Geoff Ulrich runs through the Memorial Tournament course info, player history, and noteworthy betting trends to help DraftKings Fantasy Golf roster selections.

The Cheat Sheet provides DraftKings fantasy golf players with course info, player history, and the most noteworthy trends of the week to help them with their roster selections.

Set your DraftKings fantasy golf lineups here: PGA TOUR $750K Sand Trap [$200K to 1st]

The Field

Hosted by the Jack Nicklaus-designed Muirfield Village, the Memorial is now a signature field event that features an elite 72-player field. Given that it is one of three player-hosted tournaments on the PGA TOUR, the Memorial will also have a cut line with 50 players and ties making the weekend, along with any player within 10 shots of the leader after Round 2.

The field this week will feature nearly all of the current eligible players ranked inside the top 50 of the OWGR. That includes Scottie Scheffler and former Memorial runner-up Collin Morikawa, who did win at Muirfield in 2020 at the Workday Championship. Rory McIlroy is the only top player not in attendance, as he’ll be in Canada next week for his final prep before the US Open.

The course will be a big story this week as it has played very hard the last couple of seasons, with the winner getting in at just 7-under par in 2023 and 8-under par in 2024. In 2023, only one player managed to break 70 on Sunday (T3 finisher Scottie Scheffler).

The Course

Muirfield Village — Dublin, Ohio

Par 72, 7,569 yards, Greens: Bentgrass (some poa)

Muirfield Village is a true championship course. It was built in 1972 and named after Jack Nicklaus’ favorite Open Championship venue (Muirfield); it also shares some design similarities with Augusta National. Like Augusta, Muirfield Village is a par-72 course with four par-5s. These holes still play as the easiest on the course, but have been lengthened somewhat over the years and are no longer the pushovers they once were. Many will play as three-shot holes now and will require either precision short irons or lengthy chips from deep rough. The par 3s at Muirfield remain among the toughest on the PGA TOUR, challenging players with longer tee shots into awkwardly shaped, smaller greens.

Muirfield Village was played twice on the PGA TOUR (in back-to-back weeks) in 2020, but it has since undergone massive renovations, which include a complete reconstruction of the bentgrass greens. Length was added to the course, and it can now play close to 7,600 yards. In addition to the added length, trees were added to make some of the tee shots more challenging.

With the changes, the last few seasons have seen an added emphasis on around-the-green play. Two of the past four winners have gained over 4.0 strokes around the greens for the week. 2023 was a bit of an anomaly as eventual winner Viktor Hovland made up more strokes on the greens (+6.1 strokes putting) than he did around them, but still managed to be very solid off the tee, where he gained 3.6 strokes. In comparison, playoff loser Denny McCarthy lost strokes off the tee, but gained 3.2 strokes on approach, in addition to having one of the best putting weeks ever recorded on the PGA TOUR (+11.3 strokes putting for the week).

With seven par 4s measuring over 450 yards, there aren’t a ton of birdie chances available, making bogey avoidance another key stat to monitor. 2022 winner Billy Horschel led the field in this stat by a wide margin, while 2021 winner Patrick Cantlay was second in bogey avoidance in the year of his win.

Approach play is still the most vital stat to focus on this week, especially when looking for potential spike candidates down the salary range. The fairways at Muirfield still are somewhat easy to hit, but the course gets demonstrably tougher as you approach the flag, such that good around-the-green play and timely putting can make a huge difference due to the smaller greens and low GIR percentages. It’s a good week to emphasize recent form and look for some continuation from players who are striking it well and have some course history playing at Memorial or similar-styled venues.

2026 Weather Outlook: The weather for this year’s event looks like it should lead to a good event and potentially lower scores. Highs should top out in the low 80s, while winds will generally be lower. Thursday looks like it might be the best day overall, with winds likely to stay well below 10mph. The course is likely to play firm as the chances for rain remain low on days one and two and are still reasonably low on the weekend. I’d look to target early starters on Thursday if possible for one-day lineups or first-round leader bets, as they’re likely to have the softest conditions of the first two days, with little to no wind.

