McIlroy has back-to-back top 20s at the Memorial, and Schauffele hasn’t finished outside the top 20 since Bay Hill.
After a week in the Lone Star State, the PGA Tour is in Dublin, Ohio, for the 2023 Memorial Tournament at Muirfield Village.
The field is loaded and features the top five players in the Official World Golf Ranking: Scottie Scheffler, Jon Rahm, Rory McIlroy, Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele.
Scheffler enters as the betting favorite at +600 followed by Rahm at +750 and Cantlay — who’s a two-time Memorial champion — at +1000.
Billy Horschel is the defending champion thanks to his four-shot win over Aaron Wise last season.
There are a few players taking the week off, including Tony Finau and Max Homa. Players are allowed to miss one designated event this season.
Here are five prop bets and position plays for the 2023 Memorial Tournament.
Koepka’s 66 was all the more impressive given that Oak Hill turned into Soak Hill for the third round.
ROCHESTER, N.Y. – At his home in Jupiter, Florida, Brooks Koepka has his trophies on display.
“But I only put the big ones up there just to remind myself that’s there’s plenty more big ones to win,” Koepka said in “Full Swing,” the Netflix docuseries.
On Saturday, Koepka sank a 47-foot birdie putt at 17 to post the low round at Oak Hill for the second straight day – back-to-back rounds of 66 – to grab a one-stroke advantage atop the leaderboard over Viktor Hovland and Corey Conners after 54 holes at the 105th PGA Championship. Koepka will be bidding for a fifth major — he would become the 20th player to win five or more major titles — and third Wanamaker Trophy.
“To win one would be fantastic,” Koepka said. “I was just told that I think only Tiger and Jack have won three (in the modern era), so that would be pretty special to be in a list or category with them.”
Koepka’s 66 was all the more impressive given that Oak Hill turned into Soak Hill for the third round.
“It was just relentless really, from the start of the warmup to literally as we were putting out on the last green. There was very little wind, but that doesn’t stop it playing cold and long and wet,” said Tommy Fleetwood, who recorded one of the better rounds, a 68. “As the round goes on, it just turns into a bit more survival.”
Koepka, 33, survived a 2-over 72 in the opening round and patiently has clawed his way back to the top of the leaderboard. He did so with back-to-back birdies at Nos. 4 and 5, He made his lone bogey of the day at the seventh when he tugged his drive left and had to punch out of trouble. His putter warmed up on the second nine and he made birdies at Nos. 12 and 13 before sinking the long-range bomb at 17.
“That doesn’t go in, that’s probably six, eight feet by,” said Koepka, who finished at 6-under 204.
For the second straight major, Koepka, who defected to LIV Golf last summer after missing the cut at the U.S. Open, holds the 54-hole lead. But at the Masters, he conceded he “choked” on Sunday, as Jon Rahm slipped into the Green Jacket.
“I didn’t sleep Sunday night just trying to figure out what exactly it was. Thought about it for a few days after and really honed in on what I was doing and what went wrong,” Koepka said Tuesday. “From there just never let it happen again. That’s the whole goal, right?”
Koepka refuses to share what went wrong at Augusta, but he reiterated after Saturday’s round that he won’t make the same mistake twice.
“Learning what I learned at Augusta kind of helped today,” he said. “Like I said, I won’t do it again the rest of my career.”
With 18 holes to play at the 2023 PGA Championship at Oak Hill Country Club in Rochester, New York, it’s anyone’s ballgame.
Brooks Koepka, for the second round in a row, posted the low score of the day. Consecutive 66s after an opening 72 has Koepka alone at the top at 6 under.
Viktor Hovland and Corey Conners are right behind the four-time major champion at 5 under while Bryson DeChambeau is 3 under. Scottie Scheffler and Justin Rose sit at 2 under, and Rory McIlroy, who will play with fan-favorite PGA pro Michael Block (even par) on Sunday, is five back at 1 under.
Here are the betting odds heading into Sunday at the PGA Championship, starting with the man one ahead of the pack.
[gambcom-standard rankid=”3413″ ]
Position
Score
Player
Odds to win
1
6 under
Brooks Koepka
(+115)
T-2
5 under
Viktor Hovland
(+330)
T-2
5 under
Corey Conners
(+450)
4
3 under
Bryson DeChambeau
(+1200)
T-5
2 under
Justin Rose
(+2500)
T-5
2 under
Scottie Scheffler
(+850)
7
1 under
Rory McIlroy
(+2200)
T-8
E
Michael Block
(+60000)
T-8
E
Justin Suh
(+25000)
T-10
1 over
Tommy Fleetwood
(+30000)
T-10
1 over
Stephan Jaeger
(+50000)
T-10
1 over
Victor Perez
(+50000)
T-10
1 over
Eric Cole
(+60000)
T-10
1 over
Shane Lowry
(+30000)
T-10
1 over
Min Woo Lee
(+40000)
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ROCHESTER, N.Y. – Scottie Scheffler is playing the long game this week at the 105th PGA Championship. The 26-year-old Texan posted 2-under 68 at Oak Hill on Friday to share the 36-hole lead with Canada’s Corey Conners and Norway’s Viktor Hovland at 5-under 135.
