2023 Memorial Tournament Fantasy golf picks, rankings, advice: Back Patrick Cantlay, fade Rory McIlroy

The rest of the world’s top five golfers will rejoin No. 1 Scottie Scheffler for this week’s PGA Tour event at Muirfield Village, where the 2023 Memorial Tournament is set to tee off Thursday. The latest PGA Tour designated event brings Jon Rahm, Rory McIlroy, Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele back following a week off. Rahm is the only one of the five who didn’t finish in the top 20 at the PGA Championship two weeks ago. He tied for 50th, but he won at Muirfield in 2020. The Spaniard also had a six-stroke lead when he was forced to withdraw from the Memorial in 2021. That left the door open for Cantlay, who added that Memorial victory to the one he got in 2019. 

Scheffler is the 6-1 favorite, with Rahm right behind at 7-1, in the latest 2023 Memorial Tournament golf odds at Caesars Sportsbook. Rahm has a great history at Muirfield but comes off his worst finish of the season at the PGA, so is he someone you can trust to anchor your 2023 Memorial Tournament Fantasy golf picks? Will players like McIlroy (10-1) or Xander Schauffele (14-1) be overlooked by many and put you in a better position to win your matchups? Before locking in any 2023 Memorial Tournament Fantasy golf picks or PGA Tour bets, make sure you check out the Memorial Tournament Fantasy golf rankings from fantasy expert Jim Holliman.

Holliman has been a writer and editor for nearly 25 years and has been playing and following the game closely for more than three decades. The Florida-based writer knows what it takes to win on the PGA Tour and how the players’ games fit the courses.

At last week’s Charles Schwab Challenge, six of Holliman’s top 10 picks finished 16th or better, and all three longshots made the cut, led by Justin Suh (+10000), who tied for 16th. The expert was on fire on his predictions for the PGA Championship. The top three finishers at Oak Hill were all among his top five picks. As for winner Brooks Koepka, Holliman said “he can beat anyone when stakes are high.” He certainly proved that when he won by two strokes for his fifth major victory.

Holliman has been on a serious roll: He was all over Jason Day (+1800) as a top contender at the Byron Nelson before the Australian’s first victory in more than five years. He also nailed Tony Finau (+850) as his top choice at the Mexico Open, and longshot play Eric Cole (+10000) posted a top-five finish.

The expert had Rahm (+750) at No. 1 before his Masters victory and backed Scheffler (+1000) to win the Players Championship. Anyone who has followed Holliman’s predictions is way up on their golf picks.

Now, Holliman has ranked his top golfers for the 2023 Memorial Tournament, and you’ll really want to see what he has to say. The picks are only available at SportsLine.

2023 Memorial Tournament golf expert picks

Holliman says “Cantlay is ready to win again,” so the expert is backing the two-time Memorial winner this week. The 31-year-old has six top-10 finishes since mid-February, including a T-9 at the PGA Championship. Cantlay opened his quest for a first major title with a 74 at Oak Hill, but he rebounded well and closed with 66. Holliman says “his performance at Muirfield is uncanny,” as Cantlay has finished in the top four in four of his past five outings at Jack’s Place. The 2021 FedEx Cup champion leads the tour in total driving and ranks fifth in greens in regulation.

On the other hand, the expert is steering clear of McIlroy, who finally cracked the top 10 at the PGA but has been struggling lately. The Northern Irishman tied for seventh at Oak Hill, but he doesn’t have a great history at Muirfield, so Holliman doesn’t have him near his top five. McIlroy has finished outside the top 25 five times in nine tour events this season. He also has finished 18th or worse in his past four outings in Ohio and has cracked the top 10 twice in his past nine there. The 34-year-old ranks 189th in driving accuracy and 154th in greens in regulation. See who he is backing at SportsLine.

How to set your 2023 Memorial Tournament golf rankings

For this week’s PGA tournament, Holliman is backing several underdogs, including one massive longshot who comes in at more than 200-1. The expert says it’s just a matter of time before this golfer starts stringing great rounds together. See who it is, and get all Holliman’s picks, at SportsLine.

Who wins the 2023 Memorial Tournament, and who are the top players to target for your Memorial Tournament Fantasy golf picks? Visit SportsLine now to get Jim Holliman’s Fantasy golf rankings for Memorial Tournament 2023, all from the Fantasy expert who had six of his top-10 picks finish 16th or better last week, and find out.