{"id":7874,"date":"2023-05-30T14:25:50","date_gmt":"2023-05-30T14:25:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/api.betspertsgolf.com\/raw-forum\/?post_type=article&#038;p=7874"},"modified":"2023-05-30T15:26:49","modified_gmt":"2023-05-30T15:26:49","slug":"2023-the-memorial-at-muirfield-village-golf-club-preview","status":"publish","type":"article","link":"https:\/\/api.betspertsgolf.com\/raw-forum\/article\/2023-the-memorial-at-muirfield-village-golf-club-preview\/","title":{"rendered":"2023 the Memorial at Muirfield Village Golf Club &#8211; Preview"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>With only two weeks until the year&#8217;s third major at the U.S. Open, the PGA heads to Muirfield Village and one of the more iconic courses on Tour as it hosts the Memorial Tournament in Dublin, Ohio. &#8220;Jack&#8217;s Place&#8221; is a beautiful championship venue that has grown into one of golf&#8217;s premier events. Five-time winner of the Memorial, Tiger Woods, summed up the meaning of this tournament and how it&#8217;s connected to the respect players have for Jack Nicklaus. &#8220;I&#8217;ve always tried to play at Jack&#8217;s events. What he&#8217;s meant to the Tour, I&#8217;ve always tried to support his events. This one in particular is very special to him, it&#8217;s very special to us as players.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Designed by Nicklaus himself in 1974 during the midst of his playing career, it is the only venue in history to host the Ryder Cup, Presidents Cup, and Solheim Cup. It&#8217;s a demanding course that is bold and long, and one where players must perform well tee-to-green to have any chance at success Those who get out of position in the thick rough, either with wayward drives or poor approaches into the firm greens will struggle to make par. Muirfield Village will provide a stringent test of short-game skills as it ranks as the second toughest course (behind Augusta National) to gain strokes around the green. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>After toughening up the course in 2020, Nicklaus described his philosophy on the renovation and Muirfield Village in general. \u201cMy belief is that tournament golf should be a test to find out who is the best golfer that week. Far too many tournaments have eliminated the rough and firmness of greens, and that is just not my idea of what the game of golf should be. So I\u2019m going to stick with my old-fashioned beliefs about how the game of golf should be played and the way golf courses should be set up. The whole gamut of all shots is what the game of golf is all about. The game should challenge every facet of every club in the bag.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There has been a diverse group of winners over the past dozen events with some of the elite players in the game rising to the top in recent years. Since Nicklaus renovated the course in 2020, scoring has become even tougher, averaging 1.02 strokes over par. Last year, Billy Horschel had success throughout his bag gaining 8.4 strokes ball-striking along with 9.0 strokes with his short game.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"952\" height=\"285\" src=\"https:\/\/api.betspertsgolf.com\/raw-forum\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Memorial-Scorecard.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-7875\" srcset=\"https:\/\/api.betspertsgolf.com\/raw-forum\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Memorial-Scorecard.jpg 952w, https:\/\/api.betspertsgolf.com\/raw-forum\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Memorial-Scorecard-300x90.jpg 300w, https:\/\/api.betspertsgolf.com\/raw-forum\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Memorial-Scorecard-768x230.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 952px) 100vw, 952px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The Field<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The Memorial is a 120-man invitational event with the top-65 and ties making it through the cut line. With major-like conditions, similar to Augusta National, it presents a great warm-up for the upcoming challenges that players will see at the U.S. Open at Los Angeles Country Club. With a total purse of $20 million, the winner receives $3.6 million along with 550 FedExCup points.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Muirfield Village typically hosts one of the strongest fields on Tour and this year is no different with it being next in line in the PGA&#8217;s series of elevated events. The top five players in the world, Scottie Scheffler, Jon Rahm, Rory McIlroy, Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele, along with 23 of the top 30 in the Official World Golf Rankings will be in attendance. Three of the past four winners here (Cantlay in 2019, Rahm in 2020, Cantlay in 2021) are from players who currently reside among this group. Billy Horschel also returns to defend his title from last year. The top players who are sitting out this week include Max Homa, Tony Finau, Tommy Fleetwood, and Justin Rose.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"792\" height=\"420\" src=\"https:\/\/api.betspertsgolf.com\/raw-forum\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Memorial-Course-Facts.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-7876\" srcset=\"https:\/\/api.betspertsgolf.com\/raw-forum\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Memorial-Course-Facts.jpg 792w, https:\/\/api.betspertsgolf.com\/raw-forum\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Memorial-Course-Facts-300x159.jpg 300w, https:\/\/api.betspertsgolf.com\/raw-forum\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Memorial-Course-Facts-768x407.