FanDuel Fantasy Golf Picks and Predictions – the Memorial Tournament

The Memorial Tournament FanDuel Fantasy Preview

The Memorial Tournament, a Jack Nicklaus founded event, will be next up on the PGA TOUR schedule as some of the greatest in the game are set to tee it up. Not only was the event founded by Nicklaus, but it is played on a course that he designed, Muirfield Village Golf Club, which boasts a statue of the host in the accompanying neighborhood.

The 7,392-yard course is a par-72 layout and is among the best in the country thanks to the constant upkeep and changes being made. Both the Ryder Cup and President’s Cup have taken place at this venue, and between the strong history and popular host, it becomes a frequented stop for many of the big names in the golf world.

Despite the absence of Official World Golf Rankings second ranked golfer, Rory McIlroy, who was forced to withdraw due to injury, the field in Dublin, Ohio is pretty impressive. It is headlined by the top player right now, Dustin Johnson, and also features OWGR No. 3 Jason Day, No. 4 Hideki Matsuyama, No. 6 Jordan Spieth, No. 9 Jon Rahm, and No. 10 Adam Scott from the top-10.

The list of impressive golfers just continues as we see the likes of Rickie Fowler, Brooks Koepka, Justin Thomas, Matt Kuchar, and Patrick Reed come in with odds better than 50 to 1 out of Las Vegas. Kevin Kisner is also getting nice odds after coming off a victory in the Dean and Deluca last week where he went 10-under and jumped into the winner’s circle after a pair of runner-ups earlier in the season.

Another golfer to keep an eye on over the course of the week is William McGirt who came to this event last year and walked away with his first career victory. He was able to do so in a playoff with Jon Curran who was unable to get back into the field this year. McGirt’s score of 15-under matched the previous year’s mark and led to the third straight outing with extra holes needed at Muirfield. It would be a surprise to see him be competitive once again, though, as only Tiger Woods (1999-2001, 2009, 2012) has been able to take home the trophy in back-to-back attempts, while Kenny Perry, Jack Nicklaus, Hale Irwin, Greg Norman, and Tom Watson have all been crowned champions on more than one occasion. McGirt snapped a two-year run in which an international player has been the winner here and players born in the United States are now 6-for-10 over the last decade here.

Recent changes to the FanDuel setup has done away with the different players for the week and the weekend and now features eight spots with a $60,000 salary. The changes allow for players to create a more balanced lineup that they can run throughout the entire four days (if the make the cut).

The scoring has remained the same, so it will be important to get golfers who have a good shot at finishing within the top-25 and can put together strings of under par holes while staying away from the dreaded bogey.

That said, let’s run through some picks at all different price ranges who should be able to perform well this week in the Memorial Tournament.

The Memorial Tournament FanDuel Picks

Jason Kokrak – $5,200 – Kokrak has been one of the more consistent golfers in golf over the last handful of years with finishes between 65^th and 95^th in the FedExCup standings from 2013-2016. He put up a career-best showing last season with four top-10s and a total of nine top-25s, but has taken a step back in 2017 with just one top-10 finish. That came recently, though, as Kokrak came in a solo fourth at the AT&T Byron Nelson after posting a 10-under; including a Friday round of 62. He has gained the ninth-most stokes off the tee (0.653) thanks to a 304.4 yard average drive (14^th on TOUR) and is someone we think will make his first cut in four attempts here.

Patrick Cantlay – $6,600 – Cantlay has played in only six tournaments this year, but has already made more than a million dollars in earnings thanks to a pair of near wins. He had a runner-up at the Valspar Championship after finishing with three straight rounds of 68 or better and then placed third at the RBC Heritage with a mark of 11 shots under par. He has done well against tough fields as well with a tie for 22^nd at THE PLAYERS Championship despite shooting a 77 on the final day. Cantlay does not have any experience playing at Muirfield, but has an impressive all-around game which has helped gain 0.715 strokes off the tee, 0.757 strokes putting, and 1.002 strokes from tee-to-green. Watch out for this 25-year-old who has yet to miss a cut in the 2017 campaign.

Sean O’Hair – $6,800 – O’Hair has not had too much fun at this event in the past and has missed the weekend in each of his last four attempts; including the last three seasons. He does have one top-15 in his history with a 12^th back in 2010 and looks on track to compete once again this week. The 34-year-old has made 12-of-15 cuts (80%) in 2017 and is coming off back-to-back top-fives at the Byron Nelson and Dean and Deluca Invitational. O’Hair has totaled 17 shots under par in that time and has not posted a round worse than 70 in his last eight attempts. Overall he ranks 50^th in total strokes gained (0.752) and does well on the par-72 courses as he earns a birdie or better 49.38% of the time on par-fives (17^th on TOUR). The price is great here and should easily pay back anyone who owns him.