Last Five Winners

Scottie Scheffler (-10 over Ben Griffin -6)

Scottie Scheffler (-8 over Collin Morikawa -7)

Viktor Hovland (-7 over Denny McCarthy playoff)

Billy Horschel (-13 over Aaron Wise -9)

Patrick Cantlay (-13 over Collin Morikawa playoff)

Winning Trends

16 of the last 17 winners had a T5 finish or better on the PGA TOUR in the year of their victory before winning at the Memorial.

Course History: 10 of the past 11 winners of the Memorial had made the cut at Muirfield Village in their previous appearance at this event.

Winners Stats and Course Overview

2025 Winner: Scottie Scheffler (10-under par)

2024 lead-in form (T4-win-win-T8-T4)

SG: OTT—3.9

SG: APP—7.2

SG: Total—15.4

SG: ATG—4.3

SG: PUTT—0.6

Off the tee play still matters, but with easier fairways to hit and hard-to-hit greens, approach play and the ability to sink a lot of 5-15 feet putts is most critical.

Cantlay was tied for second in bogey avoidance in his win from 2021, and Horschel led the field in bogey avoidance in 2022. Hovland finished tied for second in birdies or better.

Over time, the most popular grouping of approach shots here has been 175-200 yards, but 150-175 yards is also very popular. Two of the par 3s also fall in this shorter range.

Muirfield Village now has seven par-4s ranging from 450-500 yards, making par-4 efficiencies in that range worth looking at.

The course features wide fairways, so driving accuracy numbers are surprisingly higher than the PGA TOUR average, with cut-makers at Muirfield hitting around 68% of fairways.

Greens are smaller than normal, so they’re difficult to hold. The average cut-maker at this event has hit 61% of GIR, compared to 65% at other PGA TOUR stops. As mentioned above, this has enhanced the need for sharp around-the-green play.

Three of the last five winner/runner-up combos had gained at least 5.0 strokes on their approaches (Scheffler +13.0/Morikawa +5.1 strokes in 2024)

2023 was more of a putting duel as Hovland and McCarthy both gained over 6.0 strokes on the greens. However, both men still gained over 2.5 strokes on approach for the week as well.

Finding Values on DraftKings Sportsbook

Odds to win are one factor to think about when picking players (but not the only thing, so be careful putting too much weight on them). This section is going to detail a few of the players who have the best fantasy value comparative to their DraftKings Sportsbook odds of winning this week.

All odds provided by DraftKings Sportsbook are subject to change.

Core Plays

Ludvig Aberg ($9,900 – see below)

Hideki Matsuyama: Matsuyama has looked good in his last two starts. He finished a solid T25 at the PGA Championship a couple of weeks ago and followed that up with a T13 at Colonial, where he gained over 5.0 strokes with his irons. 

GPP punts

Corey Conners ($6,800): Conners has been frustrating this season as he’s had brilliant stretches of ball-striking but has never cashed in with a great putting week. It is possible on this tougher course that demands iron excellence, he’ll at least have a shot at winning if he putts just above average. 

Daniel Berger ($6,700)

Lest we forget that Berger finished 2nd in heartbreaking fashion at Bay Hill in March. His blend of accuracy off the tee and precise iron play gives him a shot at this event and a course where he finished T5 back in 2022.

DRAFTKINGS DFS STRATEGY

Horses for Courses

1. Patrick Cantlay (best finishes: win-2019 +2021, fourth-2018): Cantlay will be making his 11th career start at Muirfield Village this week. The 31-year-old is a two-time winner of this event and has now landed five top-10 finishes at this venue. Despite missing the cut here in 2024, he’s fourth in SG: Total stats at Muirfield over the last five seasons.

