SportsLine model favours Scheffler but warns against Young for Memorial Tournament
Mike McClure’s proprietary algorithm, which claims a 17-major prediction record, has simulated the 2026 event 10,000 times to identify key trends at Muirfield Village.
The 2026 Memorial Tournament commences on Thursday at Muirfield Village Golf Club in Dublin, Ohio, serving as the penultimate Signature Event of the PGA Tour schedule and a final tune-up for the U.S. Open. Defending champion Scottie Scheffler is the +310 favourite to secure a three-peat, a feat last achieved by Steve Stricker in 2011. Mike McClure’s SportsLine computer model, which claims to have correctly predicted 17 major championships, has simulated the event 10,000 times to generate its projections.
The model identifies Scheffler as the top pick but advises against betting on Cameron Young (+1600), citing his poor historical record at the venue. Young has never cracked the top 20 in four starts at Muirfield Village and has broken par only once in his last 12 rounds at the course. The algorithm suggests Young could stumble and fail to crack the top five, marking a significant deviation from his recent form which included a streak of seven straight top 25 finishes before the PGA Championship.
Conversely, the model highlights Russell Henley (+2000) as a strong value pick. Henley recently won the Charles Schwab Challenge and leads the PGA Tour in driving accuracy percentage. This precision is particularly advantageous on Muirfield Village, which is the fourth-longest course on the PGA Tour schedule, allowing Henley to position himself effectively for second shots on the long fairways.
Other notable contenders include Rory McIlroy (+1200), who is teeing off for the first time since finishing seventh at the PGA Championship. Ludvig Aberg (+1500) and Ben Griffin (+3500), who was runner-up to Scheffler last year, are also listed as key players in the field. The model is also targeting three other longshots with odds of at least +3000, though specific names beyond Henley and Young are not detailed in the provided text.
The tournament field includes a star-studded roster with Justin Thomas, Matt Fitzpatrick, and Jordan Spieth among the competitors. The first round is scheduled to complete by late afternoon, with Scheffler teeing off in the afternoon pairing at 1:35 p.m. and McIlroy scheduled for the 10:25 a.m. start.
