The Memorial Tournament Preview, Picks & Analysis

Post by Sports Writer Derek Clements

AND so they all prepare to head to Jack's place for The Memorial at Muirfield Village. Everybody wants to win the tournament hosted by the legendary Jack Nicklaus, not least because it means that, with the US Open just around the corner, you are on top of your game.

David Lingmerth was the surprise champion 12 months ago, beating England's Justin Rose in a playoff. The Swede has gone from strength to strength since that victory and will fancy his chances of repeating his triumph. He heads to Muirfield Village off the back of two decent weeks on the European Tour. Rose will settle for a good finish as he prepares for the major he has already won once and which clearly gives him his best opportunity of a second.

Rose is a big fan of Muirfield Village because Nicklaus goes out of his way to ensure that the course set-up will get the field ready for the US Open. If you are looking for an easy ride, you should give Jack's tournament a miss.  Past winners include Tiger Woods (five times, most recently in 2012), Hideki Matsuyama (2014),  Matt Kuchar (2013), Steve Stricker (2011) and Rose (2010) If you take Woods out of the equation, the key to success at Muirfield Village is to keep the ball in play. It is no coincidence that Kenny Perry, Carl Pettersson and Jim Furyk are also all former champions - they are among the straightest hitters ever to play the game.

Work began on Nicklaus' pride and joy in 1972. It measures 7,392 yards and is a par 72, and it features a great deal of punishing rough and deviilishly quick greens. So now you understand why it is such a good test in the week leading up to the season's second major.

Kuchar, Rose and Matsuyama are all likely to be there or thereabouts on Sunday afternoon. Matsuyama is surely destined to become the first golfer from Japan to win a major and he has the game to win on any course, in just about any conditions. He won in Phoenix earlier in the year in front of the largest and noisiest gallery on the PGA Tour - or anywhere else for that matter. 

Matsuyama possesses an idiosyncratic pause at the top of his backswing. There are those who believe it makes everything appear a trifle deliberate, but it also helps him to maintain his rhythm, no matter how great the pressure. He strikes the ball a long way, but is also accurate, and with a long iron in his hands he has few peers.

Kuchar is long overdue another victory. For some time now, Kuchar has been one of the most consistent men on tour. He does things very much his own way, with a golf swing you would never teach. But it works for him. And how! His swing is comparatively flat, which means that his ball flight tends to be lower than most of his rivals. If he has a weakness it is on the greens, where he anchors his putter grip against his left forearm. It looks ugly and it looks uncomfortable, but Kuchar has found a way to make it work.

Furyk is back from a long-standing wrist injury and is still shaking off the ring-rust but if there is a course that is made for the veteran's return to form then this is it.

Francesco Molinari hasn't won anywhere since the Spanish Open in 2012, and the Italian is now playing most of his golf on the PGA Tour. Last year he finished tied third with a certain Jordan Spieth at Muirfield Village. If you were to put together an identikit to come up with the man most likely to win The Memorial, he would look and play a lot like Molinari. His lack of recent success is something of a mystery because he has few weaknesses. You would struggle to find a better iron player, and he finds more fairways than most. Sure, he is not a great putter, but he is plenty good enough to have made the breakthrough in America by now. He seems to have been around for an awfully long time, but Molinari is still just 33 years old and should be in his golfing prime. It's a long shot, I know, but I have a good feeling about the Italian's chances this week.

We will also get a chance to judge whether Phil Mickelson has any realistic chance of finally landing the US Open, the one major missing from his CV, and the tournament that has caused him so much anguish over the years - he has finished runner-up six times. At the start of the year he set himself two targets - to finally win the US Open and to retain his Ryder Cup berth. The latter looks a safe enough bet. Having just been heavily fined after being found guilty of insider trading, Mickelson will want to get back on the course and focus on his game. He may just surprise one or two people this week and next.

To Win

Matt Kuchar. This is his week

Each Way

Jordan Spieth. Back to his brilliant best

Each Way

Jason Dufner. Playing really well right now

Fantasy Picks

Matt Kuchar. Has he ever finished outside the top 10?

Jordan Spieth. The so-called slump is over

Jason Dufner. Actually holing some putts now

Rafa Cabrera Bello. The Spaniard has at times looked unbeatable in 2016

Daniel Berger. A win must come soon

Francesco Molinari. Muirfield is made for him

Hideki Matsuyama. Never seems to play poorly

Phil Mickelson. Looking great this season

Justin Rose. Could be another big week for the Englishman

Dustin Johnson. Needs another big week, and soon