PINEHURST, N.C. – Colorado native Colin Prater, a four-time Division II collegiate All-American, planned to make a go of professional golf. He secured financial backing to move to Arizona and commence the chase – mini-tours, Q-School, the gamut. Only he realized there was a lifestyle he liked better: raising a family, being home for the big moments, consistent income. It might be considered a normal life, but it’s a pretty good one: high school biology teacher, husband and father, with a second baby due in the next few weeks. This week, Prater’s “normal” life is anything but. He’s the epitome of the U.S. Open, this country’s national championship which offers a seat at the table to any amateur (with a 0.4 handicap index or better) who can shoot the scores across 18-hole Local Qualifying and 36-hole Final Qualifying. Prater did so – qualifying on Golf’s Longest Day in Oregon – and his week at Pinehurst No. 2 has been a case study in controlling the fandom inside, as he prepares for one of the toughest tests of golf he’ll ever face. It has also been what some recreational golfers might call a fantasy: practice rounds on Monday with Will Zalatoris; Tuesday with Wyndham Clark and Mark Hubbard (an all-Colorado grouping); and Wednesday with Jordan Spieth and Sam Burns. Prater, 29, teaches biology to roughly 120 freshmen at Cheyenne Mountain High in Colorado Springs. He also coaches the boys’ and girls’ golf teams, and he’ll sometimes sneak out to play four or six holes after practice. There’s more golf in the summers (which are pristine in Colorado), but he’s just as happy spending time with his young family. Competing in the U.S. Open, though, is the perfect summer vacation. “It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. It was a dream of mine from when I was a little kid,” Prater said Wednesday. “Originally, I would love to play golf on the PGA TOUR. Now, as my priorities have shifted, it was, ‘Man, I would love to play in a PGA TOUR event one day.’ “Never thought it was going to be of this magnitude.” Prater, often the one giving lessons, was on the other side Wednesday at Pinehurst No. 2. He relished the chance to observe accomplished TOUR winners Spieth and Burns at work, while also remaining similarly diligent in his preparation around Donald Ross’ famed turtleback greens (which are slated to run in the mid-13s on the Stimpmeter this week), experimenting with chip shots to a variety of possible hole locations on the front nine. Prater enjoyed lively conversation with Spieth and his longtime caddie Michael Greller, who spent time as a fifth- and sixth-grade math teacher in Washington state before caddying Spieth to victory at the 2011 U.S. Junior (on the referral of Justin Thomas), kick-starting a career transition to full-time caddie. That meant there were two teachers in that practice grouping Wednesday – a quintessential U.S. Open scene. “Michael said he wasn’t smart enough to teach science,” cracked Spieth. “We had a great time today,” Spieth continued, “finding out where he’s from, what he does … pretty cool experience to be here. It’s got to be such a cool feeling, when you’re the coach of these guys and they look up to you and you get some street cred playing in the U.S. Open, so pretty awesome experience.” Prater strives to be one of the best amateur golfers in Colorado’s history, and he’s off to a good start – he has qualified for three U.S. Amateurs, and he advanced to match play at the 2023 U.S. Amateur at Cherry Hills. He’s a two-time Colorado Golf Association Player of the Year, a number that could swell over time. But golf isn’t everything. It’s the perfect competitive outlet to round out his life. His comportment is a lesson in what’s important – as Scottie Scheffler has said for years, the best part of life is sharing it with those around you. Professional golf can be a lonely endeavor; Prater challenges himself daily to connect with his students and make a difference in their lives. “You definitely have to have priorities, and golf doesn’t get put on the front burner, right? It gets put on the back burner for sure,” Prater said. “There are way more important things than playing golf.” In a month that earned him a tee time at his national championship and practice rounds with multiple major champions, perhaps the coolest part, he said, was hearing from so many former students who offered congratulations on qualifying to compete at Pinehurst.

PINEHURST, N.C. – Colorado native Colin Prater, a four-time Division II collegiate All-American, planned to make a go of professional golf. He secured financial backing to move to Arizona and commence the chase – mini-tours, Q-School, the gamut.

Science teacher, U.S. Open qualifier Colin Prater plays practice round with Jordan Spieth

Tiger Woods has done everything but win in his two career trips to Pinehurst No. 2. Woods finished third in the 1999 U.S. Open, two behind Payne Stewart, and runner-up to Michael Campbell in the 2005 U.S. Open. What will Woods' third trip to the sand hills of North Carolina yield? The 15-time major winner still believes winning another major is realistic, it’s “just a matter of doing it.” That quest begins Thursday morning. Woods tees off the 10th hole at 7:29 a.m. ET alongside Will Zalatoris and Matt Fitzpatrick. It’s Woods’ 23rd appearance at the U.S. Open. Woods is making just his fourth start of the PGA TOUR season. He withdrew during the second round of The Genesis Invitational in February, made the cut and finished 60th at the Masters in April and shot 72-77 to miss the cut at the PGA Championship last month. The talk around Woods is not about his swing or fading talent. The game’s top players insist the 15-time major winner still has the skill to contend in majors. The questions revolve around Woods’ body sustaining through four days of a major championship and whether he can knock off the competitive rust quickly enough to stay in contention for 72 holes. “I feel like I have the strength to be able to do it,” Woods said Tuesday. “This golf course is going to test every single aspect of your game, especially mentally, and just the mental discipline that it takes to play this particular golf course, it's going to take a lot. We've been working on that and making sure that I understand the game plan.”

Tiger Woods has done everything but win in his two career trips to Pinehurst No. 2. Woods finished third in the 1999 U.S. Open, two behind Payne Stewart, and runner-up to Michael Campbell in the 2005 U.S. Open.

Tiger Woods Round 1 U.S. Open updates

Jon Rahm, the former world No. 1 who captured the 2021 U.S. Open at Torrey Pines, has withdrawn from the U.S. Open due to injury. Rahm had been trying to play with an infected cut on his left foot, and wore a flip-flop on that foot during his pre-tournament interviews Tuesday. He admitted that the injury, a cut between his toes, was a concern after last week, when he took a shot to numb the pain but was in pain and opted to withdraw mid-tournament. “The infection was the worrisome part,” Rahm said in his press conference at the U.S. Open on Tuesday. “The infection is now controlled but there’s still swelling and there’s still pain. There’s a reason I walked out here in a shoe and a flip-flop, trying to keep the area dry and trying to get that to heal as soon as possible. “But I can only do what I can do. The human body can only work so fast.” With that in mind and facing the prospect of making the injury worse over four rounds, he announced later Tuesday on social media that he won’t tee it up at Pinehurst No. 2. “After consulting with numerous doctors and my team, I have decided it is best for my long-term health, to withdraw from this week’s U.S. Open Championship,” Rahm wrote on X. “To say I’m disappointed is a massive understatement! I wish all my peers the best of luck and want to thank all of the USGA staff, volunteers and community of Pinehurst for hosting and putting on what I’m sure will be an amazing championship! Hopefully, I'll be back in action sooner than later!”

Jon Rahm, the former world No. 1 who captured the 2021 U.S. Open at Torrey Pines, has withdrawn from the U.S. Open due to injury.

Jon Rahm withdraws from U.S. Open due to injury

It’s a major week within a major week in men’s professional golf. Yes, it’s the U.S. Open at an iconic venue in Pinehurst No. 2 with the third major championship on the men’s side up for grabs. Storylines abound. But a tidy bow will be tied on one of the biggest ones come Sunday night: Who will qualify for the Paris Olympics’ men’s golf competition. This week is the final week to earn Official World Golf Ranking Points, and some of the best players in the world are still jockeying for position. One of those who don’t have to worry about anything is world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, who said he “definitely” wanted to be part of Team USA in a few weeks. “It’d be a nice little thing to be able to trash talk my buddies about when they say golfers aren’t athletes, and I can claim I’m an Olympian,” Scheffler said at the PGA Championship last month. Scheffler is on top of the American standings with this week yet to unfold. Team USA will be the only team that will send four golfers to Paris on the men’s side (teams can send up to four if they have multiple golfers ranked inside the top 15 in the world) with Scheffler, Xander Schauffele (No. 2), Wyndham Clark (No. 4) and Collin Morikawa (No. 7) as the qualifiers heading into Pinehurst. Patrick Cantlay (No. 9) and Max Homa (No. 10) are nipping at Morikawa’s heels, as he is No. 7 in the world. Schauffele is the reigning gold medalist, and his win at the PGA Championship all but secured him a spot on the team. For someone like Homa who is on the outside-looking-in, he didn’t realize how important earning a spot in the Olympics would be until he became&nbsp;thisclose. “As a golfer, I don’t think the Olympics ever feels like a real thing we’re going to do,” Homa said at the PGA Championship, “and then you get a chance, and now I would really like to be a part of that.” With just one event left on the men’s schedule before the Olympic qualifier cut-off, here are some races to keep an eye on this week at Pinehurst No. 2. <h3>Spain comes down to the wire</h3> With Jon Rahm already long locked up the first spot for Spain, it’s down to the wire for the second spot – in the tightest race of any on the men’s side. Jorge Campillo at No. 116 in the world jumped David Puig (at No. 117) last week, but Puig is in the field at Pinehurst and Campillo is not. If Puig finds the weekend, that should just about do it. <h3>Canadians in dead heat for final two spots</h3> The race for Canada’s two spots has come to the wire. Nick Taylor has long held onto one of the spots and sits No. 32 in the world. Adam Hadwin made a hearty leap by finishing solo third last week at the Memorial Tournament presented by Workday and is now No. 35 in the world – holding onto the second spot. But Corey Conners (No. 46), Taylor Pendrith (No. 65), Mackenzie Hughes (No. 66) and even Adam Svensson (No. 89) could make things interesting with another big finish at the U.S. Open. <h3>Great Britain's race tightens</h3> Tommy Fleetwood at No. 13 and Matt Fitzpatrick at No. 16 seemingly have strongholds on the two spots for Great Britain, but Robert MacIntyre (No. 41) and former Olympic medalist Justin Rose (No. 58) are breathing down their necks. Like the Canadian contingent, a massive result from either MacIntyre – who broke through for his first PGA Tour title at the RBC Canadian Open two weeks ago – or Rose – the U.S. Open winner at Merion in 2013 – could change the tide. <h3>South Koreans go neck and neck</h3>

It’s a major week within a major week in men’s professional golf.

