PGA Tour players will spend the next two weeks competing on the same golf course in Columbus, Ohio, but this week’s Workday Charity Open will have different conditions than next week’s Memorial. Muirfield Village will be a much easier golf course this week than it will for next week’s event.
Gary Young, Workday Charity Open tournament director, told reporters that this week’s layout will be a bit easier than next week’s Memorial. The rough will be lower, the fairways wider, and the greens slower he said.
“This week here we have an opportunity to present the golf course in a different way,†Young said. “You’re probably going to see a more receptive golf course, one where the greens will certainly be receptive.â€
Odds to Win Workday Charity Open
| Golfer | William Hill | Circa | DraftKings |
| Justin Thomas | 11/1 | 67/5 | 11/1 |
| Jon Rahm | 12/1 | 67/5 | 13/1 |
| Hideki Matsuyama | 14/1 | 17/1 | 17/1 |
| Brooks Koepka | 14/1 | 17/1 | 15/1 |
| Patrick Cantlay | 14/1 | 14/1 | 13/1 |
| Xander Schauffele | 16/1 | 20/1 | 17/1 |
| Viktor Hovland | 22/1 | 26/1 | 26/1 |
| Justin Rose | 25/1 | 25/1 | 26/1 |
| Rickie Fowler | 28/1 | 40/1 | 28/1 |
| Collin Morikawa | 28/1 | 36/1 | 30/1 |
| Patrick Reed | 33/1 | 37/1 | 30/1 |
| Jordan Spieth | 35/1 | 70/1 | 50/1 |
| Marc Leishman | 35/1 | 40/1 | 40/1 |
| Joaquin Niemann | 35/1 | 44/1 | 50/1 |
| Sung-Jae Im | 40/1 | 42/1 | 45/1 |
| Adam Hadwin | 40/1 | 65/1 | 50/1 |
| Matt Kuchar | 40/1 | 48/1 | 45/1 |
| Gary Woodland | 50/1 | 46/1 | 35/1 |
| Matthew Wolff | 50/1 | 90/1 | 70/1 |
| Matthew Fitzpatrick | 50/1 | 52/1 | 55/1 |
| Bubba Watson | 60/1 | 65/1 | 50/1 |
| Phil Mickelson | 66/1 | 130/1 | 85/1 |
That means lower scores. It also means more golfers will have a chance to win. Justin Thomas is the 11/1 favorite this week, but his record is mixed at Muirfield Village. He’s finished tied for fourth and eighth, but he’s also missed the cut three times.
“I’ve had some good finishes, but it seems to be few and far between,†Thomas said. “It seems to be a top-10 or a missed cut. There’s obviously some things that I need to figure out about this golf course and things I need to do better.â€
Who should have a good finish this week? We take a look at some who could, and others that might struggle.
Golfers to Consider at Workday Classic
Brooks Koepka (14/1)
Koepka was starting to build some momentum after coming back from a knee injury and then suffered a COVID-19 scare. He took the last two weeks off as a precaution.
Fortunately, Koepka tested negative and is returning to play the Workday Classic. He finished seventh at the last event he played, The RBC Heritage. The only concerning thing about Koepka this week is his past performance at Muirfield; he last played this golf course in 2017 and finished tied for 31st.
Patrick Cantlay (14/1)
If we were running a sportsbook, Cantlay would be our favorite this week. He won the Memorial last year at Muirfield Village, and was fourth the year before.
We also like that he’s rested, having only played once in the last month. The tournament he did play was the Travelers Championship, where he finished tied for 11th.
Golfers to Avoid
Jon Rahm (12/1)
There is so much not to like about Rahm this week. The first is his current play. He’s entered three tournaments since the June 14th restart and hasn’t sniffed the top 20 in any of them. The Spaniard missed the cut at Charles Schwab, and finished tied for 33rd and tied for 37th in his next two events.
Rahm took last week off, presumably to take a break from playing mediocre golf. He’s played Muirfield Village once before, missing the cut at the 2017 Memorial. We still can’t figure out why he’s the second pick this week.
Justin Rose (25/1)
Rose could go either way this week. He missed the cut two weeks ago at the Travelers Championship, the last event he played in. He did finish 13th at the Memorial last year. We’re not sure which Rose will show up at the Workday Charity Open, but we’d rather not gamble on him.