After two straight events in Texas, the PGA TOUR travels to Muirfield Village Golf Club (par 72, 7,569 yards, bentgrass greens) in Dublin, Ohio, for the Memorial Tournament. Muirfield Village has been the only course to host the Memorial since its inception in 1976 and Scottie Scheffler (-10) won this event for the second year in a row last season. The Memorial is the seventh of eight Signature Events this season, as the PGA TOUR’s best will be competing for a $20 million purse. There will be 72 golfers teeing it up and a top-50 and ties cut after the first two rounds.
Muirfield Village was designed by Jack Nicklaus and is annually one of the most difficult courses on the PGA TOUR. This long, tree-lined track features thick rough, tiny greens, 68 bunkers and water in play on 13 holes. Being an efficient driver is an advantage at Muirfield, as four of the last five winners here have finished the event top-10 in SG OTT. While the small greens at Muirfield put less of an emphasis on putting, these tiny putting surfaces make your iron play and work around the greens most important. Over the last five years, three of the victors at Muirfield have finished the event top-12 in both SG APP and SG ARG. While scoring on the four par fives at Muirfield is crucial, surviving the par fours is even more vital for success. For five straight years, the winner at Muirfield Village has finished the tournament top-four in par four performance.
Let’s dive into three of my favorite DraftKings bargain plays for the Memorial Tournament, which all cost less than $7.5K.
Set your DraftKings fantasy golf lineups here: PGA TOUR $350K Drive the Green [$50K to 1st]
Top DraftKings PGA TOUR DFS Bargain Plays for the Memorial Tournament
Gary Woodland ($7,300) – Woodland is a tough fade at only $7,300. The 42-year-old has only missed one cut in his last eight starts and he has finished T-17 or better at five of these events, most notably with a six-shot win at the Houston Open in March and a T-6 at the Charles Schwab Challenge last week. At Colonial CC, Woodland shot under par in all four of his rounds, including a 5-under 65 to begin the tournament.
The former U.S. Open champion ranks top-15 in both SG OTT and SG APP when we compare this field’s last 24 rounds, and he now heads to Muirfield Village, where Woodland has made 9-of-13 cuts and finished inside the top-25 six times.
Alex Noren ($7,200) – Noren has made 5-of-7 cuts at Muirfield Village with two top-25 finishes and the Swede returns to Jack’s Place in strong form. Noren has made 10 straight cuts and he has finished inside the top-30 seven times during this cut streak.
His last time out, Noren finished T-26 at the PGA Championship played at the demanding Aronimink GC and he closed the major with a 4-under 66 in the final round. Noren has gained strokes on approach and with his putter in three straight starts, and he brings top-25 upside this weekend.
Eric Cole ($6,700) – Cole was a featured pick in this piece last week for the Charles Schwab Challenge and he didn’t disappoint, finishing runner-up by losing to Russell Henley in a playoff. Cole’s salary on DraftKings has dropped $400 since and we need to go right back to the veteran at only $6,700. Cole has been on a great run, making six straight cuts and producing four top-15 finishes during this span.
The 37-year-old gained strokes across the board at Colonial last week and he shot a tournament-low 7-under 63 in the third round. Cole has shot under par in 11 of his last 12 rounds and he has gained strokes on approach and with his putter in four consecutive solo starts. At Muirfield Village, Cole has never missed a cut in three attempts, with his best being a T-24 in 2023. Playing some of the best golf of his career right now, Cole is poised for an even better result at Muirfield Village this week.