Final countdown: Canada’s Olympic horserace among top storylines to follow at Pinehurst

PINEHURST, N.C. – The hats hanging in his home gym are sweat-stained security blankets. They help him remember all the exertion, all the effort, that precedes each round. In those reminders, he finds comfort. “I always remind myself walking to the tee that I'm prepared for this, I did everything I could in order to play well,” Scheffler said. “I checked all the boxes when I step up there on the tee.” Scheffler’s opponents also are thinking about him before their rounds. Golf is an individual pursuit, one where a player cannot directly impact his opponent, but Scheffler has become impossible to ignore. His opponents know that it will require something extra to defeat Scheffler, and in that he has an edge. He arrives at this week’s U.S. Open in the rarest of roles, as the unrivaled No. 1 in the game. His win Sunday at the Memorial Tournament presented by Workday was his fifth in his last eight starts. Even a bad bounce off a tree – and the resulting triple-bogey – couldn’t keep him from winning. He also has two runners-up in that span, and his worst finish is eighth. His wins this season have come in the biggest events and against the best fields of the year; he's won three Signature Events, as well as a second Masters and second PLAYERS in 2024. Professional golfers do not look for role models in the locker room. They are loathe to admit that they look up to a competitor. But Scheffler has set a standard that serves as an inspiration, one they all can aspire to because none have attained it. Even Rory McIlroy, winner of 26 PGA TOUR events including four majors, admitted that he’s never reached Scheffler’s level of extended success. McIlroy won three consecutive starts in 2014, including two majors, but Scheffler’s past two months have been defined by his extended brilliance. “It's just very, very impressive to watch,” said Viktor Hovland, the reigning FedExCup champion. “Definitely makes me work harder and motivates me to get better and try to compete against him.” Since March 1, there have been four Signature Events in addition to the two majors and THE PLAYERS. Scheffler has won five of those seven events. The only exceptions are the Wells Fargo Championship, which was won by McIlroy, and Xander Schauffele’s win at the PGA Championship. “Every week we play, he seems to build a bigger lead, and somehow make the mountain even taller for all of us to climb,” said Schauffele. Scheffler has conquered a wide variety of venues this year, from TPC Sawgrass to Augusta National, Bay Hill and Harbour Town to Muirfield Village. This week’s venue will present an old-school U.S. Open, but in score only. Pinehurst No. 2 is unlike any other U.S. Open course, with raw, rustic native areas lining the fairway instead of thick rough, and tabletop greens that exacerbate even the slightest mistake. It seems to play right into Scheffler’s hands. No one hits the ball better than him, and his short game, developed in childhood contests against PGA TOUR players at Royal Oaks, is an underrated asset. Precision is a prerequisite at Pinehurst, and Scheffler is without peer. He leads the TOUR in Strokes Gained: Approach-the-Green, Greens in Regulation and Proximity to the Hole. He is second in Strokes Gained: Off-the-Tee, second in Driving Accuracy and first in Distance from the Edge of the Fairway, meaning that his misses off the tee are smaller than anyone else. Ranking fourth in Scrambling and 14th in Strokes Gained: Around-the-Green shows his propensity to recover from the rare mistake. He has produced clutch chip-ins and hole-outs in many of his biggest victories. The putting was considered his lone weakness but that has shown pronounced improvement this year. “What I appreciate about this kind of course is a lot of the areas around the greens are all fairway, and so it may be extremely difficult shots, but there's always opportunity,” Scheffler said. That same characteristic will enrage his competition this week as they watch balls slowly pick up steam and roll down steep slopes away from the putting surfaces. Slight misses will be exponentially punished. Mishit chips will roll back to players’ feet. Tiger Woods said some will play ping-pong as they knock shots back and forth across the greens. But where some see Pinehurst’s most frightening trait, Scheffler sees opportunity. It's a testament to his mind, an intangible characteristic. Scheffler’s aim throughout his life is to keep things simple, an approach that is important at the U.S. Open. He tries his hardest to reside in the present, forgetting the past so he can strain ahead unhindered toward his goal. Even after winning the Memorial for the first time, he said the celebration only lasted a matter of minutes. “My mind kind of just goes on to the next thing,” he said. This week, it’s another major. An opportunity to add another achievement to an impressive run. Scheffler has won 11 times since the start of 2022, including two victories apiece at THE PLAYERS and the Masters. And now he seems poised to continue his dominance. He is the biggest favorite at a major since Woods at the 2009 PGA Championship (a tournament that Woods did not win, finishing second to Y.E. Yang). Scheffler said he doesn’t feel a target on his back, however. “I don't really feel it, and I don't really think about it much,” he said.

PINEHURST, N.C. – The hats hanging in his home gym are sweat-stained security blankets. They help him remember all the exertion, all the effort, that precedes each round. In those reminders, he finds comfort.

Scottie Scheffler poised to continue success at U.S. Open

Mike Tirico:&nbsp;So, I played very few times and very briefly as a kid with my mom's brother, my uncle in Queens, New York, at Clearview Golf Club – a New York City public facility. This was in my high school days. Didn't grow up with country club access or a lot of people in the family playing golf. He took me to play a couple of other places over time, but really it was after college in Syracuse that I started playing more and more and fell in love with the game. I'm bitten by the bug. I'm frustrated at what I like to call the “lifetime experiment.” The more I'm around it and the more instruction I hear, listen to and see, my game gets worse. I have this terrible, terrible lot in life that I understand a lot of nuance and I just thirst to hear more nuance of the golf swing, putting stroke, all of this stuff, and I just don't have the athletic ability to match it. It just frustrates the heck out of me. But there might be nothing more enjoyable to me than just to get out for an hour to putt and chip, hit golf balls. That's a solitude that your phone stays off. You're not on a computer, you're working at an individual task, and I can really get lost in it. I love the game. I wish my schedule allowed me to play a little bit more. In an Olympic year like this year, it's a good time to get me on the golf course if you want to make money, but the year after an Olympic year, when I have more time off in the spring and summer and I get to play golf, that's a good time to invite me to member-guests … because then I'll be putting time into my game and playing a little bit more. Our daughter played high school golf and made it to the state finals as an individual, and that was the most nervous parent moment of my life watching her play golf. But it is a thrill to have a game that our whole family can play together and enjoy, and here we are in our 50s and still trying to get better at it and still think that we are one really good lesson away from shaving a couple off the handicap. I love it. I have a taste for it, yearn to be around it. … I just love the familiar faces, familiar places and a sport that really gave me my start as a network sportscaster. I was doing ESPN studio stuff, but my first job as the No. 1 guy in something was 1997 taking over golf at ABC. And that was the door opening for me to have many more opportunities and eternally appreciative to the Curtis Stranges, the Judy Rankins, the Andy Norths of the world who helped me get off to a good start. And without question, that's a part of my love for golf and my enthusiasm for the sport and being around it, too. IGF: Do you ever play golf with any Olympians from other sports? Tirico:&nbsp;That's a good question. We have missed, and we keep trying to do this, trying to play golf with Michael Phelps. He has the bug. He's out all the time. … We have missed each other, but he would be the one that we have this golf date we've been trying to schedule. And he's not as good a golfer as he is a swimmer – he is the best swimmer of all time – and the golf thing, he's pretty damn good. I'd rather have him as my partner than as my opponent. IGF: Where do you play most of your golf? Tirico: I play most of my golf in Michigan. We're fortunate enough to be at a Donald Ross course in Ann Arbor, Barton Hills (Country Club). We also to get to get out to Oakland Hills from time to time as well. So that's the area we live in and get to enjoy. I should also add Northern Michigan, as there's a really cool course – the Belvedere Golf Club in Charlevoix, Michigan. So, I get to enjoy the delight of summer golf in northern Michigan, where you can still play a hole at 9 o'clock at night in July and August. Especially in the summer, I love to just walk, get out there, carry my bag over my shoulders and walk and take just the peaceful couple hours, even enjoy nine quick holes early in the morning or late in an evening in the summer. … If I'm not with the family, then everybody knows exactly where I am in the summer: I'm out there probably on the seventh hole looking for my ball after I've missed the fairway to the right again. IGF: Does your daughter ever beat you? Tirico:&nbsp;Oh, my god, she does. Yes. Absolutely. Proudly. So, I gave up on that a long time ago. … She has long since passed that thrill of beating dad. It's good. Most times we don't keep score, but if we are, I kind of peek over at the scorecards, like, alright, now I've got to start grinding here, these last two or three holes and I can beat her. Which it's just so much fun, man. It's what you love about it.

Editor’s note: As has been the case every Olympics since 2016, Mike Tirico will be the host of NBC’s primetime coverage in Paris this summer. And while he admits that he’s still learning the nuances of one of the newest additions to the rota – break, or break dancing – he can speak with authority on nearly every other sport we’ll see at the Games in August. Golf is one of his passions – both as a player and an announcer – and he took time out from his broadcasting duties at THE PLAYERS Championship in March for this two-part Q and A. To check out part 1, read here.

Q and A with Mike Tirico, part 2: NBC host dishes on passion for golf, favorite courses, playing with Michael Phelps

DUBLIN, Ohio (AP) — Scottie Scheffler had more stress than he wanted Sunday at the Memorial Tournament presented by Workday and got the victory everyone has come to expect. On a Muirfield Village course so demanding only six players broke par, Scheffler had his highest final round in nearly two years at 2-over 74, and it was just enough to hold off Collin Morikawa and win for the fifth time during the 2024 FedExCup Season. Scheffler, who started the final round four shots ahead, never lost the lead. He never felt safe, either, particularly on a back nine where saving par felt like hard work. That's what it took on the 18th hole. He was leading Morikawa by one shot and both hit approach shots that bounced hard and high off the green and into the rough. Both chipped to about 5 feet. Scheffler buried his putt to win, and the force of his fist pump to celebrate showed how tough this day was on him, and practically everybody. Making the day even more special was the handshake with tournament host Jack Nicklaus, and cradling month-old son Bennett at his first PGA TOUR event. “This is a tough place to close out,” Scheffler said. “It was a fun test of golf. I like when it gets this hard. I didn't do a whole lot great today, but I did enough.” Just barely. Morikawa, who played in the final group of both majors this year, holed a 30-foot birdie putt on the par-3 12th hole and stayed on Scheffler's heels the rest of the way. He shot 71, the only one from the final 13 groups to break par. Adam Hadwin was right there with them until closing with three straight bogeys for a 74 to finish alone in third. Scheffler finished at 8-under 280 and won $4 million from this Signature Event and its $20 million purse. That pushes him over $24 million for the year, breaking the PGA TOUR season earnings record — and it's barely June — that he set last year. He also became the first player since Tom Watson in 1980 to have won five times on the PGA TOUR before the U.S. Open. That's next week at Pinehurst No. 2, and Scheffler will go to the U.S. Open as a huge favorite. This was his 11th consecutive tournament with a top 10. Morikawa picked up $2.2 million and now has a big cushion as he tries to sew up the fourth spot for the Americans going to Paris this summer for the Olympics. Hadwin was within one shot of the lead until finishing the front nine with a pair of bogeys. He stayed in the hunt until closing with a pair of bogeys for a 74. Still, his third-place finish moves him ahead of Corey Conners for the second Canadian spot in the Olympics. The Official World Golf Ranking after the U.S. Open determines who goes to Paris. Scheffler had only one birdie — a 10-foot putt on the sixth hole — and he missed two birdie chances inside 10 feet on the back nine that could have provided a cushion. But he made the biggest one on the par-3 16th. Scheffler and Morikawa were both short of the super slick green some 90 feet away. Scheffler used putter and hit it weakly, coming up 15 feet short. Morikawa chipped from the collar and also hit a pedestrian chip some 20 feet short. Morikawa missed his par putt, and Scheffler buried his for a two-shot lead. Scheffler dropped his final shot on the 17th, however, and he was clinging again to a one-shot lead playing the tough 18th that he ended with one last putt. Next up is the so-called toughest test in golf, and players felt like they only just finished with one at Muirfield Village. “You could look at it one of two ways,” Hadwin said. “Either it's good prep for next week or we just got our butts kicked before going into next week.” For Scheffler it's another victory, his 11th of his career and 12th worldwide. He has finished strong to win big or come from behind. He has pulled away when it was tight at the start. This time, he nearly lost a four-shot lead.

