This article is part of our FantasyDraft PGA series.
The Memorial Tournament
Dublin, Ohio
Muirfield Village GC - Par 72 - 7,392 yards
Field - 120 entrants
Purse - $8.9M
The Preview
Eight of the Official World Golf Ranking's top-10 players will be putting the "field" in Muirfield this week, as the level of competition figures to be much stronger than that poor play on words. The event won't just be top-heavy, either, as the 120-entrant invitational also features 32 top-50 players and 64 of the top-100. Muirfield Village GC incorporates a difficult combination of both length and tight fairways in between patches of thick rough, but the course has seen plenty of rain this month and will play a bit slower/easier as a result, especially given the aggregation of talent that will be on display. More precipitation appears to be locked in the forecast for Friday, but things should clear up throughout the weekend as the Tour hopes to avoid those obnoxious delay situations. Because of the smaller field of 120, a higher percentage are slated to make the cut as riskier fantasy options become more intriguing. Key in on those with promising SG: Tee-to-Green numbers per usual, but SG: Approach and proximity from the rough could also be paramount this week when finding those gems.
Past Champions
2017 - Jason Dufner
2016 - William McGirt
2015 - David Lingmerth
2014 - Hideki Matsuyama
2013 - Matt Kuchar
2012 -Tiger Woods
2011 - Steve Stricker
2010 - Justin Rose
2009 - Tiger Woods
FantasyDraft Value Picks - based on $100,000 salary cap
Cream of the Crop
Rory McIlroy - $17,000
McIlroy bounced back from a missed cut at the PLAYERS with a runner-up result at the Euro Tour's BMW PGA Championship this past week, so there's no need to worry about the MC at TPC Sawgrass. He's now finished top-five in three of his last six starts, while he owns a pair of top-fives at the Memorial Tournament as well.
Justin Rose - $16,900
Fresh off his victory at the Fort Worth Invitational, Rose continues to play some of the best golf in the world with 12 top-25s in his last 14 starts. The Englishman has finished top-10 during 75 percent of his made cuts at the Memorial Tournament, most recently placing runner-up in 2015. He's up to a career-high third in the OWGR, while he ranks second on Tour in birdie average, seventh in SG: Tee-to-Green and 13th in SG: Putting.
Marc Leishman - $15,200
Leishman -- who fired a first-round 61 -- was eventually outpaced by Aaron Wise at the AT&T Byron Nelson en route to a runner-up finish, while the former currently stands at 16th in both the FedExCup standings and OWGR. The Australian has finished top-10 in three of his last six starts and top-15 in three straight appearances at the Memorial. Leishman also doesn't carry concerns when the weather gets iffy, so rainy/windy conditions shouldn't be bothersome for the 34-year-old this week.
Glue Guys
Emiliano Grillo - $14,700
The Argentinian has added five top-10s to his resume since November, climbing to 29th in the FedExCup standings without a win or runner-up. Grillo most recently placed third at the Fort Worth Invitational, where he led the field in both SG: Putting and scrambling while ranking 11th in SG: Approach. He's finished T40-T11 in two voyages to Muirfield.
Charl Schwartzel - $14,400
In 10 career outings at Muirfield Village, Schwartzel has made nine cuts while posting a pair of top-10s in two of the past five years. He's also coming off a trio of top-10 finishes from the Zurich Classic through the PLAYERS Championship, where he ranked fifth in SG: Tee-to-Green, sixth in scrambling and fourth in GIR percentage.
Tony Finau - $14,300
Finau's streak of five consecutive top-25 finishes came to an end when he placed T57 during his last showing at the PLAYERS Championship, but he should be well-rested after not making an appearance since TPC Sawgrass. The 35th-ranked player in the OWGR has placed T40-T11-T8 in three trips to Muirfield Village, while he's currently second on Tour in driving distance, 18th in SG: Tee-to-Green and 16th in scoring average.
Bargain Bin
Peter Uihlein - $12,600
Uihlein heads to Muirfield Village coming off finishes of T21-T5 in his past two starts, while he also placed top-25 in his Memorial Tournament debut last year. The Oklahoma State product ranks top-50 on Tour in both driving distance and GIR percentage, but was also sixth among the field in SG: Approach at the AT&T Byron Nelson two weeks ago.
Kevin Streelman - $12,100
Streelman has finished T18 or better in each of the Memorial Tournament's last three editions, but his daily fantasy cost has deflated due to a trio of consecutive uninspiring results since back-to-back top-10s at the RBC Heritage and Valero Texas Open. He still ranks fifth on Tour in GIR percentage, 18th in driving accuracy and 23rd in SG: Tee-to-Green.
Stewart Cink - $11,000
Although he doesn't garner much intrigue in GPP tournaments, Cink provides value in cash-game lineups as a safer bet to make the cut in his price range. The 45-year-old has missed just one cut in 21 career appearances at the event, earning the best cut percentage among the small handful of veterans who have made more than 15 starts at the Memorial. Cink placed T25 at Muirfield in 2017 and has made the cut in six of eight showings dating back to February's Honda Classic.