2. Scottie Scheffler (best finishes: win-2025, win-2024, T3-2023, third- 2021): Scheffler has finished T3 at this event twice and won twice in his last four starts at Muirfield. As the best approach player in the game, this is genuinely the perfect setup for the American, who thrives under tougher conditions that reward great iron play.

3. Si Woo Kim (best finishes: T9-2021, T4-2023): Kim ranks second in strokes gained total stats at Muirfield Village over the last five seasons. He’s now finished in the top 20 at this event in five of the last six seasons and hasn’t missed the cut here over that span. Kim’s been playing better of late, and with his approach game looking great, he could challenge at one of his favorite venues on the PGA TOUR.

4. Rickie Fowler (best finishes: T2-2017, T8-2018): Even when he’s struggled, Muirfield Village has always been a bit of a safe haven for Fowler, who finished T9 at this event in 2023, gaining over 7.5 strokes ball striking for the week. Fowler has played well over the spring and has gained strokes on approach in each of his last two starts.

5. Jordan Spieth (best finishes: T5-2023, T3-2015): Spieth has been up and down this season, but he’s got a great record at Muirfield. The American has finished in the top 20 in six of his last seven appearances and has recorded top-10 finishes at this event in 2015, 2019, 2023, and 2026. He’s coming off back-to-back top-20 finishes at the PGA Championship and the Byron.

Recent Form

Scottie Scheffler (T3-T14-T2-T2): Scheffler continues to set the standard on the PGA TOUR, posting four straight finishes of T14 or better and recording runner-up results in two of his last four starts. His elite ball-striking and consistency make him one of the safest high-end options this week at a course he’s won on twice in two years.

Russell Henley (T28-T11-T18): Henley has quietly put together another solid stretch, finishing inside the top 20 in two of his last three events, while recording a win last week with a great putting surge on his final three holes. His accuracy off the tee and strong iron play should keep him in contention once again on this together setup.

Alex Smalley (T6-T47): Smalley flashed upside with a top-10 finish at the PGA Championship and another one last week at Colonial. While volatility remains part of the profile, his recent form suggests he has the scoring ability to outperform expectations when the putter cooperates.

Kristoffer Reitan (win-T14): Reitan enters on the back of the best stretch of his career, following a breakthrough victory with another top-15 result. Confidence should be high, and his recent performances indicate he is capable of carrying momentum into another strong week.

Xander Schauffele (T7-T60-T12): Schauffele rebounded nicely from a rare missed opportunity with a top-12 finish in his latest start. Even when results fluctuate, his all-around game and track record against elite competition make him a reliable contender whenever he tees it up.

MY PICK: Ludvig Aberg ($9,900)

Aberg comes in off another solid start at Colonial, where he posted a T17. The Swede is hitting the ball as good as anyone on the PGA TOUR right now and comes to a course in Muirfield Village that typically rewards the best ball strikers, especially iron players. 

Aberg gained over 5.0 strokes on approach in his top-five finish at the PGA Championship and has six top-10 finishes overall in his last eight starts. He’s also had success at Muirfield Village already, posting a T5 here back in 2024 and a T16 finish last season. As long as there is a huge gap in price between him and Scottie Scheffler, I’ll be happy digging in on Aberg, who looks like a decent enough value at just under 10k to build around.

MY SLEEPER: Adam Scott ($8,000)

If we’re picking out other values to potentially pair with Aberg, I do like the idea of sliding down to $8,000 and using Adam Scott as your second man in. The Aussie did cool off a bit with a missed cut at the PGA Championship, but he has also looked really close at times to posting a win, with two top-five finishes on the season already. He’s got a great history at Memorial as well, despite never having won this event, finishing 2nd to Patrick Cantlay in 2019 and T9 in 2023. 

Scott has been a bit boom-or-bust, but for larger-field tournaments, his price should also help keep ownership down and may allow him to be a great leverage play off others in his range. I’d not hesitate to go back to him this week, off the poor recent start, given his overall history and the fact that he’s tended to break out of lots of slumps this year by posting bigger weeks.