Scottie Scheffler leads a loaded Memorial Tournament field as Muirfield Village prepares to punish anyone chasing Jack Nicklaus’ trophy.
Scottie Scheffler enters the Memorial Tournament presented by Workday as the FedExCup leader, the world No. 1 and the obvious man to beat at Muirfield Village Golf Club.
The wild part? He’s done all that with only one PGA TOUR win this season.
That says plenty about how ruthless Scheffler has been without always finishing first.
He has five other top-three finishes, including four in his last five starts, which is basically his version of a “quiet” year.
Now he returns to Jack Nicklaus’ place chasing a third straight Memorial title, a rare shot at turning dominance into history.
Muirfield Village won’t hand it over. It never does.
The course remains a 7,569-yard par 72, but that number doesn’t tell the whole story.
Last year’s field averaged 73.381, and that’s right in line with how nasty this place usually plays.
Nicklaus gives players enough room off the tee to feel comfortable, then starts taking pieces of their scorecard the closer they get to the hole.
The rough is expected to sit at least 4¼ inches, the greens average around 5,000 square feet, and the putting surfaces can run past 13 feet on the Stimpmeter.
Hit only 10 greens in regulation around here, and you’re basically surviving at field average.
Miss in the wrong spots, and Muirfield Village starts charging interest.
Scheffler isn’t alone in the fight.
Si Woo Kim enters at No. 5 in the FedExCup standings without a win but with seven top 10s this season.
Rory McIlroy, now a two-time Masters winner and career Grand Slam champion, returns looking for his first Memorial victory after 13 previous tries.
Russell Henley arrives hot after stealing the Charles Schwab Challenge with a furious late run at Colonial.
Ludvig Åberg brings a nine-event top-25 streak, Xander Schauffele has seven straight top-25 finishes at the Memorial, and Ben Griffin is surging again after nearly repeating at Colonial.
Hideki Matsuyama, Wyndham Clark, Matt Fitzpatrick, Rickie Fowler and Sepp Straka add even more danger to a 72-player field that doesn’t have much filler.
READ MORE: Why Ben Griffin Fell Short at Colonial
There’s serious reward waiting, too ... 700 FedExCup points, $4 million, a three-year PGA TOUR exemption, a spot in THE PLAYERS through 2029 and a possible Open Championship berth.
Scheffler may be the favorite, but Muirfield Village loves making favorites sweat.