“These are the positions I want to be in. I want to be near the lead. I don’t want to be in 30th place or going home. I show up to the tournaments to perform at my best,” Scheffler said.
Playing during afternoon rain, Scheffler made four birdies on the day, carding back-to-back birdies twice in the round. His iron game was sharp early as he sent a dart inside two feet at the first hole for a birdie and nine feet at the second to jump into the lead. He dropped his first shot of the tournament at No. 7 and then skated along with a stretch of six straight pars.
“I felt like I did a good job of grinding today. I had some nice up-and-downs and kept the course in front of me for the most part,” he said.
Scheffler, who won the 2022 Masters and is ranked No. 2 in the world, made birdies at Nos. 14 and 15 but surrendered sole possession of the lead with a bogey at 18.
“To shoot 2-under, especially on a day where the rough got really wet and it was really tough to play out of, to post a number today was good, solid golf,” Scheffler said. “When you can kind of hang around the lead and stay in position and hopefully wait to get hot, it’s a good position to be in. I’ve done a good job the first two days of keeping the golf course in front of me and scrambling well…Tomorrow I’m hoping to hit a few more fairways than I did today, make it a little easier on myself, but ultimately, 2-under is a good round around this place.”
Here are four more things to know from the 105th PGA Championship.
The 31-year-old Canadian won the 2023 Valero Texas Open on Sunday for his second PGA Tour victory after winning the same event in 2019 at San Antonio’s Oaks Course. Conners shot a 4-under 68 to finish at 15 under and claim the top prize of $1,602,000. Sam Stevens finished a shot back at 14 under and earned just under seven figures at $970,100.
Check out how much money each PGA Tour player earned this week at the 2023 Valero Texas Open at TPC San Antonio’s Oaks Course in Texas.
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“I love this golf course and feel really comfortable out here” — Corey Conners, two-time Valero Texas Open winner.
Corey Conners rocked the traditional winner’s boots again, this time after stomping the field on Sunday at the Valero Texas Open in San Antonio, Texas.
Conners notched his second PGA Tour victory – both at TPC San Antonio’s Oaks Course – by shooting a bogey-free 4-under 68, one stroke better than Texas native Sam Stevens.
“It was a battle out there,” Conners said.
The 31-year-old Conners, who trailed by one stroke entering the final day after rounds of 64-72-69, carded three birdies on the front nine, including an 18-footer from the fringe at nine to build a four-stroke advantage at the turn.
“Kind of had a putt that could get away from you on 9, but it was back into the wind and tried to be really aggressive,” Conners explained. “Thought I smoked it at first and it just kind of dribbled in.”
Overnight leader Patrick Rodgers faded quickly with four bogeys on the front nine and finished fifth (73).
“It’s one of those golf courses where it doesn’t take much to get pretty far off and that was my day today,” Rodgers said. “Disappointing result, but I’ll be back strong.”
Only rookie Sam Stevens, who made two eagles en route to posting 66, put up a fight on the back nine. He made eagle at 17 to pull within a stroke of Conners, but couldn’t make an 8-foot birdie at the last to tie. Eight pars and a birdie coming home was enough to end the winless skid for the Canadian.
Conners was a Monday Qualifier when he won the Valero Texas Open in 2019 to earn a spot in the Masters for the first time. This year, he didn’t have that added pressure. He already was exempt into next week’s major, where he’s finished T-10, T-8 and T-6 in his last three Masters. He represented the International Team in last year’s Presidents Cup and entered the week at No. 40 in the Official World Golf Ranking, but a second Tour title had remained elusive.
Conners is a perfect five-for-five in making the cut at TPC San Antonio, never finishing worse than T-35 and owns the low scoring average at the course since 2010.
“I love this golf course and feel really comfortable out here,” Conners said.
So does Matt Kuchar, who closed with 68, and finished in a tie for third with Sam Ryder. Kuchar was runner-up a year ago and recorded his fifth top-10 finish at the event.
“I wish I made a few putts early on,” Kuchar said. “It was a demanding day. I got to witness Corey Conners go around. He did not miss a shot for 18 holes, it was impressive stuff to see out there.”
Conners made birdie at 15 to go 15 under and parred in to finish with a 72-hole total of 15-under 273. In doing so, he became the 10th multiple Valero Texas Open winner, joining the likes of Arnold Palmer, Ben Crenshaw and Justin Leonard. Conners also became the first player since K.H. Lee to record his first two PGA Tour victories at the same event. The actuarial mathematics major at Kent State University was asked what percentage chance would he have given himself to win the tournament before it began.
