Fantasy Golf Picks, Odds, and Predictions – 2021 Memorial Tournament

Fantasy Golf Picks, Odds, and Predictions for the 2021 Memorial Tournament

The 2021 Memorial Tournament Fantasy Preview

We told you Jason Kokrak loves trees.

One of our betting plays at the 60/1 mark, Kokrak once again showed he is the man for a tree-heavy, doglegging golf course as he triumphed in the Charles Schwab Challenge – his second title of the campaign.

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It would be a shame if the collapse of Jordan Spieth, on home soil, took the headlines, but it’s hard to ignore his slide from 54-hole leader to chaser – three bogeys in his opening four holes on Sunday largely putting pay to his chances.

The reward for Kokrak’s efforts were a big jump up the world rankings and FedEx Cup standings, a nice tartan jacket and, bizarrely, a pickup truck, but the big fella looked chuffed to bits with his gains from an excellent week in Texas.

The TOUR moves north this week for the Memorial Tournament from its spiritual home at Muirfield Village in Dublin, Ohio, before heading off to Congaree for the first ever Palmetto Championship. And then? The U.S. Open from the iconic Torrey Pines.

We’re in for a lively couple of weeks!

Last Week’s Fantasy Results

Solid week for our Sleeper Report with Kokrak and Hoffman, both finishing 1st and 3rd respectively. Our main picks also produced 6 of 7 made cuts with our top pick Morikawa finishing T14.

Here’s what we said about Kokrak leading into the week in our Tuesday Sleeper report:

We have a data model that helps us to identify the right type of players to shortlist at certain types of golf course.

Jason Kokrak is a name that comes up time and time again when the real estate requires shot shaping around doglegging fairways, and some of his best works have come in such conditions – including T3 here in June, no less.

The big fella, with T9 at the PLAYERS Championship and T13 at the Valspar, is in the flush of good form, and he’ll be looking to go even better than he did last time he teed it up at Colonial.

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The 2021 Memorial Tournament Field

You may just recall as golf was recovering from the chaos of the coronavirus pandemic last year that Muirfield Village hosted two PGA TOUR events back-to-back – the Memorial and the Workday @ Muirfield.

The winners of both of those, Jon Rahm and Collin Morikawa, are in the hunt for further honors this week, and they will be joined by a classy field that includes Jordan Spieth, who must be hurting after his Colonial cataclysm.

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Are you hoping for Bryson vs Brooks showdown for the ages? You may have to wait a while longer yet, although DeChambeau does take his place in the field this week alongside fellow big hitters Rory McIlroy, Justin Thomas and Viktor Hovland.

The Masters champion, Hideki Matsuyama, continues to up his work rate since his return to action, and his fellow former winner at Muirfield, Patrick Cantlay, will be looking for a form improvement of his own heading into the summer.

This Week’s Course Preview

It was a case of different strokes for different folks last year at Muirfield Village.

The Workday, which was first up in the schedule, played in comfortable fashion and Morikawa’s winning mark of -19 was the lowest score at the venue since Tiger Woods posted the same total when triumphing here in 2000.

A week later, and with the fairways and greens shaved and the rough left long, Jon Rahm was able to grind his way to victory in more difficult surroundings at -9.

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With just one tournament to worry about in 2021, we’re expecting the organizers to put on a trademark edition of the Memorial, and that will mean a winning score of somewhere in the teens under par at what is a fair test of golf.

Designed by Jack Nicklaus, the Par 72 layout measures 7,456 yards and is, quite simply, a fun test of all-round golf. The fairways are heavily tree-lined and feature a number of tactically-placed bunkers – there’s more than 70 on the real estate – and the smallish Bentgrass/Poa Annua mix greens are also protected by sand and some dangerous water hazards….eleven holes, in fact, have the drink in play.

The rough can be devilish, so finding fairways is more welcome than normal, and with some unique elevation changes and undulations a decent amount of feel with irons in hand will also count for plenty.

Weather Forecast for Dublin, OH

Aside from a few possible thunderstorms on Wednesday and Thursday to keep the greenskeepers honest, it looks set to be a relatively steady week of weather in Dublin.

There could be rain on the opening day, but with wind speeds of 11 mph those dark clouds shouldn’t hover over Muirfield Village for too long.

Business picks up from Friday onwards, with sunny spells and some warm temperatures – up to 84˚F, in fact.

The weekend looks to be fantastic for golfers and sunbathers alike, and with the wind down – according to those early predictions – the scene is set for an excellent four days of action.

DUBLIN WEATHER

Last Year’s Results from the Memorial Tournament

Heading into Sunday’s final round at the 2020 Memorial, Jon Rahm enjoyed a staggering eight-shot lead over the field.

Nobody was going to get near him….or were they? A serene front nine brought two birdies and no bogeys, and the job was done.

But then something clicked….and not in a good way. A bogey five at the tenth hole was followed by a double bogey seven at the eleventh, and all of a sudden the whole landscape had changed.

Further bogeys at fourteen and sixteen left the door ajar, but nobody could take advantage – Ryan Palmer, the closest protagonist, had conversion issues of his own and could only post a round of 74.

In the end, Rahm won by three shots – but it should have been much easier than that.

Jon Rahm’s Highlights | Round 4 | the Memorial Tournament presented by Nationwide 2020

In the final round of the Memorial Tournament presented by Nationwide 2020, Jon Rahm battled tough Sunday conditions to turn in a 3-over 75, dropping him to 9-under for the tournament, still good enough to claim his fourth-career PGA TOUR victory.

Where to Play Fantasy Golf for the Memorial Tournament this Week

In some regards, Muirfield Village can be a tough nut to crack for DFS gamers, so it’s whether you consider that to be an opportunity or a threat that will dictate your strategy this week. Here’s a couple of contests for you to consider.

• PGA $1M Pitch & Putt: Here’s a big prize kitty, with one million up for grabs and $250k to the winner. You’ll get stacks of chances to win other payouts too, and on a tough week for gamers to fathom out a winning line-up this is a fun way to have some skin in the game.
• PGA $125k Birdie: If you’re looking for a lower budget contest, this $125k Birdie might be the smart play. You’ll only be charged $3 per entry, and there’s stacks of great prizes to be won – the winner will trouser $10k and there’s lots more on offer too.

This Week’s Fantasy Notes for the 2021 Memorial Tournament  

As mentioned, there were two tournaments played at Muirfield Village in 2020, and the course was in very different condition for each.

We expect a return to ‘classic’ Muirfield this week – that is, a golf course that rewards quality ball-strikers and provides a fair test for all.

It’s as you would expect from a layout known as ‘Jack’s Place’ – even though Bryson has won here before, that was in his Scientist mode when he actually hit fairways and quality mid-range approach shots.

There’s a reward for hitting fairways, and that’s being able to approach the undulating greens from the short grass rather than the thick rough – a key principle that should inform our draft.

The last four winners at Muirfield have been Morikawa, Rahm, Cantlay and Bryson, so you can expect a classy operator to prevail this week.

Our Top 5 (and Top 2 Sleeper) Fantasy Picks and Odds to Win the 2021 Memorial Tournament

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Fantasy Golf Predictions This Season (2020-2021)

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