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 792px) 100vw, 792px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<div class=\"ast-oembed-container\" style=\"height: 100%;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"The origins of Muirfield Village Golf Club\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/IZjwxKMmSRo?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Muirfield Village Golf Club &#8211; History<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Located just a few miles northwest of Columbus, Ohio, Muirfield Village was founded by golf legend, Jack Nicklaus. He named it after Muirfield, Scotland where he completed his first grand slam in 1966 after winning the British Open. Situated on 220 acres, the club officially opened in May of 1974. As far as why he chose the site, Nicklaus remarked, &#8220;It\u2019s a pretty site. When I saw it, I liked the way it flowed through the valleys, and I knew I wanted to create a gallery golf course. The valleys were wide enough to accommodate that goal.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>With Augusta National in mind, Nicklaus built a course that epitomizes his design philosophy. It is a brawny style of modern architecture that favors players with a high ball flight and those with a left-to-right power fade off the tee.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Jack Nicklaus is the type of course designer who is never satisfied and is always looking to modernize his creations. This is nowhere more true than here at Muirfield Village. Since it opened, Nicklaus has remodeled every hole on the course at least once. His main reason for doing so is to keep up with the distance and talent of current times.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>After the 2020 event, Nicklaus oversaw an extensive course renovation that saw new tees added on five holes, a complete reconstruction of the green complexes with bentgrass surfaces, and recontoured bunkers. The 15th hole was also completely rebuilt. This renovation also lengthened the course by close to 100 yards. Since last year&#8217;s tournament, new tees have been added on No. 16 and No. 17 which has further lengthened the course by around 40 yards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Looking back from 2016-2020, Muirfield Village played to an average score of 0.75 over par. When analyzing the data after last year&#8217;s renovation, it has played significantly more difficult at an average of 1.02 strokes over par.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<div class=\"ast-oembed-container\" style=\"height: 100%;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Nicklaus: Redesigning Muirfield Village Golf Club | PGA TOUR Originals\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/As9b1B5Z1tQ?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Finish Position and Strokes Gained Event History (2015-2022)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>*Muirfield Village GC is the 12th most predictive annual course on Tour.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"426\" src=\"https:\/\/api.betspertsgolf.com\/raw-forum\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Memorial-CH-1-1024x426.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-7877\" srcset=\"https:\/\/api.betspertsgolf.com\/raw-forum\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Memorial-CH-1-1024x426.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/api.betspertsgolf.com\/raw-forum\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Memorial-CH-1-300x125.jpg 300w, https:\/\/api.betspertsgolf.com\/raw-forum\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Memorial-CH-1-768x320.jpg 768w, https:\/\/api.betspertsgolf.com\/raw-forum\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Memorial-CH-1.jpg 1447w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"455\" src=\"https:\/\/api.betspertsgolf.com\/raw-forum\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Memorial-CH-2-1024x455.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-7878\" srcset=\"https:\/\/api.betspertsgolf.com\/raw-forum\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Memorial-CH-2-1024x455.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/api.betspertsgolf.com\/raw-forum\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Memorial-CH-2-300x133.jpg 300w, https:\/\/api.betspertsgolf.com\/raw-forum\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Memorial-CH-2-768x341.jpg 768w, https:\/\/api.betspertsgolf.com\/raw-forum\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Memorial-CH-2.jpg 1446w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"445\" src=\"https:\/\/api.betspertsgolf.com\/raw-forum\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Memorial-CH-3-1024x445.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-7879\" srcset=\"https:\/\/api.betspertsgolf.com\/raw-forum\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Memorial-CH-3-1024x445.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/api.betspertsgolf.com\/raw-forum\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Memorial-CH-3-300x130.jpg 300w, https:\/\/api.betspertsgolf.com\/raw-forum\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Memorial-CH-3-768x334.jpg 768w, https:\/\/api.betspertsgolf.com\/raw-forum\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Memorial-CH-3.jpg 1444w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"411\" src=\"https:\/\/api.betspertsgolf.com\/raw-forum\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Memorial-CH-4-1024x411.