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This week’s field features 61 of the top 100 and 42 of the top 50 in the Official World Golf Rankings, including nine of the current top ten. Headliners include Scottie Scheffler (#1), Rory McIlroy (#2), Cameron Young (#3), Matt Fitzpatrick (#4), and Russell Henley (#5). That is a slight step back from last year, when the event drew 66 of the top 100 and 44 of the top 50.

A handful of top-50 players are sitting this one out: Collin Morikawa (#7), Jon Rahm (#12), Patrick Reed (#22), Tyrrell Hatton (#27), Bryson DeChambeau (#28), Viktor Hovland (#32), Jake Knapp (#40), and Marco Penge (#46).

The field also includes 23 of the top 25 in the 2026 FedEx Cup standings.

Six past champions are in the field: Scottie Scheffler (2024 & 2025), Billy Horschel (2022), Patrick Cantlay (2019 & 2021), Hideki Matsuyama (2014), Matt Kuchar (2013), and Justin Rose (2010).

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It is that time again, back to Muirfield Village just two weeks before the U.S. Open. In previous years Muirfield has been the perfect venue for U.S. Open prep, but this year is different, as the Open heads to Shinnecock Hills. Shinnecock is a links course and presents very different challenges than Muirfield Village. Retief Goosen won at Shinnecock in 2004 but did not play that year’s Memorial, and Brooks Koepka won there in 2018 but also skipped the Memorial. On the flip side, Ernie Els won the 2004 Memorial and finished T-9th at Shinnecock, while 2018 Memorial winner Bryson DeChambeau placed T-25th there two weeks later.

Historically the Memorial has been a key tune-up for the U.S. Open, sharing many traits of an Open course, including tight fairways, the need to hit long irons into the greens, and tricky, undulating putting surfaces. Even with a links test ahead, Muirfield remains a great challenge that will help players sharpen up.

This year’s field is strong, but three notable players are missing: Collin Morikawa, Viktor Hovland, and Jake Knapp. Morikawa has never missed the Memorial since turning pro and even won on the course during another event amid the pandemic in 2020, with two runner-up finishes here as well, so his absence raises questions about whether his back is still an issue. Hovland, the 2023 winner, has also never missed a Memorial since turning pro, leaving us to wonder if his back is bothering him or he is simply resting for the U.S. Open. Knapp withdrew Tuesday morning with a lingering thumb injury.

Several players are trending upward, starting with Ben Griffin. After a slow start to the year, during which he admitted to being a bit lazy, Griffin has been on fire. He and partner Andrew Novak finished T-10th at the Zurich Classic, where they won last year, then he added a 3rd at the Cadillac, T-63rd at the Truist, T-14th at the PGA Championship, and T-3rd at the Charles Schwab. Last year, after winning the Charles Schwab, he carried that form into a runner-up finish at the Memorial.

Keep an eye on Alex Smalley too, who has finished inside the top 25 in his last seven starts since Houston. He was T-2nd with partner Hayden Springer at Zurich, T-7th at the Cadillac, T-2nd at the PGA Championship, and T-3rd at the Charles Schwab. He has missed the cut at the Memorial twice, but I still see potential in him this week.

Another player on the rise is Ludvig Aberg, who has finished in the top ten in his last nine starts: T-3rd at the Palmer, T-5th at the Players and Texas Open, T-4th at Heritage, T-8th at Truist, and T-4th at the PGA Championship. He opened with a 66 at Colonial last week before fading on the weekend to a T-17th, but I believe his game is in great shape for the Memorial, where he finished T-5th in 2024.

One player I am slightly concerned about is Scottie Scheffler, who is chasing a third straight win this week. He has been excellent in 2026, winning his first start at the American Express, but he has not won since, with three runner-up finishes and seven top-four results across 11 starts. That would be a dream season for most, yet Scheffler only thinks about winning, so a runner-up feels like a loss to him. He has wobbled with the putter in key moments, and after ranking 1st in Strokes Gained Approach the Green in 2023, 2024, and 2025, he has slipped to 15th this year. Do not overlook him, he will still be a favorite, but given his current odds and high price in fantasy games, weigh him carefully.

Many will also wonder about Rory McIlroy, who appears to be playing a limited schedule in 2026. Since winning the Masters he has played just twice, finishing T-19th at the Truist and T-7th at the PGA Championship. He did not play much heading into the Masters either, and despite a T-46th at the Players, he took three weeks off and still won at Augusta. You have to wonder if he repeats that plan, traveling up to Shinnecock several times in the ten days before the U.S. Open. I still question him at the Memorial, though, since he has only two top-five finishes in 13 starts here, with a best of T-4th in 2016. Maybe the course just is not up his alley.

