A claustrophobic portion of the PGA Tour schedule only gets more crowded this week when players travel to Muirfield Village Golf Club for Jack Nicklaus’ annual event, the Memorial Tournament. Welcoming a limited field and featuring a cut to the top 50 players and ties at the halfway point, the Memorial represents the penultimate signature event in the 2025 campaign.
It also represents what will be the only four rounds in which some players will compete between the PGA Championship and the U.S. Open, which is set to take place in only a couple of weeks not too far away at Oakmont Country Club. When competitors arrive in Pittsburgh — much like it is this week — it will be Scottie Scheffler who grabs the headlines.
The three-time major champion once again experienced a close call at Colonial Country Club, and now, he sets his sights on a successful title defense at Muirfield Village. Outside of a sleepy Friday, the world No. 1 looked the part a few days removed from raising the Wanamaker Trophy as he struck the ball beautifully before ultimately settling for a top-five finish at Colonial.
Scheffler skirted past Collin Morikawa in last year’s tournament, and it will be interesting to see how Morikawa competes given he’s in the midst of getting comfortable with new caddie Joe Griener. Paired up for only the second tournament, the two will aim to navigate the difficult par 72 in efficient fashion. Morikawa will be seeking to cash his first win since 2023.
Justin Thomas returns to Muirfield Village following a surprising missed cut at the PGA Championship, as do big names such as Ludvig Åberg, Shane Lowry, Sepp Straka and Hideki Matsuyama. Meanwhile, Jordan Spieth and Rickie Fowler find their names in the field thanks to sponsor exemptions; they join the likes of Patrick Cantlay and Tommy Fleetwood, who are looking to end substantial winning droughts.
Xander Schauffele is a name to keep an eye on as he struggled at Quail Hollow Club but seems to be getting closer to his 2024 form by the week. Past tournament champion Viktor Hovland falls in this same category and may just be a quality short-game performance away from becoming the last to shake Jack’s hand off the 18th green for the second time in the last three seasons.
Surprising by pulling out of the field is Rory McIlroy, who will not play the Memorial for the first time since 2017. McIlroy has not explained his decision, but there is an expectation he will be back in the field for the RBC Canadian Open next week.
2025 Memorial Tournament schedule
Dates: May 29 – June 1
Location: Muirfield Village Golf Club — Dublin, Ohio
Par: 72 | Yardage: 7,569
Purse: $20,000,000
2025 Memorial Tournament field, odds
Odds via BetMGM Sportsbook
- Scottie Scheffler (3-1)
- Collin Morikawa (16-1): The world No. 4 is tailor made for this golf course as his combination of accuracy off the tee and precision into the greens plays into what wins at Muirfield Village. Add in his ability to work the golf ball from left to right, and Morikawa’s pair of runner-up results make all the sense in the world. He comes into this year’s tournament with some question marks, however, as he deals with a long winless drought, a new caddie next to him and a slight dip in his ball striking over the last month.
- Justin Thomas (16-1): Jack’s place has not been the kindest to Thomas in recent years as he has zero top-30 finishes in his last three trips. If there was ever a time to stop the skid, this year is the time as he has found a new sense of confidence with the putter in hand and the iron play is sharpening. The two-time major champion’s week will largely depend on how he drives the golf ball as it handcuffed him at the PGA Championship and could do the same at the Memorial given the penalty for missed fairways.
- Xander Schauffele (16-1): Schauffele’s run at Memorial consists of six straight top-25 finishes but only one of which doubled for a top 10 — his T8 in 2024. He comes off his best driving week of the season at the PGA Championship as the rest of his game rounds into form. The two-time major champion is close, and this week sets up well for his final ascent to the top given the difficult nature of the golf course that will separate the pretenders from the contenders.
- Patrick Cantlay (16-1)
- Tommy Fleetwood (20-1)
- Ludvig Åberg (25-1): Take away the contention run at the Masters — substantial, of course — and it has been uninspiring golf the Swedish superstar has played since his win at the Genesis Invitational. Åberg has lost strokes on approach in his last three events, and his driver numbers are beginning to wane as well. Despite missing three of his last six starts, the 25-year-old could find himself in a bounce-back spot at Muirfield Village where he finished T5 in his debut last season.
- Corey Conners (28-1)
- Shane Lowry (28-1)
- Sepp Straka (28-1)
- Viktor Hovland (28-1): Over the last three months, only Scheffler and Straka can say they have been better iron players than Hovland. The Norwegian is quietly striking the golf ball as well as ever, which has led to a subtle string of consistency following his early-season woes. A win at the Valspar Championship kicked off five straight made cuts which included decent runs at the year’s first two major championships. If his chipping and pitching is sufficient, Hovland has a real chance to win.
2025 Memorial Tournament predictions
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