The 2026 Memorial Tournament tees off Thursday at Muirfield Village Golf Club in Dublin, Ohio, marking the PGA Tour‘s seventh Signature Event of the season and one of the most prestigious non-major championships in golf.
Founded by legendary golfer Jack Nicklaus, the tournament features a $20 million purse, an elite field, and serves as one of the final major tests before the U.S. Open.
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Defending champion Scottie Scheffler enters the week chasing a rare third consecutive Memorial title, a feat that would place him in exceptionally exclusive company.
Yet as attention centers on Scheffler, Rory McIlroy, and other stars, CBS Sports analyst Patrick McDonald believes fans may be overlooking one of the tournament’s most dangerous sleepers, Patrick Cantlay.
“He’s a player who is trending in the right direction and has won twice at this golf course,” McDonald wrote. “Approaching four seasons without a title, the former FedEx Cup champion comes to a place where his comfort level can only be described as high. He has four top-12 finishes in his last five starts and was percolating at the PGA Championship before a poor weekend sent him tumbling down the leaderboard.”
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NEWTOWN, PENNSYLVANIA – MAY 15: Patrick Cantlay of the United States looks on from the sixth green during the second round of the PGA Championship at Aronimink Golf Club on May 15, 2026 in Newtown, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
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Cantlay captured Memorial titles in 2019 and 2021, joining a select group of multiple-time winners at Nicklaus’ demanding layout.
The biggest question surrounding Cantlay is whether he can finally close the deal again.
The former PGA Tour Player of the Year hasn’t won on an event since the 2022 BMW Championship, an unusually long drought for a player who spent years among the sport’s elite.
Despite that, Cantlay has remained remarkably consistent, regularly contending and maintaining his place among the world’s top players.
This season alone, he has recorded three top-10 finishes, including a tie for seventh at the Valspar Championship in March and a tie for eighth at the RBC Heritage in April.
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He also finished tied for 12th at the Masters at 5-under par, highlighted by a third-round 66 that matched the second-lowest score of the day.
McDonald’s argument is that the combination of improving form and familiar surroundings may create the perfect opportunity for that drought to end.
The challenge, of course, is the competition.
Scheffler enters as the overwhelming favorite after winning the Memorial in both 2024 and 2025.
McIlroy returns to the event, while contenders including Xander Schauffele, Ludvig Åberg, Cameron Young, Russell Henley, Tommy Fleetwood, and Si Woo Kim headline one of the deepest fields of the season.
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