DUBLIN, Ohio (AP) — Scottie Scheffler had more stress than he wanted Sunday at the Memorial Tournament presented by Workday and got the victory everyone has come to expect.

Scottie Scheffler picks up fifth victory of season at the Memorial Tournament presented by Workday

Collin Morikawa finished three strokes clear of anyone not named Scottie Scheffler at the Memorial Tournament presented by Workday, an event he has done everything but win. Yet for Morikawa, the game’s hottest player clipped him by a stroke in a spirited Sunday duel at one of the season’s toughest tests in central Ohio. It wasn’t for lack of effort, as Morikawa closed with a 1-under 71 at Muirfield Village for a solo second finish at 7-under, as the venue provided one of the season’s toughest tests on a firm, fast Sunday at the 49th edition of the Signature Event hosted by Jack Nicklaus. (Just six players broke par on Sunday, none better than 3-under.) Morikawa trailed Scheffler by four strokes into the final round but refused to fold, as epitomized by a 32-foot birdie at the par-3 12th to pull within a stroke as his playing partner Scheffler missed from 9 feet. Morikawa couldn’t pull closer, though, falling two behind with a bogey at No. 16; the Californian drew within one as Scheffler made bogey on No. 17, but the world No. 1 got up-and-down for par at the 72nd hole with a 5-footer to seal the victory. Nonetheless, there are plenty of silver linings for Morikawa, who moves from sixth to fourth on the FedExCup standings, further solidifying his ascent to form in recent months – which has correlated&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.pgatour.com/article/news/latest/2024/05/09/return-to-longtime-coach-has-spurred-collin-morikawa-recent-run-wells-fargo-championship-quail-hollow">with a return to longtime swing coach Rick Sessinghaus</a>&nbsp;(after a stint with Mark Blackburn). Morikawa, 27, has credited an uncluttered mind for his success of late; he finished third at the Masters and fourth at the PGA Championship, and he added a fourth-place showing at the Charles Schwab Challenge between the PGA and the Memorial. “I would love to be on the opposite end of this,” said Morikawa, who has yet to win this season. “I've done it before, so it's not like I'm trying to learn how to close out a Sunday round … It's a lot of fun, obviously, being in these final rounds and being in these final groupings. I haven't seen it for quite some time and to kind of have this two-month stretch so far, it's been a lot of fun.” Not only has Morikawa now finished runner-up twice at the Memorial (also in 2021, falling to Patrick Cantlay in a playoff), but he’s also a winner at Muirfield Village, having defeated Justin Thomas in a playoff at the 2020 Workday Charity Open, which was played a week prior to the Memorial as a fill-in event shortly after the COVID-19 pandemic hiatus. All he’s missing is the winner’s handshake with tournament host Jack Nicklaus that commemorates the Memorial’s champion. Morikawa clearly has the game to compete around here; the six-time TOUR winner (including two majors) is long regarded as an elite ball-striker, as evidenced by his well-rounded tee-to-green numbers this week (fourth in both Strokes Gained: Off-the-Tee and Strokes Gained: Approach the Green). As several contenders faded with scores in the mid-to-high 70s on Sunday (the field averaged 74.943 on the par-72 layout), Morikawa steadily pulled away from everyone aside from Scheffler, who has now won five times in his last eight starts, becoming the first player since Tom Watson in 1980 to win earn five TOUR titles before the U.S. Open. “It’s just tough golf,” Morikawa said of Muirfield Village. “You just have to hit good shots and that's what a great golf course is and that's why I've loved this golf course since I've set foot here.”

Horse for course, who won 2020 Workday Charity Open at Muirfield Village, earns second runner-up at the Memorial

Collin Morikawa does everything but beat Scottie Scheffler at the Memorial Tournament presented by Workday

DUBLIN, Ohio (AP) — Scottie Scheffler hit out of a bunker over the green and into the water. He hit a tee shot over a boundary fence and made a triple bogey. He three-putted his last hole. All that, and he posted a 1-under 71 and increased his lead Saturday in the Memorial. In his final start before the U.S. Open, Scheffler seized control despite a couple of blunders on a tough Muirfield Village Golf Club course. He still built a four-shot lead, moving closer to his fifth PGA TOUR victory of the year. Scheffler was at 10-under 206, four shots ahead of Collin Morikawa, who played bogey-free for a 68, and Adam Hadwin, who made all his mistakes on one hole and shot 72. Scheffler answered with a birdie after both of his penalty shots, and Muirfield was tough enough that he never fell out of the lead, even after the triple bogey. “Did a good job resetting and bouncing back,” Scheffler said. “Had the nice birdie on 10 and 12 and did a good job kind of staying in the round today.” Morikawa will be in the final group with Scheffler, just as he was at the Masters. He is a past champion at Muirfield Village in 2020 (Workday Charity Open). “I'm still going to have to go out and shoot a really good score tomorrow,” Morikawa said. “But this course bites. You might look at some of these holes as birdie opportunities, but you miss the fairway, you're going to try to save par.” Scheffler can appreciate that. Starting with a three-shot lead, he made two quick birdies and already was starting to pull away until his second shot to the par-5 fifth strayed right into a bunker, leaving him 45 yards over another bunker and across the green to the pin. “Just caught it a little thin,” he said, and the ball went a long way — over the green, over the rough and into the creek on the fly. He made an 8-foot putt just to save bogey, and with Hadwin holing a 30-foot eagle putt, the lead was down to two. On the next hole, Scheffler was in a fairway bunker and hit pitching wedge over the water to 7 feet in front of a pin on a crown, making birdie. The real trouble came on No. 9 when Scheffler pulled his tee shot and it struck a tree so hard that it ricocheted straight left, over a fence and out-of-bounds. He reloaded and hit the next shot into the right rough, with a tall tree blocking his path to a back right pin. “Seemed like an unnecessary risk,” he said of going under a smaller tree in front and over the big one. He laid up into the first cut, chased a wedge back to 15 feet and missed the putt. That left him tied with Hadwin, but only as long as it took Scheffler to hit an 8-iron to a back pin on the 10th hole for birdie, and he was on his way. He also picked up a birdie on the scary par-3 12th over water, a shot made difficult by the gusting wind, and his lead was back to five shots with a birdie on the par-5 15th. Hadwin stayed in range until he caught a wedge so fat it didn't reach the green on the 14th. He pitched on to about 15 feet and three-putted for double bogey. The bogey on the 18th was his only other mistake. Defending champion Viktor Hovland also was lingering in range until an atrocious back nine that started with a shot in the water on the par-5 11th led to bogey. He went long on the 12th for bogey, short on the 13th for bogey and long into the back bunker on the 14th for bogey. Hovland then put his tee shot into the water on the par-3 16th for a triple bogey, shot 42 on the back nine and found himself nine shots out of the lead. Rory McIlroy, who had a 73 and was eight back. This is Scheffler's tournament now, though he still has to face a Muirfield Village course that is getting drier and windier and harder. Scheffler has four wins this year, but he has never gone into the final round leading by more than one.

DUBLIN, Ohio (AP) — Scottie Scheffler hit out of a bunker over the green and into the water. He hit a tee shot over a boundary fence and made a triple bogey. He three-putted his last hole. All that, and he posted a 1-under 71 and increased his lead Saturday in the Memorial.

Adam Hadwin, Collin Morikawa among pack chasing heading into Sunday at the Memorial Tournament presented by Workday

DUBLIN, Ohio – It’s a testament to Scottie Scheffler that one poor shot is somehow&nbsp;more&nbsp;surprising than a string of phenomenal ones, but that’s the air the runaway world No. 1 currently occupies. Excellence is expected, anything else is unusual. It was shocking to see Scheffler blade a greenside bunker shot into the water on the par-5 fifth hole on Saturday at Muirfield Village and make bogey. It was even more confounding to watch him blow his tee shot out of bounds on the ninth and make triple bogey. Yet, when Scheffler picked up his ball out of the cup on the 18th green for a closing bogey, he still held a four-shot lead at the Memorial Tournament presented by Workday, firmly in pole position for his fifth victory this season. That surprised nobody. Scheffler flirted with danger for much of the third round, hitting errant shots uncharacteristic of his recent form. But he snatched it right back whenever it seemed as if he relinquished control. Scheffler leads the PGA TOUR in bounce-back percentage and needed every bit of that ability. He shot 1-under 71 and followed each of his bogeys (the 18th, notwithstanding) with a birdie. “Obviously, I wish I could have 18 back, but overall I think I played pretty solid," Scheffler said. "Just got a couple bad breaks and it's going to happen around this golf course. I mean, the golf course is really challenging.” Unnerving but effective, Scheffler managed his way around a difficult Muirfield Village Golf Club that played more than a shot over par on Saturday. There were 24 double bogeys and five triple bogeys or worse. Schefler made one of those five, but he’s the only golfer in the field to card three consecutive under-par rounds. With a victory, Scheffler would be the first to win five times in a season since Justin Thomas in 2016-17. They’ve come at the best events on the PGA TOUR – one major and four Signature Events. His lead in the FedExCup and Official World Golf Ranking were practically insurmountable before this week and will be regardless of what transpires in the final round. Scheffler has a chance to bring his year full circle if he closes the deal on Sunday. At last year’s Memorial, Scheffler’s putting was put under the microscope. Scheffler had the second-best ball striking performance of anyone in the previous 20 years on the PGA TOUR, gaining 20.7 strokes over the field from tee to green. Yet he finished one shot behind winner Viktor Hovland. Why? Scheffler lost 8.5 shots to the field putting. This year? Scheffler has gained more than three strokes on the green through three rounds. It’s the story of Scheffler’s 2024. The putting inhibited the Texan from truly breaking through last year, but the switch to a mallet putter, combined with his work with Phil Kenyon, has eliminated the only weakness from Scheffler’s game. That improvement, alongside his consistently superb iron play, has carried him this season and on Saturday. Scheffler made birdies at the second and third holes, sticking his approach just inside eight feet on both occasions. He was flawless with his first four approach shots before he blasted his second shot into a greenside bunker on the fifth hole. That’s where Scheffler’s first mistake came. He bladed the shot over the green and into the water. He did well to save a bogey, holing an 8-footer to relinquish just one shot. He regained the shot quickly, stuffing his approach from a fairway bunker to seven feet on the par-4 sixth. On the narrow ninth hole, Scheffler pulled his tee shot left, and the ball bounced off a tree and out of bounds, leading to a triple bogey. He stepped on the 10th tee, ripped a drive straight down the fairway, carved his approach to 9 feet and sunk the putt. Scheffler added birdies at 12 and 15 before three-putting the 18th green, his first three-putt in 154 holes, for a bogey. That dropped his lead to four shots, with Adam Hadwin, Collin Morikawa and Sepp Straka chasing at 6-under. Scheffler will be paired with Morikawa, a repeat of the final pairing at this year’s Masters. Plenty of golfers have overcome similar margins to win, but it’s hard to imagine Scheffler falling back to the field. Saturday is evidence. “I don't know if I have a chance tomorrow,” said Hadwin, searching for his win in seven years. “You know, you give four shots to the best player in the world, it's kind of difficult.” “If Scottie does what Scottie does, it's hard to beat him,” Straka said.

