Memorial Tournament betting preview: Brooks primed to spoil Tiger's return

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If you've been following along over the past few weeks, there's a good chance you've enjoyed winning some cash. Webb Simpson came through at +3000 at the RBC Heritage, then Dustin Johnson pulled it off at +3000 at the Travelers Championship. Last week, it was Collin Morikawa securing the Workday Charity Open victory at +3500 to give us our third outright winner in four events.

Trust us when we say golf betting usually isn't this easy. But that doesn't mean we can't go back-to-back at Muirfield Village this week when a star-studded field competes for the Memorial Tournament title.

The PGA Tour remains in Dublin, Ohio, for the Jack Nicklaus-hosted event, which will see Tiger Woods make his first start in five months. The rest of the big boys are in action as well, with Rory McIlroy, Justin Thomas, and Bryson DeChambeau topping the oddsboard.

The course

• 7,456 yards, par 72
• Designed by Jack Nicklaus
• Six par 4s over 450 yards
• Considered a second-shot course that rewards elite iron play
• Bentgrass greens are smaller than average and well-protected by bunkers
• Faster greens, thicker rough compared to Workday Charity Open

Previous winners at Muirfield

2020: Collin Morikawa (-19) over Justin Thomas (Workday Charity Open)
2019: Patrick Cantlay (-19) over Adam Scott
2018: Bryson DeChambeau (-15) over Byeong Hun An, Kyle Stanley
2017: Jason Dufner (-13) over Rickie Fowler, Anirban Lahiri
2016: William McGirt (-15) over Jon Curran
2015: David Lingmerth (-15) over Justin Rose
2014: Hideki Matsuyama (-13) over Kevin Na
2013: Matt Kuchar (-12) over Kevin Chappell
2012: Tiger Woods (-9) over Andres Romero, Rory Sabbatini

Betting on Tiger

Every time Tiger is playing, people want to know if he's a good bet to win. So, moving forward, there will be a designated section on how to approach the 15-time major champion in the betting market.

Woods is priced at +2000 here, which is about as much value as you'll find on the five-time Memorial winner. As the best iron player of all time, his success at a course that demands precision into the greens makes a lot of sense.

The main concern is the five-month layoff, but the books appear a little more worried than you should be. Woods hadn't played in 10 weeks ahead of his most recent win at the Zozo Championship. If there's anyone in golf who benefits from time off, it's Tiger. There should be no health concerns this week, and Woods knows better than anyone exactly what he needs to do to prepare for competitive golf.

At +2000, feel free to back the 44-year-old. Though it might not be a recommended play, there's no harm in trying to catch oddsmakers hanging a number rarely attached to Woods' name.

The favorites

DeChambeau deservingly enters as the favorite. He's fresh off a win at the Rocket Mortgage Classic, and his worst finish in his last seven PGA Tour starts is a tie for eighth. He's on a remarkable run, though his mediocre iron play over the past few weeks is slightly concerning.

Thomas is coming off of a crushing playoff loss to Morikawa. He proved he has everything needed to win at Muirfield Village, but banking on Thomas being energized for another grueling week isn't worth it at +900.

Jon Rahm is a name to watch after a sensational closing round at the Workday Charity Open. He fired a final-round 64 thanks to the best ball-striking performance of his career in terms of strokes gained.

Defending champion Patrick Cantlay is also worth consideration. He continues to turn in strong showings at Muirfield, with a weekend run vaulting him into the top 10 at the Workday Charity Open.

If forced to choose from the top with only one pick to make, Rahm is the selection, with Cantlay a close second.

The next tier

After covering Woods already, Brooks Koepka is the next golfer who stands out in this range.

Following a flurry of back-nine birdies Friday at the Workday Charity Open, Koepka missed the cut by a shot then added the Memorial to his schedule. Why is that important? Because it indicates there's some motivation for Koepka to tackle Muirfield again and capitalize on whatever he found in his game. He's a player who tends to rise to the occasion, and the Memorial is by far the biggest stage since golf's return.

Xander Schauffele and Hideki Matsuyama are two other names worthy of a look. Both played solid golf at Muirfield last week without having to expend a ton of energy in the process. Matsuyama is a former Memorial winner and Schauffele, like Koepka, shows up when the lights are brightest.

The long shots

With a loaded field making the Memorial feel more like a major championship, it's tough to imagine a real long shot taking home the title this week. Still, there are a few players worth considering who have either been playing well or found success at Muirfield in the past.

Abraham Ancer (+4000): Ancer is coming off three straight top-15 results, including a runner-up finish at the RBC Heritage. His iron play has been off the charts, which bodes well for his chances at Muirfield.

Marc Leishman (+8000): Backing the Aussie didn't work out last week, but his history at the Memorial is too good to ignore; he hasn't missed the cut since 2012. If he drives the ball the way he did at the Workday Charity Open, Leishman is due for a rebound, especially if the course plays tougher.

Sungjae Im (+8000): The 2019 Rookie of the Year isn't playing great golf right now, so this pick is based more on raw talent than on recent form. What's encouraging is the fact he managed back-to-back rounds of solid ball-striking last week, a sign that he's slowly returning to form.

Picks to win

Xander Schauffele (+2000)

With the rough getting longer, the greens running faster, and Rahm's belief that the Memorial might play like a U.S. Open, it's hard not to back Schauffele. Last week's tied-for-14th result is encouraging, and he gained 5.1 strokes through approach shots and another 5.8 on the greens. Schauffele's driving has been great since the Tour returned, and his history in tough U.S. Open-style setups is immaculate. After a close call at Colonial a few weeks ago, it's time for the 26-year-old to break through with a victory.

Brooks Koepka (+2200)

A motivated Koepka is a dangerous golfer, and that's what we have on our hands this week. Sitting 155th in the FedEx Cup standings and needing to add some top-tier results fast, he added the Memorial to his schedule specifically to do so. He missed last week's cut by a single stroke despite a late Friday charge and a solid showing tee to green.

Grouped with Tiger and Rory for the first two rounds at a course that should present a very tough challenge, Koepka should be raring to silence his critics and prove, once again, why he's golf's alpha.