2021 Memorial Tournament: Top 10 power rankings at Muirfield Village

Jon Rahm is back to defend his Memorial Tournament title. He missed the cut in his 2017 debut and posted a lackluster T-27th at the Workday Charity Open. He found something with a Sunday 64 at the Workday. When the conditions got tougher for the Memorial, so did Rahm.

The Spaniard improved his score by only two shots on the same course from the week prior, but it was good enough to win by three over his Zurich Classic partner, Ryan Palmer. That even came with a two-shot penalty when his ball moved before he chipped in on No. 16.

The grounds crew was able to let Memorial bake out last year with renovations coming immediately that summer. That may not be the case this year, but it’s still a tough test of golf that Rahm’s game suits.

He’s hoping for more conditions like the 2020 Memorial.

“It’s a test out there,” Rahm was quoted by ASAP Sports in 2020. “It’s more how golf should be. I’m glad for once we’re not having a week where it becomes a putting contest and see who shoots 20-plus under par.”

Rahm ranks third on the PGA Tour in strokes gained off the tee (.825) and third tee to green (1.517). He should feast on the four par-5s and ranks third in that category in 2020-21 (4.48).

The former Arizona State Sun Devil comes in off a week of rest after T-8th at the PGA Championship. That was his fourth top-10 in the last six starts, including T-5th at the Masters. He isn’t scaring wins the way he should be of late, but even Rahm without his best stuff is still a nice asset for your daily fantasy lineups.