Key Stats for SG: Approach / SG: Around the Green / SG: Off the Tee
Lock of the week:
Jordan Spieth $9,800 - If you’ve been waiting on Jordan to put it all together and come out of the slump, why would you jump ship now? At $9,800, it’s worth staying along for the ride to see if he can win on another track that should suit his game tee to green. In addition, the greens at Memorial are similar to Augusta being quick, undulating, bentgrass surfaces. We all know how Jordan does at Augusta. He’s gained 23 strokes total in the last five years at Muirfield Village. He may be popular given the value, but we don’t care when it comes to rostering him in GPPs. He’s also a great place to start cash lineups in DFS if you’re into that sort of thing.
Value Plays:
Matt Kuchar $8,500 - The course horse of the week goes to Kuuuuucccchhhh having gained 48 strokes total in the last five years at Muirfield village including a victory in 2013. Like Jordan, the form has been a little spotty, but this is a perfect fit for the accurate, cut hitting ball striker like Matt. He’s still in the top tier of this field in SG: APP and SG: ATG over the last 12 rounds despite the poor finishes. If the putter could heat up a little, Kuch could be back to his backdoor top 10-ing self. By the way, Kuch is another guy that has fared well on the greens at Augusta National. We’ll gladly play Kuchar in any contest on DraftKings regardless of ownership projections.
Chesson Hadley $7,900 - With very little history at Muirfield, the play here is based off course fit and recent form from one of the most consistent players on the PGA Tour this season. The Bojangles sponsored Hadley hasn’t posted a finish outside a T20 since the Arnold Palmer in March! Chesson is 11th in SG: APP in the last 12 rounds and his accuracy off the tee will set him nicely here to flag hunt with his irons. He’s a GPP and cash play for us, but he’ll likely be a little higher owned in large tournaments on DraftKings.
Ryan Moore $7,500 - Moore may be our favorite value of the week. His last two attempts at The Memorial weren’t fantastic, but before that rattled off three straight T20’s. His recent form has been strong as he’s gained 22 strokes total over the last six weeks on the PGA Tour. Statistically, he’s checking all the right boxes for Muirfield Village. He’s 1st in SG: APP, 10th in SG: OTT, and in the top 50 in this field in SG: ATG and SG: P in the last 12 rounds. When you consider the type of players that have had consistent success here, Moore would make total sense to come out and win The Memorial this week. We’ll have high ownership of Moore in GPP and cash lineups across DraftKings.
Best bargain basement option:
Keegan Bradley $7,200 - We aren’t big fans of the sub $7K range this week on DraftKings, but there is value to be mined in the low $7K tier, including Keegan Bradley. Keegan missed the cut here in 2017 but had back to back T8s in the two years prior. The T7 at The Players a couple of weeks ago was promising given that’s another track where placement off the tee and iron play is key to success. He’s 7th in the field in SG: APP over the last 12 rounds and if he can keep it in the fairway this week, he’s got winning upside at a great price. Full send in GPPs only for us.
Player to Avoid:
Jason Day $11,100 - Here we are again taking a stand with a big name at a big price. Jason Day has had a tremendous season so far, and he’s clearly not a fade for us due to form. Day is a member at Muirfield and Ohio native, but that doesn’t translate to great play here historically. In the last five years, his best finish was a T15 last year. If you’re paying up for Day this week and foregoing other viable options in this stacked field, then you’re going to need him to deliver at least a T5 or better to really return value. By the way, his great form recently can only be accredited to a hot putter and short game. He’s 1st in SG: P and 2nd in SG: ATG in the last 12 rounds. However, he’s 55th in SG: APP. We all know putting can come and go. If the putter gets cold on the Aussie, you could see him home with his feet up on the weekend down the street from Muirfield.
