Fowler to upstage Donald, Woods and other bigger names in Memorial
Published:The majority of golf’s big names are set to take part in the Memorial Tournament, but it is the in-form Rickie Fowler that can claim a second career PGA Tour victory at 16/1.
Luke Donald will tee off in Ohio as the 9/1 favourite and his triumph in the BMW Championship to move back to the head of the world rankings is good enough reason for this price.
Donald has finished in the top 15 in his last three visits to Muirfield Village and his success in taming par 5s this season should also stand him in good shape for a close finish.
However, his price may be a bit short for such a high-quality field.
Tiger Woods is 14/1 to win at the Memorial for a fifth time, but his form since victory in the Arnold Palmer Invitational has been average at best and there are no grounds to expect a return to form here.
The same can be said for Rory McIlroy at 14/1 as he is in the uncustomary position of missing his last two cuts.
McIlroy has finished in the top ten at Memorial in each of the last two years and is expected to lay down a stronger challenge than has been the case in recent weeks.
But having trodden on new ground at the Wells Fargo Championship in early May, Fowler has continued in a rich vein of form.
He has finished second in the Players Championship and fifth at the Crowne Plaza Invitational and he has shot no worse than level-par in his last 16 tournament rounds.
Throw in that Fowler took second at Memorial in 2009 and he should have little problems handling the demands of the Jack Nicklaus-designed course.
Safer punters may prefer the 4/1 that Fowler finishes in the top five or 13/8 that he secures a fifth successive top-ten result.
