The PGA TOUR is in the northern part of the continent for the next few weeks, as we head into the summer part of the schedule. This week is the seventh of the eight Signature Events on the schedule this season, as the Memorial celebrates 50 years at Muirfield Village Golf Club. The elite field faces a tough test at “Jack’s Place” this week, and it’s always a great week of golf action on an iconic course. The field offers many great options across a variety of markets available on DraftKings Sportsbook. Let’s pinpoint a few of my best bets for Round 1 of the Memorial Tournament this year.
Since it’s a limited field event, the player will play in pairs, all beginning their round at hole No. 1. The first pairing tees off at 7:45 a.m. ET, with the last group getting underway at 1:55 p.m. ET. There doesn’t appear to be a major weather advantage to teeing off earlier or later, but the forecast can always change quickly. Be ready to read and react to how scores are trending if you are live-betting the event.
In this post, we’ll focus on my three best bets for Round 1 of the Memorial Tournament on Thursday, June 3. Last week, I hit two of my three best bets and finished with a dead heat win in the third. Let’s tee it up and get some more green this week!
Jordan Spieth Over 3.5 Birdies or Better – Round 1 (-132)
Spieth is teeing off at 8:05 alongside Jason Day in the third group. The pairing has an impressive total of 26 PGA TOUR wins, and both players have good histories at Muirfield Village Golf Club as well. They’ll be one of the early groups to keep a close eye on.
I highlighted Spieth in my cash game plays this week, and I think this could be where he gets back into the top 10 for the first time this season — maybe even win. He has made 12 straight cuts and finished in the top 20 at the Masters, the Cadillac Championship, the PGA Championship, and THE CJ CUP Byron Nelson over his last six tournaments. He ranks in the top 25 in the field in Total Strokes Gained and in the top 20 in Strokes Gained: Tee-to-Green over the last three months.
Spieth finished T7 at this event last year, posting an average of 4.3 birdies or better per round and going over this prop line in three of the four rounds. Two weeks ago, he had eight birdies or better in the final round of THE CJ CUP Byron Nelson, and had over this prop line in all but one of his four rounds. That event was a birdie-fest, though, so it’s hard to know if it will translate to this week. He does have a good history at this course, with nine top-20 finishes and 11 made cuts in his 13 appearances at the Memorial.
The course could play tough, and four birdies or better could be a lot, but with the wind down and softer conditions early, he’s a great place to start your Round 1 Best Bets for Thursday.
Alex Fitzpatrick (+108) over Jacob Bridgeman 2 Ball (3 Way) – Round 1
At 12:30 p.m. ET, the pairing of Alex Fitzpatrick and Jacob Bridgeman tees off. To get plus-money odds, I’m giving the tie here and taking Fitzpatrick to finish with a lower score than Bridgeman.
Bridgeman got his big breakthrough win at The Genesis Invitational earlier this season, but he has trailed off lately. He missed the cut at the PGA Championship and finished outside the top 30 in each of the three Signature Events after the Masters. He lost strokes on approach in each of his last three events, and his putter went cold at Aronimink as well.
While Bridgeman has been cooling off from his strong run, Fitzpatrick has joined his older brother, Matt Fitzpatrick, as a full-time PGA TOUR member. Alex Fitzpatrick won the Hero Indian Open at the end of March at the end of an excellent run of form on the DP World Tour, and then he teamed up with Matt to win the Zurich Classic of New Orleans to secure his spot on the tour going forward.
After his big win, Fitzpatrick finished T9 at the Cadillac and solo-fourth at the Truist Championship. Both were Signature Events, where he finished well ahead of Bridgeman and also made the cut at the PGA Championship. He faded to T75, but still finished ahead of Bridgeman in that tournament.
This will be the first time Fitzpatrick plays this event, while Bridgeman finished T31 in his 2025 debut, excelling specifically in Strokes Gained: Approach.
Given their current form, though, Fitzpatrick is a strong option at these odds.
Maverick McNealy (+116) over Robert MacIntyre – Matchup (3 Way) – Round 1
McNealy and MacIntyre are in separate groups, but they’re going head-to-head in this matchup. McNealy tees off at 12:40 with Kristoffer Reitan, while MacIntyre starts two groups earlier alongside Harris English.
Both players have proven they can win on the PGA TOUR, but McNealy has better recent form and is a better fit for the course. McNealy missed the cut in his first two appearances at Muirfield Village, but he looked much better with a T5 at last year’s event, while MacIntyre finished T20.
McNealy played 23 events since that T5 and posted 15 top-25 finishes and three top-10 finishes. MacIntyre won last October on the DP World Tour and had a run of eight top-25 finishes in 10 events earlier this year. However, he has scuffled a little bit over the last few months.
MacIntyre missed the cut at the Masters and the PGA Championship and finished outside the top 40 at the RBC Heritage, Truist Championship and the Charles Schwab Challenge. McNealy finished T18 at both the Masters and the PGA Championship and also finished ahead of MacIntyre at the RBC and Truist.
Both players are strong and bring upside, but since McNealy has that T5 from last year at this course and better current form, I think he’s a great plus-money play for this Round 1 matchup.
