DUBLIN, Ohio — Walking the practice tee at Muirfield Village Golf Club, I am reminded of that classic Charles Dickens story… A Tale of Two Cities.

The polar opposite approaches I see by players always amazes me. Time is limited to get in work on your game with three elite events in a row in the heart of the year. The Memorial Tournament is more than a signature event. Jack’s masterpiece Muirfield Village is a major test in every way—you better be ready to perform. You can always tell when a course is really tough by the atmosphere across the practice area.

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Jordan Spieth and Byeong Hun An are practicing side by side using a polar opposite approach. Spieth’s setup includes a launch monitor, his coach and constant feedback. Standing there for about 20 minutes I saw approximately five full swings. In between each of those were a number of “feel” efforts. Swings where you can see Spieth manipulating the club in a desired way. In stark contrast next to him, An was ripping long irons one after another. No coach, no monitor, just absolutely flushing it.

Both players are +5000 to win The Memorial. Jordan just continues to lose strokes on approach, so the scene on Wednesday was concerning. In his past 10 starts, he’s fell below the field seven times! Benny An’s performance has told a much different tale. An has gained an average of +2.2 strokes in his last five tournaments. In their last three starts, An has two top-four results while Jordan hasn’t had a top 10 since before the Masters!

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This is a classic betting case where course history will NOT tell you the whole story. Both Spieth and An have a great record at Muirfield Village. Each has finished a majority of the time inside the top 20, and Ben was even runner-up to Bryson DeChambeau in 2018. On-site observations are essential to seeing the full story.

For bettors this week, don’t be surprised if the Ben An backers are in the best of times, while Spieth’s supporters feel more of the worst of times.

My bets: Russell Henley over Jordan Spieth (-130) over BetMGM (full tournament matchup)And Benny An top 10 (+400)

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Keith Stewart is a five-time award-winning PGA professional, a betting contributor and content partner with Golf Digest and founder of Read The Line, the premier on-site live golf betting insights service covering the LPGA and PGA TOUR. Subscribe to Read The Line’s weekly newsletter here and raise your golf betting acumen. Keith’s winning content can also be found on Sports Grid, Bleacher Report and The Sporting News. Follow him on Twitter @readtheline_.

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