This article is part of our Yahoo PGA DFS Picks series.
the Memorial Tournament
Dublin, Ohio
Muirfield Village Golf Club - Par 72 - 7,533 yards
Field - 120 entrants
Purse - $12M
The Preview
A two-week stretch of familiarity accompanies the PGA Tour's journey from the historic Colonial Country Club to Muirfield Village as Jack's Place once again plays host to the Memorial Tournament, inviting an exceptionally strong field of 120 entrants to Nicklaus' home base. The course itself is known for its small and lightning-quick bentgrass greens, which become extremely difficult to hit when wayward tee shots occasionally find the thick rough that lines these relatively wide fairways. Adequate long iron play is paramount, and seven par-4s measure between 450 and 500 yards, while all four of the layout's par-3s fall within the 180-210 yard range. Scattered showers may arrive throughout Thursday's morning wave, but favorable weather conditions are expected the rest of the week, especially on moving day as almost no wind is in the forecast for Round 3.
Recent Champions
2021 - Patrick Cantlay
2020 - Jon Rahm
2019 - Patrick Cantlay
2018 - Bryson DeChambeau
2017 - Jason Dufner
2016 - William McGirt
2015 - David Lingmerth
2014 - Hideki Matsuyama
2013 - Matt Kuchar
2012 - Tiger Woods
Key Stats to Victory
SG: Approach
Proximity: 150-200 yards
Par-4: 450-500 efficiency
Scrambling/Sand save percentage
Yahoo Value Picks
Based on $200 salary cap
Cream of the Crop
Jon Rahm - $45
Rahm was well on his way to a successful title defense at the Memorial last year before ultimately being forced to withdraw after 54 holes due to a positive COVID-19 test while sitting on a six-stroke lead. He now heads back to Muirfield Village just two starts removed from a win at the Mexico Open at Vidanta where he gained north of 10 strokes from tee to green in a single event for the third time since February's WM Phoenix Open. The Spaniard is No. 1 on Tour in both SG: Off-the-Tee and GIR percentage this season.
Will Zalatoris - $42
Zalatoris' recent missed cuts at the Charles Schwab Challenge and AT&T Byron Nelson can be attributed to his obvious putting issues, as he lost a collective 6.9 strokes on the greens across just four rounds at these two tournaments. However, he's still first in Proximity: 150-175 yards, third in SG: Tee-to-Green, third in SG: Approach and fifth in Prox: 200-plus yards over his last 24 rounds. The Memorial is often described as having a major-like feel given the difficulty level and field strength, which is a setting that Zalatoris has certainly enjoyed.
Shane Lowry - $38
It wasn't surprising to see Lowry land atop my custom model this week as he ranks second in Par-4: 450-500 efficiency, second in bogey avoidance, third in Prox: 200-plus, fourth in scrambling, fourth in SG: APP, seventh in sand saves and ninth in Prox: 175-200 yards over his past 24 measured rounds. That's quite a predictive recipe for prosperity at Muirfield Village, where he tied for sixth in 2021 while finishing T2 among the field in par-5 scoring and third in putting average. Lowry has gained at least 4.3 strokes from tee to green in six consecutive outings dating back to a runner-up effort at the Honda Classic.
Glue Guys
Max Homa - $35
Homa used to have feast or famine tendencies, but he's exhibited much more consistency in 2022 with just one missed cut through 11 events played to begin the calendar year. He's placed T23 or better in seven of his last eight stroke-play showings, including a win at the Wells Fargo Championship where he posted the third-best putting performance of his career. Over his last 24 measured rounds, Homa sits fourth in P4: 450-500 efficiency, fifth in Prox: 150-175, fifth in SG: APP and 10th in Prox: 175-200 yards. He also tied for sixth at last year's Memorial Tournament.
Chris Kirk - $31
Kirk is coming off a T5-T15 stretch at the PGA Championship and the Charles Schwab Challenge, picking up a combined 15.1 strokes on his peers from tee to green throughout these eight rounds. In fact, Kirk hasn't lost strokes from tee to green since last August's Northern Trust, and he's top-10 in both SG: Around-the-Green and sand saves over his last 24 rounds.
Bargain Bin
Aaron Wise - $29
Wise's stellar iron play has guided him to three top-25s in four starts dating to the RBC Heritage, as he ranks second in P4: 450-500 efficiency, third in Prox: 150-175 and sixth in SG: Approach over his last 12 rounds. He also picked up 4.9 strokes with the flat stick at the PGA Championship, nearly doubling his previous season-high mark of 2.6. Wise tied for ninth in his third career Memorial Tournament appearance last season, finishing T6 among the field in GIR percentage.
Tom Hoge - $29
Hoge might've missed the cut last week at Colonial, but in 36 holes he gained an average of 7.9 feet in proximity from 175-200 yards and he's second to none in this metric over his past 24 rounds. Within this sample size, Hoge also ranks seventh in P4: 450-500 efficiency, 12th in scrambling, 12th in Prox: 150-175 and 16th in bogey avoidance. He missed the cut each of the past two years at Muirfield Village, but he tied for 13th here in 2018 when he finished T2 in putting average on the way to 21 total birdies.
Brendan Steele - $24
Steele has made five consecutive cuts since a T26 at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, most recently notching a top-10 finish at the PGA Championship where he paced the entire field in GIR percentage while ranking third in SG: T2G and fourth in SG: Approach. His Memorial Tournament resume includes eight cuts made in 10 total appearances, with results of T37-T13-T41 the past three years. Over his past 24 rounds, Steele is third in SG: Off-the-Tee and 20th in proximity from 175 to 200 yards.
