The Memorial Tournament
The PGA Tour leaves Texas this week, and head to the Heartland for the Memorial Tournament held at the Muirfield Village Golf Course in Dublin, Ohio. The field is going to be a challenging one which bodes well for daily fantasy players. They should have plenty of options.
Before diving into an examination of what some of those options may be…
How about a little information about the course and weather?
Jack Nicklaus founded the tournament 46 years ago and it is held on a course he designed, the Muirfield Village Golf Course in Dublin, Ohio. It’s a par-72 course that is 7,392 yards long.
The weather forecast makes it look like they may not get much if any, golf played on Thursday or Friday. There is an 80 percent chance of rain on Thursday (down from 90 percent on Wednesday) and a 100 percent chance of rain on Friday.
But Saturday’s forecast looks pretty good; 67 degrees, clear skies, 12 MPH winds, and just a ten percent chance of rain. Sunday is expected to be partly cloudy with temperatures in the high 60s with a ten percent chance of rain as well.
The Players
Earlier in the season, I was all about giving the defending champion some love, but not anymore. A look at Jason Dufner’s history and specifically his history at Muirfield makes it look like his win was the exception and not the rule.
Besides, it’s not like he’s playing particularly well this season. In his last four appearances, he’s missed the cut (Fort Worth), tied for fifth (Players), tied for 42nd (Wells Fargo), and placed second (Zurich). With him, you could get someone who has a great tournament, but you might not.
Someone like that is not a good choice for daily fantasy play. But these guys would be better options:
- Tiger Woods: I’ve been back and forth on the Tiger Woods train this season and this week—I’m back on it. Some experts seem to think he could finally notch a win this week while others believe he’ll play well but fall short of winning. Either way that means he’ll be a good player for your daily fantasy team. To be fair, with the exception of his performance at the Masters and Wells Fargo and he’s looked good this season.
- Marc Leishman: He’s been a little all over the place this season which makes him look like a sketchy pick. His last time (Byron Nelson), he finished second. But the time before that (Players) he finished tied for 63rd. Prior to that he missed the cut at RBC Heritage and placed ninth at the Masters. But what I like about him is that he’s averaged 69.67 over his last 12 rounds at Muirfield. He may not win, but he’ll play well.
- Justin Thomas: This will be his first time on the course as the new No. 1 golfer in the world. So, you know he is going to be looking to do well enough to stay there. It’s a little concerning that he’s only had three rounds in the 60s out of his last eight. But he knows Muirfield well enough to finish tied for fourth last year.
- Dustin Johnson: after dropping out of the No. 1 spot, he is going to be a little extra motivated to get his game back on track this week. He’s played well at Muirfield (five top-20s; two top-five finishes), but he’ll need to get his game back on track. Not that he’s been playing poorly. Since finishing tied for second at Pebble Beach, he’s finished t16, t7, t59, t10, t16, and t17. But he was the No. 1 for a reason.
Sleeper picks: these are guys that do not look like sure-fire winners on paper, but they are good golfers that could do well if a few things go there way. If you load up your roster with a couple of studs, they could add some reasonable value to your roster:
- Sam Burns: won the Nicklaus Award as the top golfer in NCAA DI play last season; has nine starts on the Tour and has a win and a second-place finish on the Web.com Tour this season.
- Doc Redman: reigning U.S. Amateur Champion; has played three PGA Tour events and made the cut in two.
- Kevin Streelman: He has a decent history at Muirfield (t18, t8, and t13), but what I really like is he doesn’t often bogey (tied for fourth in bogey avoidance the last four months).
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