Two starts, three majors-worth of star power, and a field that keeps losing names. The Memorial tees off Thursday with Scottie chasing history, the U.S. Women's Open brings a major to Riviera for the first time, and LIV lands at one of the meanest layouts in Europe. Here is what actually moves your card.

Top 3 Stories

1. The Memorial field keeps thinning before a shot is struck

Muirfield Village's 72-man signature field took another hit Tuesday when Jake Knapp withdrew with the left wrist injury that has dogged him since late April, the same issue that already cost him the Cadillac, the Truist and the PGA Championship. Canadian Sudarshan Yellamaraju slides in off the alternate list for his fourth $20 million start of the season. Knapp joins Viktor Hovland (withdrawn) and Collin Morikawa (resting a back injury) on the sidelines, trimming an already small no-cut-style signature field down to its bones. The headline act is unchanged: Scottie Scheffler is bidding to become the first player to win the same event three years running since Steve Stricker (2009-11), and Rory McIlroy returns to Muirfield for the first time since 2024, making just his third start since his Masters win and still chasing a maiden title here in 13 tries. Source: Golfmagic, PGA TOUR.

2. A U.S. Women's Open major lands at Riviera for the first time

The 81st U.S. Women's Open begins Thursday at Riviera Country Club, the first time the championship has ever been staged at the storied Pacific Palisades layout. World No. 1 Nelly Korda headlines as the betting favorite, fresh off her third career major at the Chevron in April, yet still without a U.S. Women's Open title to her name. Defending champion Maja Stark is back, and Jeeno Thitikul arrives still hunting a first major. Riviera's poa annua greens, kikuyu rough and famously tempting short par-4 10th reward precision and nerve over raw length, a very different test from the bombers' tracks earlier in the LPGA season. Source: Golf.com.

3. LIV heads to Valderrama for a brutal pre-U.S. Open tune-up

LIV Golf Andalucía runs June 4-7 at Real Club Valderrama in Spain, a 7,010-yard par 71 that is all about position rather than power. Hometown favorite Jon Rahm tops the board at 16/5, ahead of Bryson DeChambeau (15/2), Joaquin Niemann (8/1) and David Puig (14/1), with Talor Gooch back to defend the title he won by a stroke over Rahm in 2025. For Rahm, DeChambeau and the rest of the major winners, this is the final start before the U.S. Open. The field thinned here too: Phil Mickelson is out for an undisclosed family health matter with Scott Vincent replacing him on the HyFlyers, and Paul Casey withdrew with a wrist injury, opening a spot for reserve Travis Smyth. Source: Today's Golfer.

Player Movement & Status

• Jake Knapp WD from the Memorial (left wrist, lingering since late April); Sudarshan Yellamaraju replaces him. Source: Golfmagic.
• Viktor Hovland also out of the Memorial, no reason given. Source: Golfmagic.
• Collin Morikawa skipping the Memorial while recovering from a back injury. Source: Golfmagic.
• Phil Mickelson out of LIV Andalucía for an undisclosed family health matter; Scott Vincent steps into the HyFlyers lineup. Source: Today's Golfer.
• Paul Casey WD from LIV Andalucía with a wrist injury; reserve Travis Smyth fills in. Source: Today's Golfer.
• Equipment: L.A.B. Golf unveiled the VZN.1i mallet putter ($499 stock, custom from $599), at retail June 9. Source: Plugged In Golf.

This Week's Tournament Read

The Memorial Tournament · Muirfield Village GC · Dublin, OH

Jack's place plays close to 7,600 yards as a par 72, with fairways that are not razor-thin but penalize a miss with thick, gnarly rough, plus small, firm, Augusta-like greens and 68 bunkers that produce some of the worst sand-save proximity numbers on Tour. This is an approach-and-scrambling test before anything else: ball-strikers and elite iron players separate here. Weather looks fairly calm for tournament week, a warm, mostly settled stretch with only scattered shower risk into the weekend. Source: Golf.com.

Trending:

• Up: Scottie Scheffler: two-time defending champ and the only player priced anywhere near short (+260) as he chases the three-peat. Course fit and form both check out. Source: Golf.com.
• Up: Cameron Young: sitting No. 2 in the FedExCup on strong recent form, priced +1600 in the second tier. A ball-striker's track suits his profile. Source: PGA TOUR.
• Watch: Russell Henley: arrives off last week's Charles Schwab win at +2800. Precision profile fits, but back-to-back weeks at a draining course is the question mark. Source: Golf.com.

Golf Betting Odds: Tournament Watch

Event: The Memorial Tournament (PGA Tour signature event), Round 1 Thursday, June 4. Outright "to win" favorites:

1. Scottie Scheffler: +260
2. Rory McIlroy: +900
3. Cameron Young: +1600
4. Xander Schauffele: +1600
5. Ludvig Aberg: +2200
6. Matt Fitzpatrick: +2200
7. Si Woo Kim: +2200
8. Russell Henley: +2800
9. Tommy Fleetwood: +2800
10. Patrick Cantlay: +3250

Movement: Scheffler has firmed from around +310 at our last check into the +260 range as money continues to back the three-peat, leaving McIlroy a clear and lonely second at +900. Si Woo Kim sneaking into the +2200 group is the one number worth a second look in the mid-tier. Source: Golf.com.

Odds are a snapshot and will differ from the price you get at bet placement.

Under the Radar

• Valderrama is a power-fade, not a power-play. At 7,010 yards and par 71, LIV's stop rewards position and precision off the tee far more than distance, which is exactly why Jon Rahm sits clear at 16/5 in front of Bryson DeChambeau at 15/2. If you are shopping 3-ball and top-10 markets, the accuracy profiles are live and the pure bombers are a fade. It also doubles as a clean read on who is sharp going into U.S. Open week. Source: Today's Golfer.
• The alternate angle at Muirfield. Sudarshan Yellamaraju, in off the alternate list for Knapp, is making his fourth $20 million start of the season. He is the cheapest DFS exposure to a small, top-heavy field, but the Memorial does cut, so he is a salary-relief one-and-done piece or punt, not a finishing-position bet. The wider tell: with three brand names out, single-event matchup pricing at the bottom of this field is softer than usual. Source: Golfmagic.