Scottie Scheffler stumbled late at Muirfield Village, but his Memorial Tournament odds still scream danger entering a brutal Round 2.
The Memorial Tournament leaderboard looks crowded after Round 1, but the real betting story might be sitting a few shots back.
Tommy Fleetwood, Ryan Gerard and two others opened with 5-under 67s at Muirfield Village, creating a four-way tie at the top.
Fleetwood is now the betting favorite at +650, while Gerard sits at +1200.
Then there’s Scottie Scheffler.
The defending Memorial Tournament champion opened with a frustrating 1-over 73 after a back-nine mess.
Scheffler turned in 2-under 34, then gave it away with a bogey at No. 10, a double bogey, another bogey and only one birdie coming home.
It was ugly, but it also wasn’t exactly shocking.
Scheffler has made a habit of slow Thursdays before turning into a weekend monster.
He’s only six shots back, and at Muirfield Village, that’s not a death sentence. It’s barely a warning light.
The course was already nasty, playing to a 73.06 scoring average with only 13 players under par.
Friday could be even meaner, with winds expected to climb from 10-16 mph and gusts reaching 24 mph.
Scheffler’s biggest issue was approach play. He lost 2.66 strokes on approach in Round 1, according to DataGolf.
For most players, that’s a massive red flag.
For Scheffler, it’s usually a temporary glitch. He’s repeatedly corrected poor opening rounds this season, including runs to T3 at the WM Phoenix Open and T4 at Pebble Beach after rough starts.
That’s why his top-five market at +115 remains tempting chalk.
Another Round 2 angle: Alex Fitzpatrick over Jacob Bridgeman at -125.
Bridgeman’s putter has gone cold, while Fitzpatrick gained 2.25 strokes off the tee and 1.95 on approach despite losing 2.64 putting.
If the flatstick wakes up even a little, Fitzpatrick has the cleaner Friday profile.
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