2024 Memorial Tournament: Power Rankings, Defending Champion, Prize Money, and Major Details

“Me and my girlfriend might go home and have a hell of a party.” said an ecstatic Robert MacIntyre as soon as he won the RBC Canadian Open. With that, he announced his intention to withdraw from the upcoming Memorial Tournament presented by Workday that will kick off on June 6 at the Muirfield Village Golf Club. But even in his absence, the field is filled with lots of talented PGA Tour Pros.

Being a signature event, the champion of the upcoming tournament will take home a winner’s cut of the $20 million. Moreover, he will also receive a trophy as well as OWGR points for emerging victorious. Only one person, however, will be able to claim the same. Who will it be?

Top contenders for the Memorial Tournament

A total of 74 athletes were part of the field before the RBC Canadian Open champ confirmed his withdrawal, as per the official field of the Memorial Tournament. The contest, meanwhile, will feature a cut after 36 holes following which the top 50 and ties in the leaderboard will qualify for the Moving Day. But there are sure to be favorites among the fans as to who will win the title of champion.

1. Viktor Hovland: The six-time PGA Tour champ clinched his fourth win on the circuit at the 2023 edition of the event. He did so in a playoff against Denny McCarthy after tying with him at 7-under 281. The Norwegian would, consequently, hope to defend his title at the event. Although he didn’t emerge victorious in any tournaments this year, the pro would be looking forward to keeping his momentum from the T3 finish he earned at the 2024 PGA Championship. Underestimating him would be unwise, regardless of his form in 2024.

2. Scottie Scheffler: He can truly be dubbed the most successful golfer on the circuit this year. The current No. 1 in the OWGR has a total of 11 top 10 finishes from 12 starts, out of which he won four, and placed T2 in two of them. Even though he had a slight hitch at the recent major at Valhalla causing him to falter on the Saturday round, the pro performed exceptionally well in the following event, the Charles Schwab Challenge, and claimed the second spot. The 2024 Masters champ is a sure favorite to win the contest and grab ahold of his first-ever victory at the event.

3. Xander Schauffele: He was an unlucky golfer up till the 2024 PGA Championship. The 30-year-old boasts a total of nine top 10 placements out of which one is a victory at the major championship that took place in Valhalla. That’s not all. His amazing display of golf has helped him push past the likes of Rory McIlroy, and claim the No. 2 spot as opposed to the 6th position where he had ended 2022.

4. Rory McIlroy: The Northern Irishman did not have the best of starts this year on the Jay Monahan-led circuit. But he was soon able to bounce back with a T3 finish at the Valero Texas Open and a win at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans alongside Shane Lowry. His first individual victory in 2024, however, came at the Wells Fargo Championship when he beat the field by scoring a scintillating 17-under 267. The 4-time major champ would be hoping to continue the momentum that he regained back at the RBC Canadian Open with a T4 finish while working on the same to grab his 27th PGA Tour win.

5. Wyndham Clark: A triumph at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, a T2 finish at the Arnold Palmer Invitational and the PLAYERS Championship, and a T3 placement at the RBC Heritage. These are but the top 10 finishes that the American pro boasts in the current season of the Monahan-led circuit. The current No. 4 on the OWGR would, thus, be aiming to rake in another victory at the signature event while hoping to reclaim his lost glory from the missed cut at the PGA Championship.

A challenge for the pros at the Muirfield Village Golf Club

The course was designed by Jack Nicklaus and was dedicated on Memorial Day in 1974. Ranked at No. 17 among “America’s 100 Greatest Courses,” by Golf Digest, the 6,978-yard, 18-hole layout has a total of 71 bunkers along with water hazards being found in as many as 11 holes. Situated on a total of 220 acres of land including an 11-acre driving range, it is sure to provide a test to the PGA Tour Pros who are teeing it up this weekend.

The community can thus expect a scintillating weekend in Dublin as the Memorial Tournament kicks off on Thursday. In the meantime, one can’t help but wonder as to who would clinch the trophy at the signature event. Who do you think would emerge victorious? Let us know your picks!