This might not be the leaderboard we envisioned when it was announced that this week’s Memorial Tournament field was the best non-major, non-Players, non-WGC field (admittedly, that’s a mouthful) ever, but a bevy of big names lurking and an anybody’s-ballgame type of feel should collectively have us glued to our screens this weekend.
Tony Finau (+400) and Ryan Palmer (+900) are the current co-leaders by one stroke over current favorite Jon Rahm (+250). If the Spanish sensation, who picked up more than a half-dozen strokes on the field tee-to-green in the second round, doesn’t win this thing by multiple shots – a real threat, I think, for anyone who’s invested elsewhere – there should be plenty of value on a board which should endure some major upheaval on Moving Day.
Odds as of Friday night and via DraftKings. Get up to a $1,000 sign-up bonus at DraftKings today or see more offers and reviews for the best online sportsbooks.
Among my favorite values right now are Jason Day and Viktor Hovland, at four and five strokes off the pace, respectively, and each +1600 outright.
Day has never enjoyed much success at Muirfield Village, where he’s a member, but he’s clearly picked up tricks, ranking third in the field in Strokes Gained: Putting on Friday, which we might not think is sustainable, except for the fact that he was just outside the top-10 on Thursday, as well.
Hovland, meanwhile, might’ve been the hottest golfer on the planet (non-Bryson division) entering this week and he’s yet to cool off, posting a second-round 6-under 66 during which he gained strokes in every major category.
[Bet Viktor Hovland and/or Jason Day at +2100 using DraftKings' 30% odds boost.]
If you’re looking for deeper, non-outright wagers, take a long look at Erik Van Rooyen, who ranked second to only Rahm in tee-to-green numbers on Friday and at T-33 is still somewhere in the +1500 to +2000 neighborhood to bank a top-10. While it’s true that most of EVR’s success to date has come overseas, don’t lose sight of the fact that he played his college golf in Minnesota and isn’t unfamiliar to this type of Midwest track.
And then there’s our old friend Xander Schauffele, my pre-tournament pick to win this week. OK, so maybe I’ll back off that sentiment, but his bogey-free 3-under 69 to chase that opening 78 was an all-time grind to make the cut, saving many DFS lineups while getting him to the weekend on the number. Now that he’s there, a price of +1400 to finish in the top-10 could be a nice way to salvage any lost outrights on him.