Kevin Chappell – $6,900 – Chappell is coming off a tremendous season in 2016, finishing 13^th in the FedExCup standings after eight top-10s; including an impressive four runner-up showings. He finally converted one of those into a victory this year when he topped the leaderboard at the Valero Texas Open and he now sits in the top-30 of the FedExCup rankings. His putting is a big struggle, but otherwise he is solid across the board and has done best with strokes gained from tee-to-green (0.732, 37^th on TOUR). Many DFS players out there will see a less than stellar scoring average on the year and not want to roster the 30-year-old, but with his ability to compete on the weekend and owns a second here back in 2013, making him a great money saver for your team.

Webb Simpson – $7,500 – Following his worst season since 2010 last year, Simpson has been able to get back to his solid play and nearly back into the winner’s circle for the fifth time as he came in second at the Waste Management Open. In Phoenix, he posted a 17-under score and finished with a 65-64 weekend, ending the week losing to Hideki Matsuyama in a playoff. Of his last four outings, three have ended in the top-16, and he is coming off a nice few days at the Dean and Deluca Invitational where he finished in fifth-place and moved into 31^st in the FedExCup standings. There is definitely the opportunity for the strong stretch to continue in Ohio as the 31-year-old has a seventh here in 2011 and walked away last year in 11^th-place. Simpson may lack in the ability to make up strokes off the tee, but his approach the green has gained him 0.853 strokes (5^th on TOUR) as he is making a birdie or better on 66.67% of the times that he goes for the green (11^th on TOUR). His great approach has led to a great scoring average on the par threes (3.02, 41^st on TOUR) and par fours (3.99, 18^th on TOUR) as well as the ability to bounce back from a poor hole (23.48% bounce back, 35^th on TOUR). Simpson has great pedigree and is a tremendous mid-range play this week.

Emiliano Grillo – $7,700 – Grillo made his first start in the Memorial Tournament last year and made easy work of the course. His score of 11-under earned him a tie for 11^th, but he was really cruising along over the first few days before posting a 74 on Sunday. Now in 2017, he has yet to get into the top-five, but has had no issues getting to the weekend with 14-of-15 cuts made (93%) and has four top-20s. Grillo is extremely accurate both off the tee (65.84%, 30^th on TOUR) and when approaching the green (67.78% GIR, 48^th on TOUR) while also owning a 59.77% sand save percentage (19^th on TOUR) to get him out of trouble. If he can find his stroke with his flat iron, this could be a special weekend for the Argentinean, as he attempts to extend his made cuts streak to 11.

Matt Kuchar – $9,500 – At the age of 38, many won’t consider Kuchar as much of a threat anymore, and at this price, we believe that many of the FanDuel players out there are going to look at a sexier name such as Scott, Koepka, or Fowler. A possible low-ownership this week could be a big advantage as the seven-time victor looks very polished this year with nine top-25s in his 12 cuts made and is coming to a venue where he has absolutely dominated. Other than a 26^th back in 2015, Kuchar has managed to rank 15^th or better in each of his six years played since 2009 with four of them ending in a top-five; including a win in 2013. Last year, he ended the week in fourth after going 12-under in the first two days of the tournament. His swing is looking great coming into the week with a top-12 in four of his past six starts and he should have no issues staying out of trouble with a scrambling percentage of 65.37% (11^th on TOUR). Kuchar is expensive, but he knows how to win and will be very comfortable teeing it up here once again.

Hideki Matsuyama – $9,800 – Matsuyama currently sits behind only Dustin Johnson in the FedExCup standings after rattling off a pair of early season victories at the WGC-HSBC Champions and Waste Management Open. Since then, he has tapered off somewhat, and despite making all but one cut, has done no better than his 11^th at The Masters since his last win. That is bound to change, though, as his stats are immaculate in most categories, ranking seventh in GIR (70.77%), eighth in strokes-gained off the tee (0.680), third in birdie average (4.48), and has earned a birdie or better on 25.79% of his holes played (3^rd on TOUR). Like Kuchar, Matsuyama is a former winner here, taking home the big prize back in 2014 which he followed up with a fifth in 2015. Although he did miss the cut here last season, we highly doubt that will be the case again and it would be of no surprise to watch as this budding superstar won for the third time on the year.

[x_callout type=”left” title=”Want More Weekly Fantasy Golf Predictions?” message=”Sign up for a Golficity Premium Membership and for just $7.95 per month you’ll get all-access to our weekly fantasy golf picks, odds, and predictions for every PGA TOUR and European Tour event.” button_text=”Learn More” button_icon=”arrow-right” circle=”true” href=”https://golficity.com/premium-membership-fantasy-golf-predictions/”]