the Memorial Tournament 2026 FRL Tips: Back the early starters at Muirfield

The Memorial Tournament begins tomorrow at Muirfield Village, where it may pay to side with the early starters in the first-round leader betting.

Our resident golf tipster Jamie Worsley is here with three picks he fancies to take advantage in his the Memorial Tournament 2026 FRL Betting Tips, which you can check out below...

You can read Jamie's full the Memorial Tournament Preview here..

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Teeing off at 7.45am, the 72-man field will go out in pairs at 10-15 minute intervals until the final group gets underway at 1.55pm.

Conditions are forecast to be sunny and warm all day, with temperatures reaching highs of 29°C in the afternoon. However, while the wind will be a non-factor for the morning tee-times, blowing at between 4 and 6mph, it is predicted to rise to around 8mph later in the day, accompanied by gusts of up to 15mph.

This is by no means extreme, but it is enough to make a challenging course that bit more difficult. With that, I’m going to focus my attention on players who tee off before 10am in this market.

1.25 pts Alex Smalley each-way (1/4 - 5 places) @ 35/1

Start time: 8.35am

Ranking 1^st in first-round performance over the last two months, Alex Smalley’s tremendous run of form has been built on fast starts. His record at Muirfield Village is sketchy but he’s a completely different player at present, and I see no reason why he can’t go low in the pleasant morning weather.

Smalley has been playing well all year, though his form has really gone up a notch of late. He played a starring role alongside Hayden Springer to finish 2^nd at the Zurich Classic at the end of April and followed with a 7^th-place finish at the Cadillac Championship, where he began with a seven-under 65 to end day one in 2^nd place.

After sharing the first-round lead at the PGA Championship, he stuck around stoutly throughout the rest of the event, sitting atop the leaderboard after rounds two and three before eventually finishing 2^nd to an excellent Aaron Rai on Sunday.

Showing no fatigue from those excursions, he again started fast at Colonial last week, opening with a five-under 65 to sit 7^th after round one, following with scores of 67, 69 and 68 to finish 3^rd.

Smalley’s two tastes of Muirfield Village did result in missed cuts in 2022 and 2023. That said, he’s playing the best golf of his career at present, ranking 5^th in SG: Total since the start of April and, with nobody performing better on Thursdays, expect him to be among the leaders tomorrow.

1 pt Nick Taylor each-way (1/4 - 5 places) @ 50/1

Start time: 8.45am

Nick Taylor is another player thriving in round one, which has played a major part in his consistency in 2026. He’s produced his two best results at the Memorial Tournament in the last two years and is well placed to take advantage of his early start time.

Taylor has missed just one cut in 14 appearances this campaign, recording four top-25 finishes. His standout performance came at the Cadillac Championship three starts ago, finishing 9^th, and he’s maintained a similar level of form in two subsequent outings, picking up 14^th and 26^th-place finishes at the Truist Championship and PGA Championship.

He’s been strong around the greens, ranking 10^th, whilst his iron play has also been an asset, sitting 32^nd in SG: Approach. It’s that ranking of 5^th in round one scoring average that offers the most encouragement here, opening with an under-par round in each of his last six starts.

Taylor came out of the blocks quickly at Muirfield Village last year, firing a three-under 69 to sit 4^th after 18 holes. He then shared the halfway lead before recording a best-ever 4^th-place finish in the event. Playing just as well if not better this year, another swift start looks on the cards.

1 pt Corey Conners each-way (1/4 - 5 places) @ 55/1

Start time: 8.55am

With four top-25 finishes to his name, this is a course where Corey Conners is clearly comfortable. He has suffered a drop in form in 2026, but two first-round top-10s in a row offer promise that he can get his week off to a positive start on Thursday.

Although he has only missed one cut in 12 events, Conners has rarely threatened the top of the leaderboard, producing best efforts of 13^th at THE PLAYERS Championship and 14^th at the Valspar Championship.

Despite his underwhelming results, it has been encouraging to see him strike the ball with precision, ranking 5^th in driving accuracy and 21^st in SG: Approach. In addition, much of his better work has come in first rounds, ranking 58^th in round one scoring compared to being outside the top 100 in the other three rounds.

This has been especially evident on his last two starts, as he began with a four-under 68 at the Truist Championship and a two-under 68 at the PGA Championship to sit 8^th after round one in both.

Conners’ best finish here is 13^th, achieved in 2022. Furthermore, just two years ago he kicked off with a four-under 68 to sit 3^rd at the end of Thursday. With several other rounds in the 60s under his belt, he has the experience to get out in front tomorrow.

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