Jack Nicklaus-designed Muirfield Village - named after the venue where he won his first Open Championship in 1966.
This is the seventh of the eight Signature Events on the US circuit this year and comes just two weeks before the 2026 US Open at Shinnecock Hills GC.
World number one Scottie Scheffler arrives in Ohio as the two-time defending champion and a third-successive victory would see him emulate Tiger Woods' three-peat from 1999-2001.
Memorial First-Round Leader Tips Summary
Best Bet - Russell Henley each-way @ 25/1
Alternative Bet - Nick Taylor each-way @ 50/1
Alternative Bet - Eric Cole each-way @ 60/1
Memorial First-Round Leader Prediction
Best Bet: Russell Henley each-way @ 25/1
Russell Henley claimed his sixth PGA Tour victory at the Charles Schwab Challenge on Sunday, defeating Eric Cole in a play-off, and the 37-year-old will be hoping to keep the momentum going at Muirfield, where he was fifth last year.
The American ranks 25th on tour for first-round scoring - his average score for the opening 18 holes sitting at 69.42 - and the fact he is fourth for approaches from 150-175 yards aids his cause.
Greens are difficult to hit at Muirfield, yet Henley has been excellent with his irons this season and it would be no surprise to see him get off to a hot start on Thursday.
Alternative Bet: Nick Taylor each-way @ 50/1
Canadian Nick Taylor is another player who has performed well at this course, with his last two visits seeing him finish tied-27th in 2024 and fourth last year.
The 38-year-old shot an opening round of 69 last year, leaving him fourth heading into Friday's play, and his approach statistics on the PGA Tour this season boost his first-round leader claims.
Taylor, who should be refreshed after taking a small break following his tied-26th effort at the PGA Championship, is 19th in approaches rom 175-200 yards and this should prove beneficial.
The world number 60 opened with a 66 at the Cadillac Championship a few weeks ago and then recorded the same score in his opening 18 holes at the Truist Championship.
Taylor also ranks fifth in first-round scoring average this season and he looks to have a strong chance of ending up at the summit come the end of Thursday.
Alternative Bet: Eric Cole each-way @ 60/1
Eric Cole came so close to winning his first PGA Tour title last week, narrowly losing to Henley in a play-off at the Charles Schwab Challenge.
Nevertheless, that runner-up finish was his third top-six result in his last four starts, evidence that he is striking the ball well and playing with a lot of confidence.
Cole also ranks 20th for first-round scoring average and while this may be his first start at the Memorial, he could be one to watch on Thursday.
Key Tournament Stats
This will be the 51st staging of the Memorial.
Taylor Moore is number one in the PGA Tour for first-round scoring average with 68.36.
Scottie Scheffler could join Tiger Woods as the second person to win three consecutive Memorial tournaments.
Ben Griffin led the way after round one last year after shooting 65.
The lowest first-round score in the previous 10 years was Dustin Johnson's 64 in 2016.
Read more golf betting tips and predictions on site.
This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.
