This article is part of our DraftKings PGA DFS Picks series.
MEMORIAL TOURNAMENT
Purse: $6.2M
Winner's Share: $1,116,600
FedEx Cup Points: 500 to the Winner
Location: Dublin, Ohio
Course: Muirfield Village Golf Club
Yardage: 7,392
Par: 72
Defending Champion: Hideki Matsuyama
Tournament Preview
The PGA Tour heads north out of the Texas flood zone to the Buckeye state, where Jack Nicklaus consistently attracts a great field in his hometown Columbus. Muirfield Village Golf Club is a par-72 layout best described as long but forgiving off the tee, with large green complexes and brutally difficult greenside bunkers. As Nicklaus himself would have it, the par-5s are scoring holes and the greens lightning-quick. The 119-player field sports 15 of the top 25 in the world, featuring Jordan Spieth, defending champ Hideki Matsuyama and enigmatic Tiger Woods who returns for the first time since The Players. Last year, the field averaged slightly under par with a winning score of 13-under, but it was notably soft; with Nicklaus adding 40 yards to the already diabolical 18th, expect scores to be slightly worse this time around.
Key Stats to winning at Muirfield Village
• Driving Distance
• Par-5 Scoring
• Sand Save Percentage
• Scrambling
Last Decade of Champions
2014 – Hideki Matsuyama
2013 – Matt Kuchar
2012 – Tiger Woods
2011 – Steve Stricker
2010 – Justin Rose
2009 – Tiger Woods
2008 – Kenny Perry
2007 – K.J. Choi
2006 – Carl Pettersson
2005 – Bart Bryant
Champion's Profile
The field is always rich with talent and at 120 players, slightly smaller than a typical PGA tour event. This almost always lends itself to a great player winning, but beyond that it's difficult to pin down the skill set of a typical winner at Jack's place. One thing lacking importance is driving accuracy given the forgiveness off the tee. The one place players can make up ground is on the reachable par-5s, but thick rough, challenging bunkers, and fast greens make scrambling and sand play crucial to maintaining momentum and avoiding bogeys.
DRAFTKINGS VALUE PICKS (Based on Standard $50K Salary Cap)
DraftKings Tier 1 Values
Jordan Spieth - $12,500 (Odds: 13/2)
Dustin Johnson - $12,000 (12/1)
Hideki Matsuyama - $11,600 (18/1)
DraftKings Tier 2 Values
Matt Kuchar - $11,000 (Odds: 25/1)
Tiger Woods - $10,000 (22/1)
Bill Haas - $9,200 (33/1)
Kevin Kisner - $8,200 (33/1)
Brooks Koepka - $8,000 (45/1)
DraftKings Tier 3 Values
Russell Henley - $7,400 (Odds: 55/1)
Francesco Molinari - $7,300 (80/1)
Charl Schwartzel - $7,300 (80/1)
Justin Thomas - $7,200 (50/1)
Steve Stricker - $7,100 (66/1)
DraftKings Long-Shot Values
Graham DeLaet - $7,100 (Odds: 80/1)
Daniel Berger - $7,000 (75/1)
Shawn Stefani - $6,800 (90/1)
George McNeill - $6,700 (90/1)
Tony Finau - $6,700 (80/1)
Jason Kokrak - $6,600 (100/1)
George Coetzee - $6,200 (125/1)
WHO I'M ROLLING WITH THIS WEEK
Lower-Risk Cash Game Lineup ($50K Salary Cap)
Matt Kuchar - $11,000
Chris Kirk - $10,300
Ryan Moore - $8,100
K.J. Choi - $7,200
Steve Stricker - $7,100
Kenny Perry - $6,100
What do Kuchar, Choi, Stricker and Perry have in common? Yes, they're all veterans, but they're also former champions at Jack's place. Nothing brings out your best like a return to the course you've had great success at, and my strategy this week is to summon the Muirfield vibes. The other two roster spots are for Chris Kirk coming off a win two weeks ago at Colonial and Ryan Moore who has top-25s in four of his last five starts at the Memorial.
Higher-Risk Tournament Lineup ($50K Salary Cap)
Jordan Spieth - $12,500
Billy Horschel - $8,800
Russell Henley - $7,400
Justin Thomas - $7,200
Steve Stricker - $7,100
Daniel Berger - $7,000
With a smaller field this week, picking a stud and taking chances on 4-5 lower priced options is a great way to differentiate. Spieth has rode an incredible putter this year and is the best player in the field, making him irresistible again this week. Horschel is under the radar but has put up top-20s his last two events and was 15th last year at the Memorial. I love Russell Henley's putter this week as he's top-10 in strokes gained putting and posted a sixth-place finish at Muirfield two years ago at Jack's place. Stricker is probably the best short-game player the last decade and despite being his fifth start of the season is primed to post a good finish as he prepares for the U.S. Open. Lastly the young guns Thomas and Berger both have great form and the ability to compete on courses that demand good iron play.
