The Memorial Tournament 2025: Biggest Storylines To Watch Heading Into Weekend

We've reached the halfway point of "Jack's Tournament" in Dublin, Ohio, and just 11 players currently sit in red figures. Somewhere around the property, tournament host Jack Nicklaus is smiling in approval. I'm right there with him.

With heavy rainfall throughout most of Friday's round, cold and mucky playing conditions made an already demanding course even more treacherous. Only four players shot 4-under 68 or better, while a whopping 43 players recorded an over-par round. Fifteen of the 72 players in the field missed the cut, shooting 6-over or worse through two days.

With few scoring opportunities provided in the second round, a cluttered leaderboard has emerged with 36 holes to play. Among the 57 players who qualified for the weekend, 26 are still within eight shots of the lead, meaning the tournament remains wide open heading into Moving Day.

Here are the biggest storylines to watch over the weekend at Muirfield Village:

1. Can Ben Griffin Win For The 3rd Time in 6 Starts?

Ben Griffin infamously stepped away from golf in 2021 to become a mortgage loan officer, and now just four years later, he's on the hunt for back-to-back PGA Tour victories and his third in six starts. What an incredible comeback story it's already been, but the 29-year-old University of North Carolina grad is still looking to add another chapter.

Griffin hasn't shown any signs of a post-win hangover after earning his first individual title last week at the Charles Schwab Challenge. Battling hard against Mother Nature on Friday, he impressively carded only one bogey to piece together an even-par round of 72. Through two rounds, Griffin ranks in the top seven in SG: Off The Tee (7th), SG: Around The Green (3rd), SG: Putting (3rd), Driving Distance (6th), Scrambling (4th), Greens in Regulation (7th), and Feet of Putts Made (5th).

Tied for the lead at 7-under, Griffin tee's off in the final pairing on Saturday at 3:10pm (ET) on his quest for his third win of the 2025 season, which would tie him with Rory McIlroy for most on Tour. Griffin is also seeking to become the first player to win in back-to-back weeks since Scottie Scheffler last year (2024 Masters and 2024 RBC Heritage).

2. Nick Taylor's Big-Game Mentality

Nick Taylor doesn't rank among the most consistent players on the PGA Tour, but when he gets into contention, the veteran Canadian handles the pressure better than most of the household names on the circuit.

Taylor has several of professional golf's most clutch moments in recent years. From the 72-foot eagle putt to defeat Tommy Fleetwood in a playoff at the 2023 RBC Canadian Open, to making five birdies in six holes to steal the trophy out of Charley Hoffman's hands at the 2024 WM Phoenix Open, and most recently chipping in for eagle on the 72nd hole to force a playoff and win the 2025 Sony Open, you can never count Taylor out.

After tying his career-low score at Muirfield Village with a bogey-free 4-under 68, Taylor is tied for the lead at 7-under through 36 holes and will have an opportunity to create another iconic moment over the weekend.

Taylor is set to play alongside Griffin in the final pairing on Saturday in search of his second win of the 2025 campaign. Should he go on to win, he'd become the fifth multiple winner already of the season.

3. Scottie Scheffler Looking To Reign Supreme

Surprise, surprise. World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler finds himself right in the mix to win at Muirfield Village. Sound familiar?

Scheffler has now sat T5 or better through 36 holes in six of his 12 starts this season, as he continues to flash his utterly-remarkable consistency. The three-time major champion recorded his second consecutive round of 2-under 70 on Friday morning, putting him at 4-under for the tournament and three shots back of the lead.

With an illustrious resume already in his young career at The Memorial, highlighted by his win here last year and two other top-3 finishes in four appearances, Scheffler rightfully remains the betting favorite (+175) going into Saturday. He'll need to clean up his driving accuracy though to make a better charge in the third round, as he's hit only 15 of 28 fairways for the week.

Scheffler will play in the penultimate pairing on Saturday, teeing off at 2:59pm (ET).

4. Shane Lowry Hopes To Snap Win Drought

Could Dublin be where 38-year-old Irishman Shane Lowry finally snaps his win drought? The 2019 Open Championship winner has another opportunity this weekend to put the streak to rest after shooting even-par 72 on Friday, as he's only four shots back of Griffin and Taylor.

Few players have been better from tee to green through two rounds than Lowry. He ranks 17th in SG: Off The Tee, fifth in SG: Approach, and 14th in SG: Around The Green, while also leading the field in Greens in Regulation (27/36). To seal the deal over the final 36 holes though, he'll need the putter to cooperate better. Lowry ranks 46th in SG: Putting and lost strokes to the field in each of the first two days.

Lowry has been a fixture at the top of the leaderboard in Signature Events this season, as he finished runner-up at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, T2 at the Truist Championship, and 7th at the Arnold Palmer Invitational. But the win is all he cares about at this stage of his career, and anything less than that will feel like a failure for him on Sunday.

Lowry tee's off in a pairing with Sam Burns on Saturday at 2:48pm (ET).

5. Akshay Bhatia's Breakout Moment?

While the 22-year-old has already won twice in his young PGA Tour career, there's no doubt that a Signature Event win at Muirfield Village would be have a breakout-type feel for Akshay Bhatia.

The 2025 season has been up and down for Bhatia up to this point, which isn't too surprising for a player of his age at this level. But he's proven why he's considered one of the most promising young prospects in the sport through the first two rounds. After shooting 2-under 70 on Thursday, Bhatia backed that up with a steady 3-under 69 on Friday to earn a spot alongside Scheffler in the penultimate pairing on Saturday. He also ranks second in SG: Approach, and his 11 birdies through two rounds are tied for the most in the field.

While he'll be up against competition with much more experience, Bhatia has had his fair share of close calls on the big stage over the last two seasons. He finished T3 earlier this year at THE PLAYERS Championship and contended down the stretch on Sunday. Bhatia also battled with Scheffler and Tom Kim in the final round at the 2024 Travelers Championship and held the 54-hole lead at The Sentry 2024.

We're going to see what the kid is made of tomorrow, as he's got 18 holes alongside the World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler and a sure-to-be jam-packed gallery following along at "Jack's Tournament".