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-7880\" srcset=\"https:\/\/api.betspertsgolf.com\/raw-forum\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Memorial-CH-4-1024x411.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/api.betspertsgolf.com\/raw-forum\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Memorial-CH-4-300x120.jpg 300w, https:\/\/api.betspertsgolf.com\/raw-forum\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Memorial-CH-4-768x308.jpg 768w, https:\/\/api.betspertsgolf.com\/raw-forum\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Memorial-CH-4.jpg 1444w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Course Features<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Muirfield Village Golf Club is a par-72 course that measures 7,571 yards. The added length makes it the sixth-longest annual course on Tour. This classical parkland layout is characterized by elevation changes, wide tree-lined fairways, challenging bunkers, firm and fast green complexes, and penal rough. There are also 12 holes with water danger. The margin of error is so low here that misses will cause the number of bogeys to add up rather quickly. With its scoring average of 1.02 strokes over par since the renovation in 2020, it ranks as the fifth toughest non-major course on Tour.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Said Jon Rahm after the renovation, &#8220;It\u2019s a test out there. It\u2019s more how golf should be. I\u2019m glad for once we\u2019re not having a week where it becomes a putting contest and see who shoots 20-plus under par. I do think the redesign has made it a better golf course.&#8221; Because of the penal rough along the fairways, players who drive it well have a much better chance of finding success with their approach shots than those stuck trying to hack their ball out of the thick grass.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Muirfield Village&#8217;s design is typical of one of Nicklaus&#8217;s core philosophies. With wider fairways, each hole gets more difficult the further it gets from the tee box. Nicklaus believes in challenging players on approach and into the greens so that those who can hit quality irons and who can scramble to save par will rise to the top. Similar to how the &#8220;Golden Bear&#8221; himself played the game, Muirfield favors a power fade off the tee with a high ball flight apex into the greens which typically get dramatically firmer as the weekend progresses. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Tiger Woods confirmed this advantage a few years ago. &#8220;So over the course of my career, I\u2019ve done well on Nicklaus courses. And I\u2019ve always felt maybe just the high fade or just high shots in general, because I\u2019ve always hit the ball high has always been advantageous.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Known for its immaculate grass and fantastically manicured grounds, Muirfield Village is one of the most picturesque golf courses on Tour. Fairway grass and greens are made up of Bentgrass, while the rough is a 4&#8243; blend of Kentucky bluegrass, ryegrass and fescue. The greens are very pure and consistent throughout rolling at around a fast 13 on the stimpmeter. They rank below average in size at 5,000 square feet and are also known for being some of the toughest greens on Tour with broad sweeping contours and numerous pin locations that will funnel back toward the hole when hit to the proper quadrant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<div class=\"ast-oembed-container\" style=\"height: 100%;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Golf is Hard | Muirfield Village Golf Club (all-time edition)\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/9FnwzKHIm3Y?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Hole Preview<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The course doesn&#8217;t really have one iconic hole but instead is made up of 18 magnificent holes. A good majority of the scoring at Muirfield comes on the four par-5s. They make up the only four holes that actually play under par and are each in the 550-600 yard range. In the most recent renovation, the four par 5s were each lengthened in order to make them more difficult and harder to reach in two shots. This resulted in them being among the toughest group of par-5s on Tour and playing as the 5th most difficult after last year&#8217;s renovation. Excluding the 561-yard 15th, the other three can typically be reached in two shots. In the last two years combined, 44 of the top 50 players on the leaderboard gained on the field on the par-5s.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Three of the par-3s are over 200 yards and play a combined 0.62 over par. And the shortest one, the 180-yard 12th hole has the highest bogey-or-worse rate at 26%. They are the toughest par-3s on Tour. Players will be hitting long irons into small and firm greens and will have their patience tested.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There is not a single par-4 that plays under par. The only par-4s that are even close are the two holes that are under 400 yards. Seven of them play between 450-500 yards which is a range that should be targeted with players who have success from that yardage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The closing stretch at Muirfield Village, featuring holes 16-18, is one of the most punishing on Tour. The 16th includes a 200-yard par 3 over water. The 17th is a monstrous 485-yard par 4 with a tight corridor off the tee. And it concludes with a 480-yard finishing hole that features an uphill dogleg with multiple hazards to maneuver around.