Steve Palmer's Memorial predictions and free golf betting tips

Where to watch the Memorial

Live on Sky Sports Golf from 5pm on Thursday

Steve Palmer's Memorial predictions

Jon Rahm
4pts each-way 15-2 Hills

Collin Morikawa
2pts each-way 25-1 bet365

Rickie Fowler
1pt each-way 35-1 Hills

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The PGA Tour stages another 'designated' event this week, with most of the elite gathered at Muirfield Village for the Memorial Tournament. Max Homa, who is attending the wedding of his sister this weekend, is the only absent member of the world's top eight.

Scottie Scheffler is Memorial favourite, but he is competing for a fourth consecutive week, following the AT&T Byron Nelson, the US PGA Championship and the Charles Schwab Challenge. He appears to be lacking  energy and is still putting poorly so the odds about Scheffler seem cramped.

Steve Palmer's top tip

Jon Rahm 15-2

The US PGA Championship was a big disappointment for Jon Rahm, who lost his head early at Oak Hill, had a series of temper tantrums and ended up tailed off in 50th place. Having shown a growing maturity and calmness over the early months of the year, the short fuse of old returned.

There were probably two main reasons for the Rahm rage. Firstly, his record in New York State is poor and he let the rowdy galleries, as well as the cameramen, rattle him when he got off to a bad start. Secondly, he carried a heavy weight of personal expectation. Having played so well all year – and with a Green Jacket secured – Rahm had genuine ambitions of a 2023 Grand Slam of Majors.

It was a perfect storm at Oak Hill when Rahm's opening round went wrong – and a greenside microphone took some of the punishment – but a much calmer character can be expected to appear at Muirfield Village this week.

Rahm adores Muirfield Village and when the Spaniard is asked to name the time when he felt most in control on a golf course, he always points to the 2021 Memorial. He was 18 under par through three rounds of that event, having carded rounds of 69, 65 and 64, producing golf from the gods. He was six shots clear, but tested positive for Covid and was forced to withdraw.

Muirfield Village brings out the best in Rahm. He won the Memorial by three shots in 2020 and would almost certainly have successfully defended his title had Covid not struck. He finished tenth last year.

Since the 2021 Memorial, Rahm has grown in self-belief, becoming a Major champion. Last month he won the Masters for the first time and he seems on the cusp on establishing himself as the sport's dominant force.

Rahm, who is driven by the history of the game and his potential legacy, seems likely to react to his US PGA flop with a sizzling summer. He has won six of his last 16 tournaments and is third on the PGA Tour's strokes-gained-on-approach statistics. In a field of just 120, the 15-2 about Rahm seems more than fair.

Next best bet

Collin Morikawa 25-1

Accurate approach-play is by far the best route to Muirfield Village success and Collin Morikawa tops the PGA Tour's strokes-gained-on-approach statistics.

Morikawa, arguably the best iron-player on the planet, won on his Muirfield Village debut in the 2020 Workday Charity Open. He beat Justin Thomas in a playoff to make an immediate impact on this famous track, then almost followed up in the 2021 Memorial, losing a playoff to Patrick Cantlay.

Morikawa has been in rock-solid ball-striking form all year, finishing runner-up at Kapalua, third at Torrey Pines, sixth at Riviera, 13th at Sawgrass and tenth at Augusta. A win seems close for the two-time Major champion.

Last week at Colonial he was generally excellent, apart from on the ninth hole. Morikawa finished level par for the Charles Schwab Challenge, sharing 29th place, but he was seven over par for the ninth hole. He finished eight shots off the pace – seven of them lost on one troublesome hole.

Other selection

Rickie Fowler 35-1

Eight times this year, Rickie Fowler has finished in the top 20 on the PGA Tour, demonstrating consistency in all departments. Last week, he closed with a Sunday 67 at Colonial, which nobody in the Charles Schwab field could better. A share of sixth place was another solid performance from a former world number four on the comeback trail.

Fowler is ninth on the PGA Tour's strokes-gained-on-approach statistics and he has a large bank of Muirfield Village experience to draw upon. The Californian ace finished runner-up on his Memorial debut in 2010 when ranked 52nd in the world. This week he tees up 46th in the world and rising. The two-time Memorial runner-up has beaten elite fields in the past and will fear nobody in this line-up. The 34-year-old is getting back to his best.

Muirfield Village course guide

Course Muirfield Village, Dublin, Ohio
Prize money $20m ($3.6m to the winner)
Length 7,571 yards
Par 72 – four par-fives; ten par-fours; four par-threes
Field 120 The cut Top 65 and ties qualify for round three
Highest-ranked players in field (world ranking in brackets) Scottie Scheffler (1), Jon Rahm (2), Rory McIlroy (3), Patrick Cantlay (4), Xander Schauffele (5)
Course records- 72 holes 268 Tom Lehman (1994); 18 holes 61 John Huston (1996)

Course winners taking part KJ Choi, Matt Kuchar, Hideki Matsuyama, David Lingmerth, William McGirt, Jason Dufner, Patrick Cantlay (twice), Collin Morikawa, Jon Rahm, Billy Horschel

When to bet By noon on Thursday

When to watch Live on Sky Sports Golf from 5pm on Thursday

Time difference Ohio is five hours behind the UK and Ireland

Last week – Charles Schwab Challenge 1 E Grillo (80-1), 2 A Schenk (175-1), T3 S Scheffler (9-2), H Hall (300-1), 5 P Haley (1,000-1), T6 M Kim (160-1), R Fowler (28-1), S Burns (28-1)

Course type Parkland

Course overview This Jack Nicklaus design has hosted the Memorial since 1976. The 2013 Presidents Cup was staged there too, as well as the 2020 Workday Charity Open. The fairways are generous, but approach shots are difficult

Story of last year Billy Horschel cruised to a four-shot victory, with Aaron Wise a distant runner-up

Weather forecast Sunny, warm and calm, with temperatures peaking at 32C

Type of player suited to the challenge Accurate iron-play is the key to slaying Muirfield Village. Precise approaches to well-guarded greens are essential for success

Key attribute Accuracy

Spotlight insight

Five of the last 11 winners finished first for greens in regulation