“You know, probably not very likely,” Conners said. “I felt great about my game, but it’s so difficult to win on the PGA Tour. Feel like I’ve been working really hard and haven’t been able to get it done for the last four years, but it sure feels sweet and I definitely love Texas.”
“This is why I play, why I compete and I can’t wait to get out there tomorrow.”
There’s a lot on the line Sunday at the Valero Texas Open.
Patrick Rodgers, who has held a 54-hole lead three times previously in his PGA Tour career, has a one-shot advantage at TPC San Antonio’s Oaks Course. Not only would a win Sunday for Rodgers be the first of his PGA Tour career, it would also punch his ticket to Augusta National and the Masters.
However, there are plenty of golfers chasing.
Corey Conners, who Monday qualified into the Valero in 2019 and won, is a shot back. Matt Kuchar had the round of the day until a late mishap, but he’s also playing for a ticket to the Masters and is solo third. And the veteran, Padraig Harrington, is lurking.
It’s not just Harry Higgs’ personality that’s entertaining and unpredictable, his golf game has been the same.
SAN ANTONIO — After an unpredictable first day of weather at the Valero Texas Open, the sun emerged just after noon on Friday and the action at TPC San Antonio’s Oaks Course moved at a standard clip.
After Matt Kuchar and Padraig Harrington set the pace on Thursday, others upped their game on Friday, although the second round of play was not completed. The cut from 144 players will come sometime on Saturday morning.
With just a few days remaining until the eyes of the golf world turn to Magnolia Lane, the final two rounds at the Valero should provide plenty of drama, and, potentially, a dream of a lifetime to someone.
Here’s what you need to know about Friday’s action:
Rodgers’ chase for his elusive first PGA Tour victory has been more marathon than sprint.
SAN ANTONIO — Patrick Rodgers has always put a premium on fitness; at the ripe age of 30, he’s got a slender physique that could be mistaken for that of a teenager.
In terms of career fitness, Rodgers’ chase for that elusive first PGA Tour victory has been more marathon than sprint. In 234 starts, the Stanford University product has pocketed more than $10 million in earnings but has failed to find his way into the winner’s circle.
During an awkward Friday at TPC San Antonio’s Oaks Course, one that had players making up for Thursday’s inclement weather, Rodgers’ fitness was again on display. Rather than wilting under the weight of additional holes, the ninth-year pro got stronger as the day progressed, posting five birdies in his final six holes as he pushed his way atop the field at the Valero Texas Open.
Rodgers fired a 67 in his second round and sits at 11 under, with Corey Conners three back and Michael Thompson four back as the weekend begins.
The closest he’s come to lifting a trophy on the Tour was losing in a playoff to Charles Howell III at the 2018 RSM Classic. That week, Rodgers shot 61-62 at Sea Island’s Seaside Course, the lowest 36-hole weekend score in Tour history. Also a member of the “Class of 2011” which included major winners Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas, Rodgers equaled the record of Tiger Woods with 11 victories during his college career at Stanford.
So getting a victory at the Valero would be extra sweet, especially since a debut in the Masters would be part of the prize package.
Rodgers makes no bones about the fact that he’s as hungry as ever to get a victory.
“It’s something I’ve always dreamt of, it’s the reason why I’m out here,” Rodgers said. “I love this job because I love to compete and I do my best to win a golf tournament every time I tee it up. I’m excited for the chance. This is, like I said, why I play. It’s going to be a really fun next couple of days.”
Patrick Rodgers tees off on the 18th hole during the second round of the 2023 Valero Texas Open at TPC San Antonio. (Photo by Alex Bierens de Haan/Getty Images)
Nothing about his recent form would have indicated he’d play like he did Friday. Rodgers has missed the cut in six of his last eight tournaments, has fallen to 143rd in the Official World Golf Ranking and his track record at the Valero has been abysmal. He failed to reach the weekend in each of his first three appearances and even when he finally did make the cut last year, he dropped hard with a 75 on Sunday.
“Thank you for the reminder,” he said, when being told he’d failed to break par in his first three years at TPC San Antonio. “It’s a very demanding golf course. I think experience definitely makes me more comfortable around here. It’s demanding mentally because you know that on both sides of every hole there’s some pretty thick forest and some places you don’t want to be. It’s just been helpful to focus on where I’m trying to hit it and manage the golf course well and I’ve done a great job of that for two days.”
The biggest difference this week is his iron play. Rodgers was No. 1 in strokes gained approach the green through his first two rounds, picking up seven strokes on the field in that category.
Despite his recent struggles, the former 2014 Haskins Award winner said he’s been working diligently on his routine in this area, making sure he’s committed to his decisions.
“That’s been a huge area of focus for me, it’s been what’s keeping me from playing better golf and yeah, I’m really proud that the work that I’ve been putting in week in and week out even when it wasn’t paying off on the golf course,” Rodgers said. “Now it’s starting to and I’m happy with the patience that I’ve showed to get here.”
