The Memorial Tournament: Initial Picks

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The appropriately timed Memorial Tournament kicks off on Thursday with a talented field and plenty of opportunity across all price ranges.  This week I will be focusing on APP and ARG with a little less attention to OTT.  As far as OTT goes, as always, distance helps but I’m more concerned with driving accuracy as the rough will be penal.  More on the course dynamics, key metrics (i.e. – proximities) and all the players in the field on tonight’s PGA Livestream at 8:00 EST.  Now let’s get to The Memorial Tournament Initial Picks.

Jordan Spieth (11300) – I really don’t like this elite range and I’m having a hard time finding someone worth the value.  I’ve narrowed it down to Jordan Spieth as he’s got the best all-around game of the upper tier.  He’s been doing a bit better in terms of keeping it in the fairway and he checks all other boxes.  I worry about a let-down after such a good stretch of golf so feel free to start your builds in the 9k range.

Viktor Hovland (9900) – What’s not to like.  He’s either good or great in almost every metric I looked at this week (other than some poor play in the 150-175 proximity).  Overall he’s 6^th OTT and 12^th on APP in this field and his short game has been just fine.

Patrick Cantlay (9500) –Rates out 12^th in my 24 Round model (9^th on APP last 24 rounds), which is actually pretty surprising considering how lackluster his game has been.  He finished 23^rd at the PGA Championship and seemed to have put his game back in order so I think I want to grab Cantlay early if ownership is low.  I’ll note his track record at The Memorial Tournament is quite good, as is his track record on Jack Nicklaus designs.  

Louis Oosthuizen (8500) – Louis is a surprise 6^th in my model this week.  His ball striking is good and his short game is excellent and he’s just the type of guy to navigate what should be a tough test this week.  I’ll note I also like Matthew Fitzpatrick and Shane Lowry in this range, but didn’t want to write up too many guys in this range.

Charley Hoffman (8300) – Hoffman and Keegan (below) are the closest thing to a free square in this tournament.  No, there isn’t anyone who is “safe” from the cut, but Hoffman is pretty darn close.  He’s 2^nd in the field on APP last 24 rounds, keeps it in the fairway and grades out tremendously ARG.  The one watch out for The Hoff is his history at the Memorial Tournament isn’t great. 

Keegan Bradley (8000) – If you want to try to find a flaw in his game, good luck.  He’s actually improving with the putter and has been striking the ball to the tune of 20^th OTT and 15^th APP.  He also keeps it in the fairway and is Top 10 ARG.  Keegan and Charley will be popular but are perfect for your cash lineups.

Emiliano Grillo (7700) – With an extra emphasis on ARG this week, Grillo does scare me a bit.  I still think the price is fair and I don’t mind dialing him up in GPPs.  An excellent ball striker who has improved a bit with the putter, he’s worth a shot.  He had an MC last year but has been inside the Top 25 3 of his last 5 efforts at The Memorial.

Kevin Streelman (7500) – Another guy who has some issues ARG, but has been lights out pretty much everywhere else.  He’s Top 20 in this field last 24 rounds OTT and APP and keeps it in the fairway.  He’s made his last 5 cuts here and that includes two Top 10 finishes.

Talor Gooch (7100) – Metrics don’t jump out at me necessarily as they are pretty average across the board overall.  However he’s 13^th APP last 24 rounds and I think we may be finding him on an upward trajectory based on his 5 cuts out of his last 6 tournaments.

Aaron Wise (7000) – Rates out pretty high in my model (21^st).  He’s been keeping it in the fairway and is in the top 40 OTT, APP and ARG.  If he’s even decent with the putter he will find his way past the cut and toward some DK scoring over the weekend.

Alex Noren (6800) – Finishing positions have been very good as of late and he does have a good enough all-around game to do well at The Memorial Tournament.  Noren feels like a boom or bust play so GPP only.

Kyle Stanley (6100) – Sometimes questionable with the short game but has been excellent lately and this is a clear misprice.  He’s made 4 cuts in a row and had an 8^th place finish last week.  Also has a great track record here.  Not a lock button but you need to grab shares.

Secret Weapon (less than 7k/less than 5% owned) – Current record is 35-9. See you in Discord. 

If you haven’t already, subscribe to Win Daily Sports on YouTube and at the Apple Store and check out all the content at windailysports.com. It’s also important to be in Discord Wednesday night as weather may be a factor in the final adjustments of your Memorial Tournament lineups.