DUBLIN, Ohio – It’s a testament to Scottie Scheffler that one poor shot is somehow more surprising than a string of phenomenal ones, but that’s the air the runaway world No. 1 currently occupies. Excellence is expected, anything else is unusual.

Scottie Scheffler overcomes triple bogey at Muirfield Village, positioned for fifth victory of season

DUBLIN, Ohio – Call it. Scottie Scheffler is winning the Memorial Tournament presented by Workday. Sorry to those of you who didn’t bet on the world No. 1 to this point, but his second-round 4-under 68 moved him to 9-under and into a three-shot lead at Muirfield Village Golf Club. Scheffler is three clear of defending champion and FedExCup champion Viktor Hovland (69) and Canadian Adam Hadwin (72) who share second at 6-under. Christiaan Bezuidenhout (67) and Keegan Bradley (69) sit 5-under with Ludvig Åberg in sixth alone at 4-under. For a brief moment or two on the back nine Friday, Scheffler appeared to be in a charitable mood for the field, dropping shots at the 11th and 13th holes. But just as others had hope, he slammed their confidence with a sensational eagle at the par-5 15th and a sublime birdie from a fairway bunker on the tough par-4 18th. Honestly, I don’t see anyone else winning from here so I cannot advocate bets in the outright market, but, good news, there are still markets for winners without Scottie Scheffler and of course place market bets we can look at. Here are the latest outright odds from BetMGM Sportsbook. <ul><li>-190: Scottie Scheffler</li>,<li>+650: Viktor Hovland</li>,<li>+1600: Xander Schauffele</li>,<li>+2000: Ludvig Åberg, Rory McIlroy</li>,<li>+2500: Adam Hadwin, Keegan Bradley</li>,<li>+3000: Christiaan Bezuidenhout</li>,<li>+3500: Collin Morikawa</li></ul> As you can see, Scheffler is probably too short to bet now, because as we have seen in the past, anything can happen in golf. But there is also no real value in anyone else either. But here are the latest Winner without Scottie Scheffler odds from BetMGM Sportsbook. <ul><li>+350: Viktor Hovland</li>,<li>+800: Xander Schauffele, Rory McIlroy</li>,<li>+900: Ludvig Åberg</li>,<li>+1000: Adam Hadwin</li>,<li>+1400: Christiaan Bezuidenhout, Keegan Bradley, Collin Morikawa</li>,<li>+2000: Tony Finau</li></ul> <h3>Draws</h3> Viktor Hovland (+350 Winner without Scottie Scheffler) When play ended on Friday Hovland was +400 in this market and astute bettors jumped on, moving his price to +350. But I am still ready to advocate the defending Memorial champion to finish higher than anyone not named Scheffler. Hovland is ranked second in Par-5 Scoring this week and in Strokes Gained: Tee-to-Green. He is third in GIR plus Proximity and SG: Approach and is fifth in SG: Off-the-Tee. He is also gaining on the field in SG: Putting. Ludvig Åberg Top 5 (+175 at DraftKings and FanDuel) The young Swede sits just outside the top five on the leaderboard at the halfway point and has done so without his best off the tee. I expect him to lift his game in this sense over the weekend and maintain the rage elsewhere. Currently he ranks inside the top 15 in SG: Tee-to-Green, Putting and Around-the-Green. Akshay Bhatia Top 5 (+650 at DraftKings and FanDuel) If you want a shot at higher odds what about Bhatia for a top five. Only two late bogeys on the tough finishing holes on Friday moved him outside the top five and the recent TOUR winner sits inside the top 26 on all Strokes Gained metrics this week, led by being third off-the-tee. He leads the field in Par-3 Scoring and hasn’t had a three-putt. <h3>Fade</h3> Rory McIlroy (+800 Winner without Scheffler)

DUBLIN, Ohio – Call it. Scottie Scheffler is winning the Memorial Tournament presented by Workday.

Draws and Fades: Scheffler procession in the cards at Muirfield Village

DUBLIN, Ohio — Masters champion Scottie Scheffler is only making it look easy right now. It didn't feel that way Friday on a firm course in gusty wind, where he finished strong for a 4-under 68 to go from a tie to a three-shot lead in the Memorial Tournament presented by Workday. Scheffler hit a 3-iron into the wind that narrowly cleared the bunker and rode the slope to 8 feet for eagle on the par-5 15th, and he closed with two solid par saves and a shot from a fairway bunker to 12 feet for birdie on the last to build some separation. He was at 9-under 135, three shots ahead of Viktor Hovland and Adam Hadwin, chasing another $4 million prize against a suddenly smaller field. The Memorial is the seventh of eight Signature Events this season, and one of the three tournaments with player hosts — the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard, The Genesis Invitational (Tiger Woods) and the Memorial (Jack Nicklaus) —&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.pgatour.com/article/news/latest/2024/06/07/justin-rose-rickie-fowler-jordan-spieth-miss-cut-at-the-memorial-tournament-presented-by-workday-muirfield">to have a 36-hole cut to top 50 and ties as well as any player within 10 strokes of the lead</a>. That sent home 22 players, a list that includes Jordan Spieth, U.S. Open champion Wyndham Clark, Patrick Cantlay and Rickie Fowler, who had to play the final eight holes in even par to post an 82. And then there was Scheffler, rarely getting into trouble until a rough patch early on the back nine when the wind was at his strongest, eventually regaining those lost strokes. “I really just love competing out here, and I don't really think about whether or not it's easy or hard,” Scheffler said. “And some days I play good and some days I don't. And outside of that, I'm just out here trying to compete.” Hovland's confidence is building every round, and he played bogey-free on the back nine of Muirfield Village, no small feat. He finished with a shot from 181 yards into 2 feet for birdie. Hadwin played in the morning when the wind wasn't quite so strong, but it didn't take much. The Canadian was at 8-under for the tournament until he drove into a bunker on the 17th, could only advance it back to the fairway, found the deep bunker short of the green and wound up with a double bogey. Asked how to gauge the wind, Hadwin said, “I'll be shocked if any other player said it was anything other than a guess.” “That's all we're doing. It's just educated guessing, really,” he said. “You try and control the ball flight to limit the amount the wind will affect it. That's probably one of the biggest things that we can do out here.” And with a dry forecast to get the Muirfield Village course even firmer, it most likely will only get more difficult on the weekend. Christiaan Bezuidenhout of South Africa had the low round of the day at 67 and was four shots behind, along with Keegan Bradley (69). Ludvig Åberg, who spent two days watching Scheffler put on another clinic, shot 72 and was five back. “He's playing very, very good golf and it doesn’t look very difficult when he’s playing,” Åberg said. “But all I can do is try to keep up and make sure I’m not too far behind, I guess.” Åberg holed a bunker shot on the 17th, the ball smacking off the pin, coming back out and then dropping into the cup. He bogeyed the final hole. PGA champion Xander Schauffele holed out a bunker shot for birdie after a wild 14th hole, one of the few bright spots in his 73 that put him six behind, along with Rory McIlroy (71). It was a good two days for those on the U.S. Open alternate list. Lee Hodges, in a tie for 20th, was the only player from the top 28 on the leaderboard who is not already in Pinehurst No. 2 next week. Five U.S. Open spots are being held for late qualifiers. For Hadwin,&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.pgatour.com/article/news/latest/2024/06/07/adam-hadwin-corey-conners-battling-for-olympic-bid-at-the-memorial-tournament-presented-by-workday-muirfield">he is in a tight race with Corey Conners for the final Olympic spot</a>&nbsp;for Canada. That will be decided after the U.S. Open. That's a lot to take in. “I am going to do my best to try and win a golf tournament. That's it. That's my sole focus,” Hadwin said.

DUBLIN, Ohio — Masters champion Scottie Scheffler is only making it look easy right now. It didn't feel that way Friday on a firm course in gusty wind, where he finished strong for a 4-under 68 to go from a tie to a three-shot lead in the Memorial Tournament presented by Workday.

Scottie Scheffler takes three-shot lead with big finish at the Memorial presented by Workday

There’s a limited field at the Memorial Tournament presented by Workday, but not everyone is guaranteed to make the weekend. Reigning major champs Brian Harman and Wyndham Clark are among those sweating the cut line into Friday at Muirfield Village. The Memorial will have a 36-hole cut to the top 50 players and ties, in addition to any players within 10 strokes of the 36-hole lead. (New in 2024, this cut rule is utilized for three player-hosted invitationals: The Genesis Invitational, Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard, and the Memorial.) After Thursday’s opening round, the top 50 and ties projects at 3-over 75 (with 54 players at 3-over or better), but with leader Adam Hadwin at 6-under 66, the cut would fall at 4-over 76 – per the 10-shot rule. Clark and Harman each opened in 5-over 77, meaning a weekend tee time in central Ohio is no given. The 73-player field at the season’s seventh of eight Signature Events was greeted with stern conditions Thursday, which are expected to grow tougher on a dry Friday at Muirfield Village. Clark stood even-par through seven holes on Thursday but made five bogeys and six pars in his last 11 holes. Harman made three bogeys and a double bogey (No. 12) in his first round, failing to record a birdie. Players on the projected cut line (4-over) into Friday’s second round are Denny McCarthy (last year’s runner-up to Viktor Hovland), Rickie Fowler, Ben Griffin, Sungjae Im, Cameron Young, Harris English and Kurt Kitayama. (As the cut line currently projects, 61 of 73 players in the field would make the 36-hole cut.)