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Strokes Gained Analysis<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"711\" height=\"640\" src=\"https:\/\/api.betspertsgolf.com\/raw-forum\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Muirfield-Village-Stat-Comp-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-7883\" srcset=\"https:\/\/api.betspertsgolf.com\/raw-forum\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Muirfield-Village-Stat-Comp-1.jpg 711w, https:\/\/api.betspertsgolf.com\/raw-forum\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Muirfield-Village-Stat-Comp-1-300x270.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 711px) 100vw, 711px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Off the Tee<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>Muirfield ranks as the 14th easiest course to gain strokes off the tee. In the two years since the renovation, however, it has ranked in the top five for off-the-tee difficulty thanks to the added length and placement of bunkers closer to landing zones. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>While fairways are generous, averaging 33 yards wide, there is a damaging penalty for wayward drives. Not only does water lurk throughout the course, but the 4&#8243; thick rough is among the most penal on Tour. In fact, the course ranks as the toughest to play from when missing a fairway or hitting into the rough. Errant tee shots will result in buried balls or a hazard. There is definitely a premium for driving the ball in the fairway this week. In 2021, every single player in the top-ten gained strokes in Good Drive %, and 14 out of 15 gained off the tee. The data was very similar for last year&#8217;s tournament.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>With the course being so long, distance off the tee is also a definite advantage. Longer hitters can then attack the greens with wedges and higher lofted. This makes both Total Driving and Good Drive % important stats for this week. As mentioned earlier, many of holes demand something Nicklaus was great at himself &#8211; hitting a high power fade. Many players have commented about that type of ball flight working well here.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Player after player has commented on the importance of staying out of the rough at all costs. Said Patrick Cantlay, &#8220;There\u2019s a huge premium on driving the golf ball long in the fairway.&#8221; Jordan Spieth said, &#8220;If you get yourself out of position off the tee, and all of a sudden you\u2019re left you can\u2019t really take much of a chance because then you get above the hole and you\u2019re out of it. So there is a premium on positioning off the tee.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Approach<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>Muirfield Village is the ultimate shots-makers course that demands precision on every stroke, yet birdie opportunities can be gained if players can find the right quadrant on the greens. The top-5 on the leaderboard in 2021 gained an average of 4.8 shots on approach. Last year, not a single player in the top-13 gained less than 2.1 strokes on approach. Long-iron play will be paramount with 49% of approach shots coming from over 175 yards. This is well above the Tour average of 44%. The average approach distance is one of the highest anywhere at 191 yards compared to the average of 172 yards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Along with some of the firmest greens on Tour, there is also water danger on approach on 11 holes. A GIR rate of only 57% shows just how tough these green complexes are. And with the sixth smallest greens on Tour, even good approaches can go unrewarded as balls will bounce and roll off these firm and fast surfaces. Players who short-side themselves on approach will have difficulty scrambling as they will be putting downhill, making a 3-putt all the more likely. It is no wonder that Muirfield ranks as the seventh toughest course to gain strokes on approach.   <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Another key factor this week that players have been heavily quoted on is leaving your putts below the hole in the proper area of the green. With the greens sloping so severely in spots, there are many locations where the ball will gather to the hole. Much of this is learned by course experience which is another reason to target players who have been battle-tested at Muirfield.  Learning where you can and can&#8217;t miss will be paramount to success. Finally, players with a higher ball apex who can land their ball softer on these greens will be crucial for a higher GIR%.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"711\" height=\"787\" src=\"https:\/\/api.betspertsgolf.com\/raw-forum\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Muirfield-Village-Stat-Comp-2.