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The tournament got its start thanks to Jack Nicklaus. During the 1966 Masters, Nicklaus told some of his closest friends that he wanted to bring a major championship to the Columbus area. Unfortunately, the best course in town, Scioto Country Club, was not big enough to hold the tournament Nicklaus envisioned. He was getting into course design, so he knew just enough to be dangerous on the subject. He also imagined that his course would share the same characteristics as Augusta National, and he wanted the event to mirror it.

After the Masters, Nicklaus and his trusted friends conducted secret site surveys around the Columbus area and found the spot he thought was perfect in the northwestern part of town. In 1967, Nicklaus began purchasing the land that would become Muirfield Village with his own funds. By 1970 he realized he had a future in golf course design, started his own company, and in 1972, under the supervision of Golden Bear Inc., construction began in Dublin, Ohio.

The project ran into numerous delays, including excessive rainfall that postponed completion until late 1973, and it nearly bankrupted Nicklaus, who had funded the entire endeavor himself. Nicklaus played the inaugural round at Muirfield in October 1973, and fittingly, his round was marred by torrential rainstorms. The course officially opened on May 24, 1974, with an exhibition match between Nicklaus and Tom Weiskopf. Nicklaus shot a 66 that day, a course record that stood until 1979.

Over the years, Muirfield Village has earned numerous prestigious awards. Still, the essential accolade it collects every year is being voted one of the five best sites by PGA Tour players, not only because the course is excellent but also because the players are pampered here. This goes beyond even the PGA Tour rules. It is the only tournament on Tour that bans equipment manufacturers, tournament representatives, and the media from the practice facilities and locker rooms.

Beyond the Memorial, which began in 1976, the course has hosted nearly every other major event except the U.S. Open and the PGA Championship, including the 1986 U.S. Junior Amateur, the 1987 Ryder Cup, the 1992 U.S. Amateur, the 1998 Solheim Cup, and the 2013 Presidents Cup. Nicklaus also designed the course with the fan in mind, one of the first to do so. The 220-acre venue strategically incorporates hills and mounds, letting fans look down on most of the action much like the stadium seating found at major sporting events.

After the 2020 event, Nicklaus undertook a complete revamp, redoing all 18 greens, recontouring all the bunkers, and making changes to 16 of the 18 holes. The only ones he left untouched were the 12th and 14th. All fairways were resurfaced and additional drainage was installed. There was no plot to make the course harder. At 81, Nicklaus simply had things he wanted to do, and the changes were meant to make the holes more playable and enjoyable, so we should not expect complaints this week that the course plays too severe. The redone 16th, which drew complaints after the 2020/21 changes, was softened by moving the lake farther from the green and reworking the bunkers. For the second straight year, Nicklaus did not alter anything.

This is the 51st annual Memorial Tournament. The first was played in 1976, and it has been held at Muirfield Village ever since. The event was a long-time vision of Jack Nicklaus, who grew up playing at the famous Scioto Country Club, host of the 1926 U.S. Open. In some ways the Memorial mirrors the Masters, because it is the tournament Nicklaus always felt was the best run on a great course.

Each year the tournament honors a golfer recognized for their contributions to the game. The first honoree was Bobby Jones in 1976. This year, David Graham and Allan Robertson are the honorees. Graham won a U.S. Open and a PGA Championship, and Robertson was the inspiration for the first British Open in 1860, held months after his death. In the Journalism category, the 2026 selection is David Shedloski, a writer for Golf Digest since 2008 and the editorial director of the Memorial magazine. The ceremony takes place Wednesday afternoon.

Muirfield Village Golf Club
Dublin, Ohio
7,569 yards, Par 72 (36-36)

Muirfield Village carries a 76.9 course rating and a 153 slope rating from the championship tees, making it one of the most challenging venues on Tour. The course is very private. The tees and fairways are bentgrass and poa annua, the rough is Kentucky bluegrass with ryegrass and fescue, and the greens are bentgrass. The greens were redone before the 2023 tournament, so with another year of growth they should be in great shape this week. The par-72 layout features 73 bunkers, with water coming into play on 11 holes.

Let’s take a look at the Key Fantasy stats for those playing at the Memorial.