There’s a limited field at the Memorial Tournament presented by Workday, but not everyone is guaranteed to make the weekend. Reigning major champs Brian Harman and Wyndham Clark are among those sweating the cut line into Friday at Muirfield Village.

How does the cut work at the Memorial Tournament presented by Workday?

DUBLIN, Ohio – After overnight storms softened the grounds at Muirfield Village Golf Club, fans may have expected the field at the Memorial Tournament presented by Workday to tear into Jack’s Place. Instead, it bit back. Winds kicked up in the middle of the opening round, and thick rough combined with slick greens meant double bogey was never far from reach. The high scores piled up – including reigning major winners Wyndham Clark and Brian Harman, who each will have to battle simply to make the cut after opening with 5-over 77. Scottie Scheffler played well, because Scottie Scheffler is inevitable, and sits one shot back at 5-under. The Canadian contingent made an early move, highlighted by Adam Hadwin who leads despite a bogey on No. 18. On the odds board, the biggest story is – surprise, surprise – Scheffler, whose price has only shortened from his +360 opener at BetMGM Sportsbook. Updated odds to win the Memorial Tournament (via BetMGM) <ul><li>+188:&nbsp;Scottie Scheffler (5-under)</li>,<li>+550:&nbsp;Xander Schauffele (4-under)</li>,<li>+700:&nbsp;Collin Morikawa (4-under)</li>,<li>+1100:&nbsp;Rory McIlroy (2-under)</li>,<li>+1200:&nbsp;Ludvig Åberg (4-under), Viktor Hovland (3-under)</li>,<li>+2000:&nbsp;Tommy Fleetwood (3-under)</li>,<li>+2200:&nbsp;Adam Hadwin (6-under), Corey Conners (5-under)</li></ul> For me, the updated price on Scheffler is too short – but the game is too good to put him on the Fade list. Instead, here’s a look at the players I’m looking to invest in after the opening round, as well as two big names who might be mispriced heading into Friday: <h3>Draws</h3> Ludvig Åberg (+1200) The Swede lost a little steam following his runner-up at the Masters, as a balky knee led to his withdrawal at the Wells Fargo Championship and slowed him at Valhalla. But he showed no signs of discomfort Thursday at Muirfield Village, barely breaking a sweat en route to a 4-under 68. “My knee feels good,” Åberg said. “It’s good to be back. You kind of miss it when you’re not playing.” Åberg was solid in every facet on Thursday, sitting second in the field in SG: Putting and seventh in SG: Off-the-Tee. He followed his lone bogey of the day on No. 12 with birdies on each of the next three holes to briefly hold a share of the lead. With Scheffler still weighing down the odds board, it’s an opportunity to buy in on the Swede at a number that’s not far off his +1600 opener at BetMGM this week. Tom Kim (+5000) There’s a strong likelihood that one of the big names among the 11 players at 3-under or better will eventually get the coveted handshake from tournament host Jack Nicklaus. But if I’m looking for a high-priced in-play option, Kim has my attention after a 2-under 70 that featured some really strong ball-striking. Kim missed only two fairways and was in the top 5 in the field in both SG: Off-the-Tee and SG: Tee-to-Green. He spent most of the day in red figures despite losing ground on the greens. He’ll need that putter to heat up, but those ball-striking numbers are very promising for a player who usually doesn’t count putting as a weak spot. The combination of price and tee-to-green control make him an intriguing in-play option. <h3>Fades</h3> Xander Schauffele (+550) While speaking to the media, the newest major champion had one eye on the door a few yards beyond the microphone. “I’m going to the range after this,” he said. “(Try to) hit the center of the club face a little more, find some more fairways and some more greens.” Some of it was tongue-in-cheek, this coming from a guy who said he shot “in the 40s” for nine holes earlier in the week, but the numbers belie the fact that Schauffele’s score was better than his performance. He led the field in SG: Putting, which made up for a lot of tee-to-green misses. At 4 under he’s two shots back amid a crowded (and star-studded) leaderboard. “I’m happy with how I played, with how I stuck in there,” he said. “Really happy my short game bailed me out on a day that could have been a lot worse.” There’s plenty of reason to smile among the Schauffele camp, but this is still an awfully short price for someone who will be taking on a ton of money from casual bettors given his post-PGA rise in profile. He’ll work out the ball-striking in due time, but with the U.S. Open on deck I’m not sold that Schauffele will follow his maiden major with another win this week. Rory McIlroy (+1100) McIlroy brought his round back off the rails on the back nine, but all that did was overly shorten his price in a week when consistency will be key. The Ulsterman seemed lost for much of the day, with the low point coming when a wayward drive led to bogey on No. 11 and was followed by a double on the par-3 12th.

DUBLIN, Ohio – After overnight storms softened the grounds at Muirfield Village Golf Club, fans may have expected the field at the Memorial Tournament presented by Workday to tear into Jack’s Place. Instead, it bit back.

Draws and Fades: Ludvig Åberg stands out from loaded leaderboard at the Memorial presented by Workday

DUBLIN, Ohio — Adam Hadwin had too many birdies to complain about ending his round at the Memorial on a sour note Thursday. His 6-under 66 was enough to lead Masters champion Scottie Scheffler by one shot and give the Canadian hope he is turning the corner at the right time. Hadwin was among the few who conquered a Muirfield Village Golf Club course that was soft from rain but no less punishing. He birdied four of five holes toward the end of the first round — after four birdies on the front nine — until missing a 5-foot par putt on the tough 18th. For Scheffler and PGA champion Xander Schauffele, it was more of the same. Scheffler opened with two birdies in four holes — he missed birdie chances from 6 feet and 8 feet on the other two — and was humming along until a big clump of mud slowed him on the par-5 fifth hole and led to bogey. Schauffele returned for the first time since winning his first major at the PGA Championship. His game felt scrappy from tee to green. His round was saved by his putter.&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.pgatour.com/article/news/latest/2024/06/06/a-freed-up-xander-schauffele-rides-a-hot-putter-in-first-round-since-pga-championship-victory">Schauffele somehow managed a bogey-free 68</a>&nbsp;to get right in the mix. “I'm going to go to the range and hit the center of the clubface a little more, find some more fairways and greens,” he said. “I'm happy. I'm happy with how I stuck in there and really happy my short game bailed me out on a day that could have been a lot worse.” Corey Conners, Collin Morikawa and Ludvig Åberg also were at 68, with defending champion Viktor Hovland among those at 69. Hadwin and Conners are coming off the RBC Canadian Open, and it's an important time of the year with only two weeks before the 60-man field for&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.pgatour.com/article/news/olympic-golf/2024/06/06/olympic-golf-rankings-update-collin-morikawa-continues-late-surge-olympics-paris-2024-le-golf-national">the Olympics is finalized</a>. Each country gets two players (a maximum of four if they're in the top 15). Hadwin hasn't finished in the top 40 since late March, and his world ranking has dropped from No. 44 to No. 59. Conners is at No. 45, while Taylor Pendrith and Mackenzie Hughes are right behind him at Nos. 64 and 65 (WM Phoenix Open winner Nick Taylor has the first spot sewn up). “Over the last month I've probably played my way ... not out of the conversation, but certainly out of a good position to be in,” Hadwin said. “So coming into this week, I know the questions are always going to be there, but I think for me in particular, it was very important this week to get into the process.” Scheffler has been in the process for what seems like forever. He already is a four-time winner this year, including another Masters title. He never seems to miss a shot. But after splitting the middle of the fairway on the 535-yard fifth hole, Scheffler looked down to see a large clump of mud on the top and to the right of his golf ball. It was enough to consider laying up, except a creek runs down the middle toward the green, and he had no idea which direction the ball was going with so much mud on it. “Hindsight, maybe I could have aimed it down the middle of the creek and just see where it would have went and maybe it goes in one of the fairways,” he said. “But at the time, that didn't really seem like a good idea.” So he went for the green and watched it fly 60 yards left of where he wanted — left of the green, left of the water, left of a red hazard line that rarely comes into a play on a hill. He hacked out of high grass back over the water and over the green, leaving a chip to a tight pin and a green running away from him. He delicately got that to the fringe and made bogey on the easiest hole of the day. The rest of the round was solid, as usual, ending with an approach to a foot at the 18th, which played as the hardest hole of the opening round. Schauffele was bogey-free and he's not sure how. His biggest scare also came at the fifth with a mud ball of his own. This sailed right on him into a bunker, requiring a shot over another bunker to a tight pin. The sand was wet, Schauffele caught too much ball and watched it disappeared over the green. That's where more water awaits. “When the ball was in the air, I closed my eyes,” he said. “I wouldn't call myself religious, but I was hoping that thing was going to be OK.” He came up short of the water and managed to get up-and-down for par by making an 8-foot putt. He took care of the other par 5s with birdies, added another with a 30-foot putt on the par-3 fourth and only minorly perturbed by missing an 8-foot birdie chance at the end. “If I didn’t make some of the putts I needed to today, it would have been like a 2 over probably, or worse,” Schauffele said.

DUBLIN, Ohio — Adam Hadwin had too many birdies to complain about ending his round at the Memorial on a sour note Thursday. His 6-under 66 was enough to lead Masters champion Scottie Scheffler by one shot and give the Canadian hope he is turning the corner at the right time.

