2011 Memorial Touranment Predictions
Written by Steve Janus - Google +
Last week at the HP Byron Nelson Championship, Keegan Bradley captured his first career PGA Tour by defeating Ryan Palmer in a playoff. This week the PGA Tour heads to Dublin, Ohio for the 2011 Memorial Tournament at Muirfield Village Golf Club. The course was designed by Jack Nickalaus, who founded this tournament back in 1976.
You can expect an entertaining four days of golf from some of the best players in the world, as the field is restricted to the top 75 players on the money-list from the previous season. One player that won’t be in action is Tiger Woods, who continues to be sidelined with injuries.
Justin Rose won this event in 2010 by three shots over Rickie Fowler with a 18-under 270. Rose’s 18-under was the lowest winning score since Tiger Woods won with a 19-under 269 back in 2000. Tom Lehman holds the all-time record with a 20-under 268.
Muirfield is generous off the tee, as it allows players to grip it and rip it without getting into much trouble. Where this course provides a challenge is on the large greens, where you have to have the putter working to score low. One thing to note is a rookie has never won this event.
If you are thinking about placing a wager on the event this week, here is a look at three golfers that I feel have a great shot at finishing the weekend with the trophy.
Matt Kuchar (+1500) - Even though Luke Donald and Phil Mickelson come in with better odds to win this week, I feel like Kuchar is the man to beat. He comes in off a sixth place finish at the Byron Nelson Championship, and has really played well at this event over the last few years. Kuchar finished tied for 10th in 2008, tied for 5th in 2009, and tied for 8th in 2010. He is currently 11th in greens in regulation and 20th in putting, which should give him plenty of great opportunities to make birdies.
Hunter Mahan (+2000) - Mahan comes in off back-to-back top 10 finishes at the Players Championship (6th) and Crowne Plaza Invitational (10th). With those two finishes it gives him seven top 10 finishes in 13 starts in 2011. While none of those finishes have resulted in a win, it only feels like a matter of time before he ends up on top the leaderboard. Mahan’s best finish at this event is a T14 back in 2009. He is 12th in total driving, 7th in greens in regulation, and 33rd in putting, so it’s easy to see why he has had such a successful start to the year.
J.B. Holmes (+3500) – Each week I like to pick a guy who is really showing some solid value on their odds to win, and Holmes is my clear-cut favorite with big odds this week. Holmes is one of the longest hitters on TOUR, and should be able to set himself up with a number of great opportunities to hit the green and make birdies. He hasn’t missed a cut all season, and has only finished outside of the top 13 in three starts. If he can get the putter working early in the tournament, I feel like there is no doubt he will be near the top come the final round on Sunday.
Complete Memorial Tournament Odds
| Luke Donald | +700 |
| Phil Mickelson | +1000 |
| Matt Kuchar | +1500 |
| Nick Watney | +1500 |
| Rory McIlroy | +1800 |
| Dustin Johnson | +2000 |
| Hunter Mahan | +2000 |
| Steve Stricker | +2300 |
| K.J. Choi | +2300 |
| Justin Rose | +2800 |
| Stewart Cink | +3000 |
| J.B Holmes | +3500 |
| Bubba Watson | +3500 |
| Jim Furyk | +3500 |
| Bo Van Pelt | +3500 |
| Rickie Fowler | +3500 |
| Charl Schwartzel | +4500 |
| Aaron Baddeley | +4500 |
| Martin Laird | +4500 |
| Ryan Moore | +4500 |
| Sean O’Hair | +5000 |
| Steve Marino | +5000 |
| Ernie Els | +5000 |
| Jeff Overton | +5000 |
| Bill Haas | +5000 |
| Robert Karlsson | +5000 |
| Jonathan Byrd | +5500 |
| John Senden | +6000 |
| Lucas Glover | +6000 |
| Charley Hoffman | +6000 |
| Pat Perez | +6000 |
| Charlie Wi | +6000 |
| Rod Pampling | +6000 |
| Gary Woodland | +7000 |
| Ryan Palmer | +7000 |
| Thomas Aiken | +7000 |
| Robert Allenby | +7000 |
| Webb Simpson | +7000 |
| Spencer Levin | +7500 |
| Marc Leishman | +8000 |
| Vijay Singh | +8000 |
| Ricky Barnes | +8000 |
| Fred Couples | +8000 |
| Carl Pettersson | +8000 |
| Charles Howell | +8000 |
| Matt Jones | +10000 |
| Keegan Bradley | +10000 |
| Arjun Atwal | +10000 |
| Mark Wilson | +10000 |
| Brian Davis | +10000 |
| Davis Love | +10000 |
| DA Points | +10000 |
| Kevin Streelman | +10000 |
| Edoardo Molinari | +10000 |
More Golf Predictions
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