LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – OCTOBER 20: J.T. Poston of the United States poses with the trophy after the final round of the Shriners Children’s Open 2024 at TPC Summerlin on October 20, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by David Becker/Getty Images)
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Last week on the PGA Tour it was Russell Henley coming from behind to beat Eric Cole in a playoff at the Charles Schwab Challenge, and it was another playoff this past week at the Memorial to decide who would win the signature event.
The final round of the 2026 Memorial Tournament, hosted by Jack Nicklaus, was filled with crazy swings on the leaderboard, but when the dust settled it was J.T. Poston who claimed the victory after a two hold playoff with Ryan Gerard.
Poston, who entered Sunday with a 4-shot lead, was forced to play extra golf after Saturday’s rounds were suspended due to inclement weather. Poston had to finish his 3rd Round, and then go back out to hold off the star-studded field. While there were bumps in the road, and several players who claimed a stake in the lead, it was Poston who birdied No. 18 to force the playoff with Gerard.
Two holes later and it was Poston shaking Nicklaus’ hand and winning his 4th career tournament on the PGA Tour.
Did anyone foresee Poston winning outright? Probably not. Poston entered the week with +15000 odds to win, and hadn’t had a Top 10 finish to his name for the entire 2026 season to date. That all changed Sunday, and it catapulted his career earnings over $27 million dollars.
Will Poston be a factor in the U.S. Open in two weeks at Shinnecock? He punched his ticket to the tournament, but will likely be a heavy underdog in the third major of the PGA Tour season. It’s time we take a look at our picks for the 2026 Memorial Tournament.
2026 Memorial Tournament Odds
- Scottie Scheffler (+310)
- Rory McIlroy (+980)
- Cameron Young (+1425)
- Ludvig Aberg (+1600)
- Xander Schauffele (+1700)
When it comes to picks for this event, I like to start with my favorite and long shot picks for the tournament. The favorite pick is the pick I like the most for an outright winner. For the long shot winner, that is a golfer who has over +2000 odds to win. It is a long shot pick for a reason, and finding those can be like finding a needle in a haystack.
Here were my favorite and long shot picks for the 2026 Memorial Tournament:
Favorite: Scottie Scheffler (+310) – MISS
Some fans might see Scheffler’s T12 finish and think the tournament wasn’t too bad for Scottie, but it was a tough showing for the World No. 1. Scheffler could never get comfortable with his swing, his distances were off, and his putting continues to be an issue this season. He had won this tournament in back-to-back seasons, so predicting a win wasn’t crazy, but him not finishing near the top of the leaderboard was a shock.
Long Shot: Ben Griffin (+4000) – MISS
Griffin was coming off a great finish at the Charles Schwab last week, and predicting him catapulting himself into the Memorial wasn’t a crazy thought. With good odds, Griffin being a long shot play fit well. However, he failed to make the cut in this limited field event.
Top 5 Bets For the Memorial Tournament 2026
- Cameron Young (+260) – MISS
Young’s season continues to be one which is resembling nothing more than a hot start. After winning the Players Championship and the Cadillac Championship, Young’s game hasn’t looked right since that signature victory at Doral. His T46 finish should have all bettors hesitant about him moving into the U.S. Open.
- Scottie Scheffler (-148) – MISS
As I said above, Scheffler not winning this tournament wasn’t the biggest shocker in the game of golf, but him finishing outside the Top 10 was a stunner. Then again, when you look at the leaderboard you saw just how weird it was to see so many big names not near the Top 10.
Top 10 Picks For The Memorial 2026
- Ludvig Aberg (+136) – MISS
Aberg continues to struggle, but unlike prior events where he was able to hang around the Top 10, he fell all the way to 39th in this signature event. Aberg’s game is sporadic, which should be a huge tell for bettors moving forward.
- Rory McIlroy (-108) – MISS
Rory was close to a hit for us, in a week where we had none, with his T12 finish at the Memorial. Rory has never won at Murfield Village, and that streak continues. McIlroy spoke after the event about his issues driving the golf ball, and the way he talked made it sound as if he has a lot of work to do before the U.S. Open in two weeks.
Top 20 Value Picks For the Memorial Tournament 2026
- Chris Gotterup (+132) – MISS
Like McIlroy, Gotterup got close to a hit for us with a T27 finish, but not good enough to cash on the Top 20 play we predicted. Gotterup, who won on tour twice early in the season, seems to be in the same rut Cameron Young finds himself in at the moment.
- Sepp Straka (+146) – MISS
My “gut pick” of the week should tell me to listen to my brain more than my gut at times. Straka finished T40 in this tournament, a far cry from the Top 20 play we put out there. It was the final nail in the coffin for our win streak to come to a close. Nonetheless, we press on and get ready for next week’s RBC Canadian Open to get right before the U.S. Open.
Best Prop Bets, Parlays And Bonus Plays for The Memorial Tournament
For bonus plays, these are picks which I don’t necessarily hang my hat on, but still provide value for some who want more exotic plays outside of the aforementioned picks. Sometimes bonus plays are parlays, double chances, triple chances, and even some fun plays for that particular event.
Here are the bonus plays for the 2026 Memorial Tournament:
Double Chance: Scottie Scheffler or Cameron Young (+215) – MISS
Triple Chance: Scottie Scheffler or Rory McIlroy or Cameron Young (+146) – MISS
Top 20 Parlay: Rory McIlroy, Ludvig Aberg, Matt Fitzpatrick (+260) – MISS
Tournament Review:
Outright Plays: 0/8
Bonus Plays: 0/3
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