Scottie Scheffler shakes off mud for 67, trails Adam Hadwin by one at the Memorial presented by Workday

We've spoken about it recently and we're really smack-dab in the middle of a tremendous stretch right now. This week it’s off to Muirfield Village in Ohio for the Memorial Tournament presented by Workday for another Signature Event once again leading up to a major championship, which will be followed by yet another Signature Event, the Travelers Championship. Personally, I am very much enjoying this run of high-profile golf. But how about the oddsmakers? "Very good handle this week," said Thomas Gable, Director of Race and Sports at The Borgata in New Jersey. Timing is everything and the PGA TOUR's move to place Signature Events adjacent to majors provides a great boost in interest - and that carries over to the betting window. "Golf handle continues to pick up," said long-time sportsbook operations manager in Las Vegas, Jeffrey Benson. "The Signature Events and major championships are tremendous for business." Hall of Fame bookmaker Chris Andrews has noticed it long-term. "Golf handle is good. We're up 22% versus last year." Interest for Scottie Scheffler continues this week as he returns to action at the Memorial where he has finished third two years in a row. "Scheffler, despite the short price at +350, is taking a lot of action in the outright market," noted Gable. BetMGM Senior Data Analyst Drew O'Dell adds, "Scheffler is No. 1 at BetMGM in ticket count percentage and is our largest liability. He is responsible for 30.4% of the handle." From speaking to multiple oddsmakers, it’s clear that there is action piling up on Scheffler and Xander Schauffele, as the latter makes his first start as a major champion. But there’s also plenty of attention on Collin Morikawa, who continues to round into form. “A lot of love for Collin Morikawa outright,” said Jeff Sherman, whose shop lists Scheffler, Schauffele and Morikawa among its most-bet players. “The sharps are on Andrew Putnam at a triple-digit price." "Keegan Bradley has some support in the outright market, including one large wager in particular,” added Sherman’s boss, Jay Kornegay. “We've also seen some fliers on Will Zalatoris. Other long shots getting attention are Eric Cole, Cam Davis and Jake Knapp." Last week here in the Prop Farm, we spoke about trying to find "diamonds in the rough." It did not work out for me personally, as Robert MacIntyre was unfortunately not a part of my harvest. It appears this week however, I am in the minority once again. Morikawa is absolutely intriguing this week, with the way he has been playing lately and his affinity for Jack Nicklaus-designed golf courses - but I ended up staying away from him - as well as Scheffler, McIlroy, Schauffele, and Hovland. The shortest-priced player I landed on for an outright win was Russell Henley (+4000 at BetMGM Sportsbook). From here I went with even longer shots, playing Sam Burns (+4500), Bradley (+5000), Alex Noren (+5500), Shane Lowry (+5500), Tom Hoge (+8000) and Kurt Kitayama (+10000). While I looked at a number of different metrics this week in my handicap this week, I honed in on three particular skill sets: Strokes Gained: Approach, Scoring on par 4s ranging from 450-500 yards, and Scrambling. Each of my selections, for the most part, excels in these areas. I rarely play the First Round Leader market, although my last trip down that road was with Schauffele at the PGA Championship for a winner, when the San Diego State Aztec opened with a 62 at Valhalla. Again, with golf riding an elevated wave, I too contributed to the overall increased handle and tried my hand in the First Round Leader market again this week. I took four of my outright selections to get off to a hot start: Burns, Henley, Hoge and Noren. In handicapping this market, I like to look at SG: Approach, Birdie Percentage, Bogey Avoidance, First Round Scoring Average and SG: Putting. Each of these players fares well in these areas. "Hideki Matsuyama (+3300) has taken some action for First Round Leader," said Gable. Matsuyama is a former champion here, winning in 2014. O'Dell reported that a familiar name is at the top of the heap of tickets once again. "Scheffler leads the ticket count percentage for First Round Leader at 10.3%,” said O’Dell. "He is followed by Schaufflee (6.5%), Hovland (5.0%), Byeong Hun An (4.6%) and McIlroy (4.3%)," O'Dell continued. Here in Las Vegas, I played Tommy Fleetwood (+100) over Justin Thomas in a head-to-head matchup – and it's reassuring to know that the man behind the counter supports that position. "I don't have that matchup posted but I can't argue with the number you got. I would have taken it too!," exclaimed Gable. Finally, I had to consult a professional on our side of the window, Rufus Peabody. Peabody has been a successful sports bettor for years, and when I asked if the fan in him gets caught up in this run of marquee events and if his betting patterns change at all - or if his volume increases, Peabody offered a yes and a no. "The markets get bigger with the bigger events and the offerings increase - the menu, so yes, so too does our volume oftentimes,” Peabody said. “But the process does not change. We aren't stretching more bets just because it is a Signature Event." Peabody’s positions this week include Scheffler, Schauffele and McIlroy – but a casual bettor must understand that Peabody is all about the number. "I make Schauffele +900 to win this week and I was able to find something higher than that, so we took a little of it,” he said. “Same with McIlroy, who I make around +1100 and Scheffler, who my number is +380 to win it this week. If I'm able to find a better price, we'll grab some." What about some of the longer shots this week? "I like Bradley. I think Sam Burns is a good bet at the right price and we played some Kitayama too,” Peabody said after hearing some of my selections. “He has a great ball flight for this course. This is a good high ball flight course - and Bradley hits one of the highest balls in this week's field.” When I asked if there were any prop bets or head-to-head matchups that he was especially keen on this week, Peabody gave very much the professional bettor answer. "Sure we have some matchup bets, but the prices have moved now and they no longer provide an edge according to my numbers,” said Peabody. “It is not necessarily liking Player A to beat Player B - but rather, Player A at a certain price over Player B makes good betting sense.”

We've spoken about it recently and we're really smack-dab in the middle of a tremendous stretch right now. This week it’s off to Muirfield Village in Ohio for the Memorial Tournament presented by Workday for another Signature Event once again leading up to a major championship, which will be followed by yet another Signature Event, the Travelers Championship.

Prop Farm: Collin Morikawa drawing plenty of attention from sharps, oddsmakers at the Memorial

&nbsp; Justin Thomas is fueled up with a new Scotty Cameron prototype at the 2024 Memorial Tournament after meeting up with Gordon Sargent – the&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.wagr.com/">No. 1 ranked amateur golfer</a>&nbsp;in the world – at a local gas station.&nbsp;&nbsp; Here's how it all went down. Since 2016, Thomas has mostly been a mallet putter user. He had a brief stint at the 2023 Sentry Tournament of Champions with a&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.golfwrx.com/732704/justin-thomas-witb-2024-february/?utm_source=pgatour&amp;utm_medium=article&amp;utm_campaign=textlink">Scotty Cameron blade putter</a>&nbsp;he used&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.pgatour.com/article/news/equipment-report/2023/01/05/justin-thomas-using-scotty-cameron-putter-owned-since-middle-school-clubs-equipment-titleist">back in high school</a>, but aside from that, Thomas has favored Scotty Cameron’s dual-winged X5 Tour and T5 Proto head models. Recently, however, Thomas was texting with Paul Vizanko (Director of Scotty Cameron Putter Fitting and Player Development), and Thomas explained what he was thinking, seeing and feeling on the putting greens of late. Thomas is currently ranked 159th in Strokes Gained: Putting on the PGA TOUR, so maybe it was time for a change. After hearing Thomas’ thought processes, Vizanko suggested that Thomas might actually like a custom putter build that he previously made for Sargent. Sargent is entering his Senior year at Vanderbilt University, but he’s no ordinary college student. He’s currently the No. 1-ranked Men’s amateur golfer in the world according to the World Amateur Golf Rankings, and he’s already competed in four PGA TOUR events, including the 2023 Masters and the 2023 U.S. Open. He also won the 2022 Men’s Division I Individual Championship. Thomas, who says he has gotten to know Sargent in recent years, reached out to Sargent via text prior to the Memorial. Thomas needed a putter, and Sargent – according to Vizanko – might have his answer. Since Sargent and Thomas live within driving distance to each other in Alabama, they met up at a local gas station to make the hand-off. “I texted Gordon [about using the putter], and he said he wasn’t using it, so I could have it,” Thomas told GolfWRX.com on Wednesday at Muirfield Village Golf Club. “I’ve gotten to know Gordon some…so we met up at a gas station to make the transfer.” e putter that Justin Thomas modeled his new flatstick after. (GolfWRX) What makes Sargent’s putter so unique are the alignment marks, which feature a single dot nearest the golf ball at address, plus a line running parallel to the topline. On Tuesday at the Memorial, GolfWRX.com spotted Thomas testing out the putter that Thomas picked up at the gas station. While on-site at the Memorial for his practice rounds and testing sessions, Thomas eventually had a new prototype putter built, inspired by the shape and alignment features of Sargent’s putter. Not to get confused with Sargent’s putter, Thomas’ new custom putter has “J.T.” stamped on the sole, except the “T” font is Titleist’s famous script. According to Thomas, he’s keeping Sargent’s putter around as his backup, and giving it a go this week at the Memorial with the newly-made Scotty Cameron G.S.S. (German Stainless Steel) prototype.

Justin Thomas is fueled up with a new Scotty Cameron prototype at the 2024 Memorial Tournament after meeting up with Gordon Sargent – the No. 1 ranked amateur golfer in the world – at a local gas station.

How meeting Gordon Sargent at a gas station led Justin Thomas to switch putters at the Memorial

OUTRIGHT Will Zalatoris (+6000)&nbsp;… It’s like fishing, isn’t it? Cast the line, wait, and then yank! Setting aside the usual acknowledgment for the absence of traditional Sleepers in Signature Events, if it seems that he’s almost unfairly long at this value in a 73-man field and on a course where he finished T5 in his last appearance (in 2022), then take a bite for a full unit because you’re right. Recent soreness in his back thwarted a home game at THE CJ CUP Byron Nelson but it also was his only break during a six-week stretch, so it’s fair to assume that he wouldn’t have committed if the tournament wasn’t in his backyard. He’s shown luster thrice this year with a T2 at The Genesis Invitational, a T4 at the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard and a T9 at the Masters, so the 27-year-old wasted little time in shoving back to center stage after his microdiscectomy. Incidentally, as it concerns only the first six Signature Events, Genesis champ Hideki Matsuyama also was +6000 and only the third-longest winner of the series. However, the next-shortest is Rory McIlroy at but +750 pre-tournament at the Wells Fargo Championship, so there’s been a bit of all or nothing relative to the outrights TOP 5 Denny McCarthy (+900)&nbsp;… As opposed to leaning into a stronger (read: shorter) angle, let’s ride with the only guy in the field who recorded a top-five in each of the last two editions of the Memorial. The only other in play across the last three post-renovation is none other than Scottie Scheffler with a pair of third-place finishes, but he’s atop the Power Rankings and an absurd (-155) for a Top 5. A year ago, McCarthy was ousted in a playoff by Viktor Hovland but the American led the field during regulation in Strokes Gained: Putting and total distance of putts converted. Of course, he did; that’s what he does. He’s currently second on the PGA TOUR in SG: Putting and No. 1 in both one-putt percentage and fewest putts per round. Running it back to 2022 when he finished T5, he paced the field in Strokes Gained: Around-the-Green and conversion percentage from 4-8 feet, missing only one of 19 tries. It’s worth adding that, unlike this week’s limited field, both of the previous two were customarily full fields. TOP 10 Justin Rose (+550)&nbsp;… So many of the others in his vicinity on the board present as personal preferences. All have some measure of regular promise that is self-evident. The Englishman isn’t that. He’s speculative, which is why he has my attention. This is his first appearance in four years, so it’s his first look at the renovation. However, since splashing at Muirfield Village with a solo fourth in 2004, it really hasn’t mattered what Jack Nicklaus commissioned, Rose has mastered the modifications. Seven of his 10 paydays in 14 trips resulted in a top 10. That includes the 2010 title and runner-up finishes in 2008 and 2015. Yes, he’s now 43 years of age but he’s still competing strongly enough to warrant the hope. Just finished T6 at the PGA Championship and you won’t find an active professional who appreciates what Nicklaus has done for the sport and what the sport gives back more than the Brit. That he gets another crack at the Memorial is a bonus embraced. TOP 20 Taylor Moore (+300)&nbsp;… Edges Davis Thompson (also at +300) for this endorsement primarily because Thompson, via the&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.pgatour.com/aon-better-decisions">Aon Swing 5</a>&nbsp;(where he’s currently sixth), was the beneficiary of Robert MacIntyre’s decision not to play.&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://www.pgatour.com/article/news/golfbet/major-qualifiers">Thompson also just secured an exemption into the U.S. Open at final qualifying in Canada</a>, so his dance card suddenly is full of unexpected opportunities. None of that is a negative but Moore has had both circled for some time, so he’s managed his schedule for this fortnight accordingly. For all kinds of obvious reasons, he’s been a common go-to in Sleepers. This is his sixth appearance; he’s connected for touts twice. Half of his most recent eight starts resulted in a Top 20. That includes both majors, so he’s unfazed by the stiffest competition. TOP 30

NOTE: Sleeper Picks did not appear in Rob’s Power Rankings, but each presents value for the bet specified.

