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Two head-to-head matchups to bet for the Memorial Tournament

The PGA is headed to Jack’s place for the Memorial Tournament at Muirfield Village Golf Club in Ohio. A par 72 at over 7,500 yards, it’s a pretty demanding course with thick rough and firm/small greens. The layout is best suited for strong iron play and around-the-green game. For that, I’m backing players with these traits in the head-to-head market. These plays are 11-5-2 this season.

Corey Conners (-110) vs. Russell Henley

Conners has had a sudden boost in his short game, gaining strokes around the green and putting in back-to-back events. Pair that with his ball striking and Conners could find himself in contention this week. Although Conners finished T12 in the PGA Championship, he entered the fourth round just one stroke behind the lead. A 5-over on the final day put him back but overall, but Conners still gained strokes in every category for the tournament, the third time doing so in his last five events. In those three tournaments, Conners won the Valero Texas Open and finished T8 and T12.

Henley is a solid ball striker, as well. The problem for him: He’s lost strokes in back-to-back starts either around the green or putting, and he missed the cut in the PGA Championship. He also lost strokes off the tee. Muirfield is a precision course and missing off the tee could be detrimental.

Tyrrell Hatton (-130) vs. Jason Day

Hatton is on the up and up, gaining strokes in every single category in three straight tournaments, the only player to do so during that span. Hatton also excels on difficult courses, finishing T3 at Quail Hollow and T4 at Bay Hill. He’s one of the best ball strikers on tour, ranking seventh best in the field in the last 32 rounds, but it’s his short game that’s improved. After losing strokes around the green or putting in four of five tournaments played between February and March, including a missed cut in the Valero Texas Open, Hatton has been on a tear and in the green in every stat line.

Day was someone I was high on for most of the season. However, he has two missed cuts in his last three starts, losing strokes with his irons. Losing strokes with something like putting is forgivable because it’s quite volatile based on the putting surface, but to lose strokes with iron play in nearly back-to-back weeks is troubling.