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The Memorial Tournament

The Memorial Tournament 2022 DraftKings Preview

the liv shadow looms as nicklaus hosts the memorial at muirfield village

A long weekend in May means it's time for 'Jack's Place' and The Memorial Tournament at Muirfield Village Golf Club. A star-studded field has assembled with seven of the top 10 in the world rankings ready to tee it up in Dublin, Ohio. The US Open is just two weeks away but all eyes are of course on next week as the fifth major, the RBC Canadian Open, is on deck. Let's get you set to see some green screens on DraftKings this weekend.

What's up golf addicts! AC here, checking in week to week to provide a quick preview of the upcoming PGA Tour event. I’ll give you the lowdown on the course, the players, some key stats, and our favorite DraftKings picks for the week. 

All of the course data, player stats, and most of the information below can be found on Fantasy National Golf Club (FNGC). At FNGC you can view historic course conditions, course scoring breakdowns, tournament history, simulators, and official strokes gained data provided by the PGA Tour. Start building your models at Fantasy National now!

The Field and Tournament Details for The Memorial Tournament

I'm mostly kidding about that fifth major stuff but the Canadian Open really should be a big deal. RBC needs to let the field into the vault and fight for their share. RBC kinda has their hands full now though as the LIV golf tour, a rival to the PGA Tour announced their first field for next week's kickoff event. It may be a bit awkward for some of the players in the field this week.

Looks like we may get a pretty solid field up north next week anyway. Enough of that though, the Memorial Tournament does have the field strength and the track to be close to major worthy.

Jon Rahm headlines the field as he looks to go back-to-back-to-back at the Memorial. Not really, but he would have won in 2021 if not for being pulled off the course on the 18th hole. Rahm had tested positive for Covid during the 3rd round and the Tour decided to tell him in front of all the cameras on the 18th hole was the best way to do it. He was up by SIX strokes! Patrick Cantlay, who won here in 2019 and again in 2021 benefitting from Rahm's absence is also in the field. As is Collin Morikawa who lost to Cantlay in a playoff.

The rest of the top tier contains Rory McIlroy, Xander Schauffele, Cameron Smith, Jordan Spieth, Will Zalatoris, Viktor Hovland, Hideki Matsuyama, Matthew Fitzpatrick, and Shane Lowry. Cheaper studs in the field include Sungjae Im, Cameron Young, Max Homa, Davis Riley, Daniel Berger, Corey Conners, Joaquin Niemann, Abraham Ancer, Keegan Bradley, Seamus Power, and Mito Pereira.

The Memorial Tournament consists of 120 players with the top 65 and ties playing the weekend. The eventual champ will earn $1.674 million with the rest of the cutmakers divvying up a total of $9.3 million. Past champs include Cantlay (2021), Rahm (2020), Cantlay (2019), Bryson DeChambeau (2018), Jason Dufner (2017), William Mcgirt (2016), David Lingmerth (2015), Hideki Matsuyama (2014), Matt Kuchar (2013), Tiger Woods (2012,2009), Steve Stricker (2011), and Justin Rose (2010).

The Memorial Tournament Course Breakdown

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  • Course: Muirfield Village Golf Club
  • Location: Dublin, OH USA
  • Yardage: 7,533
  • Par: 72
  • Architect: Jack Nicklaus\Desmond Muirhead (1974)
  • Grass: Bentgrass greens
  • Comp Courses: Innisbrook (Copperhead), The Concession GC, Quail Hollow, Augusta National, TPC Twin Cities, TPC Potomac

Jack Nicklaus' Muirfield Village Golf Club is one of the most difficult courses on the PGA Tour, averaging almost a full stroke over par. Jack throws tree-lined fairways, some thick-ass rough, slaps water on half of the holes, spreads around his patented bunkers, and tops it off with small, fast, firm, and undulated Bentgrass greens. Muirfield Village GC plays as a Par 72 tipping out at 7,533. Interestingly, Jack notes himself that the course plays a couple of hundred yards shorter due to elevation changes.

Elevation changes were one of the reasons Jack chose this area. The valley let him build a long and challenging course that he could manipulate as the game grew, and he has. Over the years, Jack has remodeled every hole at least once including a massive overhaul at the end of the 2020 Memorial. That renovation altered every single green, changing the grass and even relocating some of them and the bunkers. A few tee boxes were also relocated.

Over the last 10 years, the winning score averages around -14. The four Par 5s are top 10 toughest on Tour and the Par 3s are even tougher. Muirfield Village is a ball strikers course with a premium on accurate approaches. The fairways have been generous, allowing a 70% hit rate while greens in regulation are around 60%. Driver's though incredibly useful here, are only pulled out about a third of the holes for the longest guys on Tour. Jack was incredible at golf and equally talented at designing courses.