Sleeper Picks: the Memorial Tournament presented by Workday

The PGA TOUR heads to Dublin, OH, this week for the 2024 the Memorial Tournament presented by Workday. Find the odds and betting previews for every player in the field below.

2024 the Memorial Tournament preview: Betting odds & stats

Golf’s Longest Day (Part II) is underway.

U.S. Open Final Qualifying: Scores, results, how it works

ANCASTER, Ontario – It wasn’t quite a last resort, but the call had a tone of desperation. After parting ways with a former caddie at the Charles Schwab Challenge, Robert MacIntyre needed a fill-in for the RBC Canadian Open. A handful of queries went unfulfilled, so MacIntyre dialed up his emergency option – his dad Dougie. The Scotsman didn’t want to inconvenience his father, who still resides in MacIntyre’s hometown of Oban, Scotland, and works full-time as head greenkeeper at Glencruitten Golf Club – but Dougie MacIntyre knows his son’s game inside and out. He coached him until he was 14 or 15 years old and was an accomplished shinty player, only without the funds to pursue his full potential at the sport’s highest level (MacIntyre describes shinty as “a cross between field hockey and organized violence”). Dougie MacIntyre hadn’t caddied since DP World Tour Q-School in fall 2017, but this week marked a critical juncture in his son’s first season as a PGA TOUR member – the highly touted MacIntyre, 27, arrived in Canada at No. 75 on the FedExCup standings, right on the bubble to qualify for the FedExCup Playoffs (top 70 after the Wyndham Championship in August). The call was made, and the answer was a quick yes – after confirming he could take the week off from work. That call led to more than they could have imagined. MacIntyre earned his first PGA TOUR title at the RBC Canadian Open, carding a final-round 68 at Hamilton Golf &amp; Country Club for a 16-under 264 total, one stroke clear of Ben Griffin. Not only does he get the proverbial monkey off his back, after a gripping one-stroke defeat to Rory McIlroy at last summer’s Genesis Scottish Open, but MacIntyre cements exempt PGA TOUR status through 2026 and qualifies for this season’s remaining Signature Events. (He’s also safely inside the top 60 in the Official World Golf Ranking, meaning he can cancel his Monday tee time at 36-hole U.S. Open Final Qualifying, in which his dad was also planning to carry the bag.) Dougie MacIntyre is the first father to caddie his son to a PGA TOUR title since Jack Slocum (for son Heath) at the 2005 Southern Farm Bureau Classic. This isn’t a permanent arrangement by any means; MacIntyre said he has a full-time caddie scheduled to start at next week’s Memorial Tournament presented by Workday – which is a new addition to his schedule after his victory in Canada. (He might have liked to return home to Oban for some celebrations, he quipped afterward, but he figures a trip to Muirfield Village isn’t a bad idea.) MacIntyre is a chip off the old block, known on TOUR for his kindness and humility – which he certainly inherited from his father. MacIntyre’s parents (Dougie and mom Carol) are longtime foster parents; MacIntyre grew up with several foster brothers and sisters. The family wasn’t particularly well off; MacIntyre didn’t have the pick of the litter when it came to junior golf tournaments, but he was always loved, supported and encouraged. He grew to understand the rough upbringings of his foster brothers and sisters – some had been abused or neglected – and he learned not to take anything for granted. After his son’s victory Sunday in southern Ontario, Dougie MacIntyre gave away golf balls and towels to young fans, conversing and sharing in their revelry. He was in full dad effect. “I think it makes you realize that hitting a white ball around a golf course isn't the most important thing,” MacIntyre described the impact of his parents’ fostering. “I mean, I've been in tears over it, kids going away from you. They become family. They have been in a tough spot. I wasn't given everything as a kid. I was given a great opportunity. My dad was obviously a really good sportsman, football, golf, shinty, didn't have the finances to really chase it, and I think it was something that my mom and dad always wanted to do. I've got two older sisters who are right into their horses, horse riding and stuff, but they even sacrificed quite a lot of that just to give me a chance. “I couldn't play in golf tournaments as a junior because we couldn't afford it. I think that made me, that makes me fight and never give up, I think not being given anything. I mean, they gave me quite a bit. They gave me the opportunity, but never – never was I spoon-fed. I was always fighting for every bit of it.” Dougie MacIntyre’s soft side complements a competitive edge that was also on display at Hamilton Golf &amp; Country Club, coming to the forefront at critical moments on the weekend. The younger MacIntyre was on the verge of falling into a mental rut as he strode down the 10th fairway Saturday, having turned in 1-over 36 and sensing his grip on the tournament slipping away (he entered the third round in a share of the lead; he was four back at the turn Saturday). His dad sensed the spiral and wanted to nip it in the bud – MacIntyre has emphasized an improved mental game in recent weeks, taking negative thoughts and flipping them into a positive tone. “He was having a wee go at me when I was walking from the 10th tee down to the fairway,” MacIntyre said. “Look, he was a sporting guy, he knows how to win, knows how to lose, he's been through it all. He could see my head going a little bit and he's like, ‘What have you been working on for the last eight weeks, 10 weeks?’ … I kind of flipped into that mode and tried to find the positive in everything.” MacIntyre listened on the very next hole. After his tee shot caught a divot in the 11th fairway, he could have been “mumping and moaning about it,” but he told himself the lie lent itself to a cutty 6-iron. He played a 183-yard approach to the center of the green and two-putted from 20 feet. Then he played his next seven holes in 4-under, signing for a 4-under 66 and suddenly assuming a four-stroke lead into Sunday, where he withstood Griffin’s late charge (birdies on Nos. 15, 16 and 17) for a one-stroke win that he and his dad will remember forever. The energy of their shared hug on the 18th green Sunday, amidst the cacophony of adoring Canadian fans, was surely felt back home in Oban. It’s where MacIntyre learned the game and what it meant to be a man. Both things coalesced this weekend, under the watchful eye of the man who has been there all the way. “Unbelievable,” said Dougie MacIntyre on the 18th green in the aftermath, basking in the moment with tears in his eyes. He could barely speak, but the emotion said it all.

ANCASTER, Ontario – It wasn’t quite a last resort, but the call had a tone of desperation.

A hint of home helps Robert MacIntyre secure first PGA TOUR title at RBC Canadian Open

HAMILTON, Ontario — Robert MacIntyre made a 30-foot eagle putt on the par-5 17th to cap a late surge Saturday and take a four-stroke lead into the final round of the RBC Canadian Open. Tied for the second-round lead with Ryan Fox, MacIntyre shot a 4-under 66 to get to 14-under 196 at Hamilton Golf &amp; Country Club. The 27-year-old Scottish left-hander is seeking his first TOUR win in 44 career starts. Mackenzie Hughes, trying to become the second straight Canadian to win the national championship, was tied for second with Fox and Ben Griffin. From nearby Dundas, Ontario, Hughes shot a 67. He missed a 9-foot eagle putt on No. 17, then bogeyed the par-4 18th. Last year at Oakdale in Toronto, Nick Taylor made a 72-foot eagle putt on the fourth hole of a playoff against Tommy Fleetwood to become the first Canadian to win the event since 1954. Fox had a 70. He played the first five holes in 4-under with a eagle and two birdies, then made four bogeys on the final 13 — three in a four-hole span in the middle of the back nine. Griffin bogeyed the 18th in a 65. Fleetwood (64) was 9-under along with Sam Burns (67), Trace Crowe (67) and Joel Dahmen (69). Two-time RBC Canadian Open champion Rory McIlroy was tied for 11th at 7-under after a 65. He won in 2019 the last time the tournament was in Hamilton and again in 2022 at St. George’s in Toronto. Taylor missed the cut with rounds of 72 and 71.

HAMILTON, Ontario — Robert MacIntyre made a 30-foot eagle putt on the par-5 17th to cap a late surge Saturday and take a four-stroke lead into the final round of the RBC Canadian Open.

