The PGA Tour moves to Muirfield Village, Ohio this week and, not for the first time this year, most eyes will be on world number one Scottie Scheffler.
The Texan is looking for his third successive win at the Memorial Tournament, where tight iron play should bring rewards in the latest Signature Event.
Scheffler's only 2026 victory came at the American Express in January, so there will be plenty of rivals itching to push him all the way, including Rory McIlroy, who will play for the first time since he was seventh at the PGA Championship.
McIlroy has seven top-20 finishes in his last nine visits to the Memorial and will be confident, as will Russell Henley, who stormed to victory at last week's Charles Schwab Challenge.
A fast start could be essential and here are three recommendations for players who are good value to be at the head of the field at the end of Thursday's first round.
Memorial Tournament first-round betting picks and predictions
Ben Griffin to be first-round leader (+3000)
Ben Griffin finished second at the Memorial last year after winning the previous week at the Charles Schwab and there are many parallels to draw this time.
He finished four shots behind Scheffler 12 months ago when he stormed to the top of the leaderboard on the opening day with a 65 and his game is in the same condition, which suggests he could get off to another strong start.
Griffin was third at the Cadillac Championship last month and achieved the same feat last week when he mounted a strong defence of his Charles Schwab title and also finished in third spot.
He closed with a 65 at Colonial and his strong performance last year bodes well.
Hideki Matsuyama to be first-round leader (+3300)
Hideki Matsuyama will be disappointed that his second spot at the Phoenix Open has been one of just two top-ten finishes this year, but the 2021 Masters champion has a decent history at Muirfield Village and could be a factor in the first-round leader market.
The Japanese star has carded an opening round of 70 or lower in all but two of his tournaments this year and he should have been boosted by his 13th at Colonial last week, having started with rounds of 66 and 65.
Matsuyama is seventh in the first-round scoring charts with an average of 69 and this has been a test he has enjoyed, having won on his debut in 2014 and gained three other top-ten finishes.
Don't be surprised if he mounts a strong challenge from the off and proves to be a big runner for one of the tour's most prestigious tournaments.
Alex Smalley to be first-round leader (+4000)
A look at the course form figures may not encourage a bet on Alex Smalley being first-round leader, but he is at the top of his game and confidence will not be an issue for the man from Rochester, New York.
The 29-year-old has missed the cut on his last two visits to the Ohio track, the latest of which was in 2023, but his recent results have been so strong that his claims are difficult to ignore.
Smalley is second in the first-round-scoring stats and that has been a significant factor in him claiming results of 2-7-17-2-3.
It would have been easy for him to rest on his laurels after he finished second behind Aaron Rai at last month's PGA Championship, but he was back on the ball at the Charles Schwab last week, firing an opening 65 on his way to third place.
He was just one shot away from being involved in a playoff with Henley and Eric Cole and his morale will be so high that another memorable outing beckons.
Memorial Tournament first-round leader odds
Scottie Scheffler | +900 |
Rory McIlroy | +1800 |
Ludvig Aberg | +2000 |
Cameron Young | +2200 |
Xander Schauffele | +2200 |
Si Woo Kim | +2500 |
Matt Fitzpatrick | +2500 |
Russell Henley | +2500 |
Tommy Fleetwood | +2800 |
Patrick Cantlay | +3000 |
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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.