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-7887\" srcset=\"https:\/\/api.betspertsgolf.com\/raw-forum\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Muirfield-Village-Stat-Comp-2.jpg 711w, https:\/\/api.betspertsgolf.com\/raw-forum\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Muirfield-Village-Stat-Comp-2-271x300.jpg 271w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 711px) 100vw, 711px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Around the Green and Putting<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>Scrambling and around the green play will be critical this week. Much of the scoring difficulty at Muirfield comes mostly from the touch and creativity golfers need to display with their short game. SG: ARG is actually the 4th most correlated stat to having success here. In 2021, the top-6 players gained at least two strokes in SG: ARG. Last year&#8217;s winner, Billy Horschel, was a magician around the greens gaining 5.2 strokes. And it&#8217;s not just the 4-inch rough that gives players trouble, it&#8217;s the 68 bunkers that surround these greens, many of which are massive and deep.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>With the greens at Muirfield Village being so fast and undulated it seems to level out the playing field in terms of putting skill because everyone has to putt so defensively. Since the renovation, the last two years have seen Muirfield become one of the easier putting courses on Tour, whereas beforehand it had always ranked in the top half of the most difficult.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Jordan Spieth has remarked on how important imagination is on these greens because with all the ridges and slopes you have to find creative ways to lag your ball to the hole. &#8220;The greens are arguably tied for first or second only to Augusta National as far as speed and how pure they are consistently each year. I love putting on greens where you have to have imagination. You have to play these ridges. Speed control is so vital.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Most Important Stats For Success at Muirfield Village GC<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><em>*In order of importance<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>SG: APP<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Scrambling (Rough)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Good Drive % (Rough)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>SG: Par 5<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Proximity 175+ yds<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Bogey Avoidance<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Total Driving<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>SG: Putting (Bentgrass)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>SG: T2G<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>SG: Course History + Other Difficult T2G Courses<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Weather Forecast \u2013 Dublin, Ohio<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"763\" src=\"https:\/\/api.betspertsgolf.com\/raw-forum\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/11aa-1024x763.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-7884\" srcset=\"https:\/\/api.betspertsgolf.com\/raw-forum\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/11aa-1024x763.png 1024w, https:\/\/api.betspertsgolf.com\/raw-forum\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/11aa-300x223.png 300w, https:\/\/api.betspertsgolf.com\/raw-forum\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/11aa-768x572.png 768w, https:\/\/api.betspertsgolf.com\/raw-forum\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/11aa.png 1047w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p> <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A comprehensive data driven preview of the 2023 Memorial tournament held at Muirfield Village Golf Club.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":7885,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":""},"bs_types":[14,15],"bs_tags":[29,73,116],"class_list":["post-7874","article","type-article","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","bs_type-betting","bs_type-fantasy","bs_tag-golf-betting","bs_tag-golf-dfs","bs_tag-the-memorial"],"acf":false,"featured_image":"https:\/\/api.betspertsgolf.com\/raw-forum\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/download-2.jpg","tags_list":[{"id":29,"name":"Golf Betting","slug":"golf-betting"},{"id":73,"name":"Golf DFS","slug":"golf-dfs"},{"id":116,"name":"The Memorial","slug":"the-memorial"}],"types_list":[{"id":14,"name":"Betting"},{"id":15,"name":"Fantasy"}],"bs_author":{"name":"Ron Klos","profile_image":"https:\/\/api.betspertsgolf.com\/raw-forum\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/Ron-Klos-150x150.jpg"},"bs_term_name":null,"is_paid":"false","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/api.betspertsgolf.com\/raw-forum\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/article\/7874","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/api.betspertsgolf.com\/raw-forum\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/article"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/api.betspertsgolf.com\/raw-forum\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/article"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/api.betspertsgolf.com\/raw-forum\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/api.betspertsgolf.com\/raw-forum\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7885"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/api.betspertsgolf.com\/raw-forum\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7874"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"bs_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/api.betspertsgolf.com\/raw-forum\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bs_types?post=7874"},{"taxonomy":"bs_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/api.betspertsgolf.com\/raw-forum\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bs_tags?post=7874"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}