Robert MacIntyre takes four-stroke lead into the final round of the RBC Canadian Open

The RBC Canadian Open has been a wild tournament through the first three rounds. For the third week in a row, we came into a tournament at which rain had come down heavily leading up to the event. Many players took advantage of the soft conditions early on at Hamilton Golf &amp; Country Club, while at the same time, many players struggled mightily - making for an average score of right around even par through the first two days in Hamilton, Ontario. On Moving Day, we saw the leaders essentially move down the board and the chasers move up. When the dust settled, Robert MacIntyre, who held a share of the 36-hole lead, retained that position after catching fire down the stretch. He made three birdies in a row on holes 14-16 and then eagled the penultimate hole. MacIntyre goes into Sunday's final round at 14-under, leading Canadian Mackenzie Hughes, Ryan Fox, and Ben Griffin by four shots. He was +333 at BetMGM Sportsbook before teeing off on Saturday and is now at even money (+100) to win the RBC Canadian Open. Right behind them, lurking at 9-under par, are Tommy Fleetwood, Sam Burns, Joel Dahmen and Trace Crowe. Victor Perez and Aaron Rai round out the top-10 on the leaderboard at 8-under. Saturday was the best day for scoring that we have seen so far. Of the remaining 69 players in the field, only 20 shot rounds over par. If it weren't for MacIntyre's red-hot finish, we'd basically have 24 players within five shots of fewer of the lead. Going into Saturday's round, MacIntyre was 50th in this field for Strokes Gained: Approach and 27th for Greens in Regulation. He now ranks 62nd for SG: Approach and 40th for GIR. His putter has led the way. He was third in the field for SG: Putting going into Saturday and is now first in the field after shooting his second straight round of 66. Over the first three days in total, he's gained nearly 11 shots on the field with the putter. So what does all this mean heading into Championship Sunday? First of all, I mentioned that this tournament has been wild. Absolutely nothing may go according to plan or expectations and it could very well be a crazy finish. However, over the course of four days, the law of averages tends to manifest. We'll see. Here are the latest outright odds via BetMGM Sportsbook. <ul><li>+100:&nbsp;Robert MacIntyre (14-under, leader)</li>,<li>+700:&nbsp;Mackenzie Hughes (10-under, T2)</li>,<li>+1000:&nbsp;Tommy Fleetwood (9-under, T5)</li>,<li>+1100:&nbsp;Ryan Fox (10-under, T2)</li>,<li>+1200:&nbsp;Sam Burns (9-under, T5)</li>,<li>+1400:&nbsp;Ben Griffin (10-under, T2)</li>,<li>+1800:&nbsp;Rory McIlroy (7-under, T11)</li>,<li>+3300:&nbsp;Aaron Rai (8-under, T9)</li>,<li>+3300:&nbsp;Joel Dahmen (9-under, T5)</li></ul> <h3>Draws</h3> Ryan Fox (+1100) Fox was playing beautifully in all facets of the game heading into Saturday. It was almost too good and sure enough, he fell back with an even par round on moving day. But now I feel the bad round is behind him and he should feel more comfortable in the chaser's role as he seeks his first PGA TOUR victory. Going into Saturday, Fox was first in this field for SG: Approach and in Greens in Regulation. He was third for SG: Off the Tee, seventh in Putting, and 14th for Driving Accuracy. He fell off hard in nearly every category in Round 3. Without the pressure of the overnight lead, I believe he can go out on Sunday, play more freely, more aggressively, and get back to what got him here in the first place. I wouldn't be surprised by a final round 65, and that might be enough. Aaron Rai (+3300) If only Aaron Rai could putt. He ranks 127th on TOUR in SG: Putting and after gaining strokes on the field with the putter on Thursday, he has dropped shots with the flatstick on Friday and Saturday, now ranking 63rd out of 69 players. Meanwhile, he is second in SG: Off the Tee, fourth in SG: Approach, No. 1 in Driving Accuracy, and in GIR. If he gains on the field with the putter on Sunday, even in the least, he could post a 63 and be right there. <h3>Fades</h3> Robert MacIntyre (+100) With a four-shot lead, the price is fair but I don't at all like the way he's gotten there. It looked as if things had finally caught up to the Scotsman on Saturday until he went nuts on four of the final five holes. Carrying this hot of a putter for three straight rounds is a danger sign for me. Putting is volatile. It rarely stays that good - or that bad - over the course of an entire golf tournament. With MacIntyre's approach play being so poor, I have a hard time believing that the putter will continue to bail him out. Let's not forget, the putts MacIntyre made in that four-hole stretch to close out his Saturday, were from 13, 10, 50 and 30 feet. That is practically unheard of. For the second straight day, I am going to bet on him not being able to sustain that and ultimately, I believe the winner's circle evades him in Hamilton. Mackenzie Hughes (+700)

The RBC Canadian Open has been a wild tournament through the first three rounds. For the third week in a row, we came into a tournament at which rain had come down heavily leading up to the event.

Draws & Fades: Don’t discount the chase pack at RBC Canadian Open

ANCASTER, Ontario – Scotland’s Robert MacIntyre assumed the driver’s seat Saturday at the RBC Canadian Open, playing his last five holes in 5-under to take a four-shot lead into Sunday’s final round at Hamilton Golf &amp; Country Club. MacIntyre stands 14-under through three rounds in southern Ontario, four strokes clear of Ryan Fox, Ben Griffin and local favorite Mackenzie Hughes. Canadian eyes will be cast on Hughes, who grew up in Dundas, Ontario, roughly 8 kilometers from Hamilton G&amp;CC. He’ll be chasing MacIntyre, who well knows the feeling of vying for one’s home open, having finished runner-up to Rory McIlroy by one stroke at last year’s Genesis Scottish Open. Yes, McIlroy also lurks into Sunday here as well, seven strokes off the pace after a third-round 65. It might be a long shot, but it’s a shot. Several others can say the same. Here’s a look at five players with a chance to catch MacIntyre with a big Sunday at the RBC Canadian Open. <h3>Mackenzie Hughes</h3> With Hughes, the stars could be aligning for one of the season’s feel-good stories on Sunday afternoon in southern Ontario. Hughes grew up in nearby Dundas, Ontario – 8 kilometers from Hamilton G&amp;CC – and volunteered at the RBC Canadian Open as a kid, with some of his fondest memories coming at the event’s 2003 and 2006 iterations in Hamilton. He’s competing this week with a heavy heart after dear friend Bill Bath’s passing a month ago – as a tribute, Hughes has worn one of Bath’s old hockey jerseys on the par-3 13th hole (known as “The Rink”) in each of this week’s first three competitive rounds. Hughes has plenty at stake on TOUR this summer, fighting to represent Canada at the Olympic Men’s Golf Competition in August and to play for Captain Mike Weir’s International team at this fall’s Presidents Cup at Royal Montreal. In the meantime, Hughes has a chance to win not only his home country’s national open but his literal&nbsp;home&nbsp;open. He made five birdies in a third-round 67 at Hamilton G&amp;CC that moved him from fourth to second on the leaderboard. He’s four back of leader MacIntyre, but no other player stands between. After Canadian Nick Taylor’s breakthrough victory at last year’s RBC Canadian Open to snap a 69-year Canadian winless drought at this event, the possibilities are tantalizing – could Hughes make to back-to-back Canadian winners? He'll give it his best shot. “I made a putt on 10, and it was, like, chills,” Hughes said Saturday. “When I'm playing in the U.S., I mean, I'm pretty much a nobody, so being here at home you feel like they're really pulling you across the line … Some of those moments and things I felt, I'll remember for a long time. I know tomorrow will be even more special and hopefully we can put up a low one.” <h3>Ben Griffin</h3> The University of North Carolina alum is preparing for an eye procedure Tuesday; he learned last year that he suffers from lattice degeneration, and he will undergo laser work to address retinal holes (four in his left eye, one in his right eye). He wore sunglasses Saturday to combat “floaters” – which are accentuated in bright light, as was the case amidst sunny third-round conditions in southern Ontario. In the meantime, he’s chasing his first TOUR title. Griffin carded a third-round 65 in Hamilton, jumping eight places on the leaderboard into a tie for second. He’ll play in Sunday’s final pairing alongside MacIntyre, with a close-up look at how the 54-hole leader is navigating his own pursuit of a maiden TOUR title. Griffin has been in a similar position before. He finished T3 at the Butterfield Bermuda Championship in fall 2022 as a TOUR rookie, just his fourth start as a member, after holding the lead on the final nine. He lost in a playoff at the 2023 Sanderson Farms Championship, in heartbreaking fashion after a final-round 74. His 2024 season has been steady if unspectacular – he entered the week at No. 85 on the FedExCup standings, with 12 made cuts in 18 starts but no finish better than T9 at The American Express. This week though, his eye is on the prize. “It's what we dream of as kids, trying to come down the stretch in a TOUR event and get it done,” Griffin said Saturday. “I've been close a couple times in my career so far … I've talked to some veterans that have tried to motivate me to stay positive and the win's going to come. So, it just feels good to be in the mix. It's going to be a fun day tomorrow.” <h3>Ryan Fox</h3> Early in Saturday’s third round, this looked like Fox’s tournament to lose. After sharing the 36-hole lead with MacIntyre, he played his first five holes in 4-under to open a four-stroke lead on the field. Fox has yet to win on TOUR but is a four-time DP World Tour winner, a proven commodity at the game’s upper echelon. Things came apart from there, though, as Fox played his final 12 holes Saturday in 4 over – failing to make a birdie after the fifth hole. It leaves him four back of MacIntyre, his Saturday playing partner, into Sunday’s final round. The silver lining is that no other player stands between the two; Fox is not out of this yet. Having entered the week at No. 117 on the FedExCup, the stakes are wide-ranging – he’s fighting for a FedExCup Playoffs spot (top 70 after the Wyndham Championship in August) and to boost his consideration for a spot on the International Team at this fall’s Presidents Cup. <h3>Tommy Fleetwood</h3> Last year, Fleetwood came agonizingly close to his first TOUR title at the RBC Canadian Open. He hung neck-and-neck with Canada’s Nick Taylor down the stretch, ultimately the victim of Taylor’s 72-foot eagle on the fourth extra hole that snapped a 69-year winless drought of Canadians in their national open. Fleetwood has still yet to win on TOUR and is commonly mentioned in the conversation of best players without a TOUR title. He could change that with a sizzling Sunday at Hamilton G&amp;CC. The Englishman carded a third-round, 6-under 64 – matching Victor Perez for Saturday’s low score – to move into a tie for fifth at 9-under, five back of MacIntyre. Does Canada owe Fleetwood one? Time will tell. “Very lucky with the support that I get out here,” Fleetwood said Saturday. “The ultimate goal is always to finish on the top of the leaderboard and win, so it's always in the back of your mind … Just continue to do the right things and see where that leads us.” <h3>Rory McIlroy</h3> A seven-stroke deficit into Sunday might seem insurmountable for some. Not Rory McIlroy. The two-time RBC Canadian Open winner remained within striking distance after a 5-under 65 in Saturday’s third round that could have been even lower; he turned in 5-under 30 but played his second nine in even par. Hamilton G&amp;CC is playing more difficult than when McIlroy won in 2019, but a silly low Sunday wouldn’t be without precedent – he flirted with 59 that Sunday before making bogey on the last to “settle” for a 61. This year, he begins the final round in a tie for 11th at 7-under, seven strokes back of MacIntyre. The oddsmakers have McIlroy at 18/1 (none of the other three players at 7-under is better than 50/1). That doesn’t mean it’s likely, of course, but the 26-time TOUR winner (including two wins in his last three starts) is plenty capable. “Wish I had made a couple more coming in, but overall a good day's work,” McIlroy said afterward. “Hopefully it puts me within touching distance going into tomorrow.

ANCASTER, Ontario – Scotland’s Robert MacIntyre assumed the driver’s seat Saturday at the RBC Canadian Open, playing his last five holes in 5-under to take a four-shot lead into Sunday’s final round at Hamilton Golf & Country Club. MacIntyre stands 14-under through three rounds in southern Ontario, four strokes clear of Ryan Fox, Ben Griffin and local favorite Mackenzie Hughes.

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