The weather looks calm for the week with a bit of wind and rain on Thursday and some gusts Friday afternoon. Nice weekend ahead.

Key Stats for the The Memorial Tournament

  • Strokes Gained: Approach
  • Opps Gained
  • Strokes Gained: Off the Tee
  • Par 5 Scoring
  • Around the Green
  • Bogey Avoidance
  • Bentgrass Putting
  • Course History

Muirfield Village GC is an extremely demanding course, especially on your second shot. The greens are hard to hit and harder to hold. Strokes Gained Approach and Opps Gained are always my starting point. Though the fairways aren't difficult to hit, missing them can be a major issue. MVGC ranks 5th in missed fairway penalty. The rough and trees are stroke eaters.

A solid off the tee game will also help score on the Par 5s. There aren't many birdies this week, gotta have the easiest holes. I didn't include the rest of the course layout but almost half the holes play around the 450-500 Par 4 range. The Par 3s are deadly as well. All four are between 180-210 yards. Bogey avoidance is always a must on these above-average difficult tracks but don't be afraid to add some scoring stats. Birdie or better % on difficult Par 72s might be a good look.

As players get closer to the green, their short games are going to be tested. Scrambling is not easy and there is going to be a lot of it. When the greens are small and fast, it sort of closes the gap between the best and worst putters but experience and prowess on Bentgrass is always an advantage. Finally, History at Muirfield is a big bonus. MVGC ranks in the top 7 of course history relevance and has many multiple-time winners.

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The Memorial Tournament Picks & Fades

Each week we will give you some plays and a fade from each DraftKings salary range. For all of DB and Pat’s thoughts and picks make sure to check out and subscribe to the Tour Junkies Podcast.

To Play or Not to Play Brooks Koepka

Brooks is not in the field.

$9K & Above 

  • Play - Rory McIlroy, Patrick Cantlay, Jordan Spieth,  | Fade - Cameron Smith

Rory hasn't really put anything up at the Memorial over the years but the overall game has been decent and he's coming in playing some solid golf. Two top 8s in his last two starts. Ball striking has been on with elite bogey avoidance. Cantlay is the opposite. Incredible course history but less form coming in. That's to say he missed the cut at the PGA Championship which pissed people off. However, he did finish 2nd at the RBC Heritage and won the Zurich before that. My last play up here is Spieth. Jordo is 3rd in my model over the last 24 rounds with some awesome iron and wedge play. Four top 18s or better in his last five starts at MVGC.

I didn't think I'd be fading Cam coming into the week but the course history is just really bad. Nothing better than a T65 in the last five years with three missed cuts. I'll hop on him in a heartbeat for showdown if it looks like he's cracked the code here but fading for the main slate.

$8K Range

  • Play - Everyone except Ancer | Fade - Abraham Ancer

This range is pretty wild. Young, Homa, Conners, Keegan, and Mito are all popping for me and I might start a lineup with those five. I don't have much against anyone up here though there is a lack of course history for some.

I wasn't a fan of Abe last week and we come to a place that suits him even less. He'll turn it around soon, but not here.

$7K Range

  • Play - Chris Kirk, Aaron Wise, Alex Noren  | Fade - Bryson DeChambeau

Kirky is playing good golf, has okay history, and has one of the best around the green games in recent events. Wise finished T9 here last year and finished T23 or better in three of his last four events. He hits a lot of greens and doesn't make a lot of bogeys. Noren's my guy. Great putter. Easy for me to look past the MC at the PGA Championship. He did finish T12 the week before and has had three more T12s or better since February. T13 here in 2021 is a nice touch.

If Bryson is back, I'm all for it but I want to see 72 holes played first. It is Bryson after all, but I don't think he's been practicing in the thick-ass rough they have here and he'll be in it, a lot.

$6K Range

  • Play - Ryan Palmer, Troy Merritt, Brendan Steele

There isn't much to love around here but there is lots of potential. Palmer is the highest-ranked player down here in my mixed model. The recent form isn't anything special but a T5 at the Byron a few weeks back and a runner-up finish at MVGC in 2020. Merrit has gained strokes putting in six of the last seven events and has a streak of eight straight made cuts. My third pick down here is the highest-ranked play in my custom model over the last six months. Steele's off the tee game and GIR% have been sweet this year and he has found success at MVGC.

THE INS & OUTS

OUT: Harry Higgs

IN: Kramer Hickok

Open qualifiers: No open qualifier

*The field is 120