The Memorial Tournament is one of the marquee events on the PGA calendar, and 2026 is no exception. The top pros have descended on Muirfield Village Golf Club looking to secure their piece of the $20 million purse.
The usual suspects are lurking atop the futures board, but there are some unsuspecting underdogs who could make a splash this weekend.
Top Contenders
Scottie Scheffler
Any time Scottie Scheffler is involved, bettors will flock to him in droves. That’s the case again at The Memorial Tournament, with the American leading in both ticket count (14.3%) and handle (32.1%). His analytics profile speaks for itself, but we’re not discounting his recent performances at this event. Scheffler is the two-time defending champion and has finished top three in four of the last five tournaments. There’s no disguising that kind of success in the betting market, which is why Scheffler closed as the +300 betting favorite ahead of the action.
Rory McIlroy
Rory McIlroy has been more intentional with his event selection this season. The Memorial will be just his 10th tournament of the season, and just the third tournament he’s participated since The Masters. Still, his strategy is clearly paying off. The Northern Irishman has finished T19 or better in all four of those events, including a win at Augusta and a seventh place finish at the PGA Championship. He doesn’t command the same kind of respect as Scheffler, but BetMGM isn’t willing to risk any exposure on McIlroy. He closed with the second shortest odds on the board (+1000), validated by his 8.0% ticket count and 8.0% handle.
Ludvig Aberg
Ludvig Aberg is on the precipice of greatness and is waiting for his breakout moment. Bettors are once again backing the Swede, predicting his moment in the sun comes at The Memorial. Aberg’s betting market share points toward sharp involvement. He’s accounting for 6.1% of the betting handle while being written on just 5.4% of tickets. Considering he has six Top 10 on the season and ranks sixth in the FedEx Cup, it’s not surprising that BetMGM continues to move the price down on Aberg.
Worthy Underdogs
Si Woo Kim
As is the case every tournament, several underdogs have emerged as legitimate contenders. While he may have the longest odds on the board, take note of Si Woo Kim’s betting market share. Previously a mid-range +2500 underdog, 7.8% of the betting handle has come in on Kim on just a 3.2% ticket count. BetMGM has acted accordingly, moving the Korean to +2200. Coming off a second-place finish at the Byron Nelson and with one of the best all-round analytics profiles, Woo will be in contention at Muirfield.
Jordan Spieth
Even with a limited impact over the past few seasons, Jordan Spieth still carries a lot of weight in the open market. The American has yet to record a top 10 finish on the season and sits a distant 41 in the FedEx Cup rankings; however, bettors are always willing to take a stake in Spieth. His 2.1% handle exceeds his 1.9% ticket count, but BetMGM is unwilling to move Spieth off his current valuation. Spieth is holding steady as a +4000 underdog at the outset of the tourney. Spieth’s short game remains a strength, and Muirfield demands a lot from players around the green. If Spieth maximized production off the tee, he could stay in the mix with his superior greenside play.
Lucas Glover
There are plenty of golfers between Scottie Scheffler and Lucas Glover, but we’re still shining a light on the latter ahead of The Memorial. Glover sits a distant +50000 on the odds board, and his market share exceeds what we would expect from someone that far down the betting board. At the start of the tournament, Glover’s 0.2% handle doubled his 0.1% ticket count. While those aren’t large money wagers, we can infer that the people backing him are risking greater exposure for a more notable payday. Glover’s best work comes from his irons play, which will undoubtedly be a factor with the long Par 4s and extended track at Muirfield. Don’t be surprised if Glover gets off to a hot start and makes a rapid ascent up the betting and leaderboards.
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