Bolton: Big names headline fantasy lineups at the Memorial Tournament presented by Workday

There are two and only two types of PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf gamers at the Memorial Tournament presented by Workday – those who cannot wait to unleash captain Scottie Scheffler on their opposition and those who are content with being able to cobble together a roster resembling a second line in hockey.

OK, yes, where a gamer ranks as a result of roster management throughout Segment 2 sprinkles in some nuance, but no one has battled against the perfect combination of captains, starters and Sunday slingshots for unexpected FedExCup bonus points across the first 10 tournaments of the phase. If you think you did, you can get even with the longer and unique construct in Segment 3. More on that next week.

This week’s objective is quite simple. As the last stop in Segment 2, the Memorial demands that you play ‘em if ya got ‘em. While my advice always has been to remain fluid, there are reasons why you’ve reserved at least one start for a handful of usual suspects for Muirfield Village Golf Club. Stick to that plan unless you can successfully argue that an egregious deviation from it in some way has occurred.

Because of roster fatigue, the coefficient of luck on your outcome is higher than usual (and it will be again at the conclusion of Segment 3, so take notes). Respect that as a “seventh man” as you lock in your roster of six. What you don’t want to do is try to multiply it by creating your own luck with Hail Marys. While it can be the lesser-traveled road en route to the weekly prize, the risk-reward isn’t worth it in the season-long race, and there are no prizes for winning Segments.

The Memorial includes a cut of low 50 and ties and all golfers within 10 strokes of the lead after two rounds, and that’s not insignificant, but we all get six cracks to cash four. So, the most impactful decision for the finale of Segment 2 hinges on your captain. With the potential of 140 FedExCup bonus points in the balance at the Signature Event, and because dispersion percentages will vary more now than at any other time in the premier events that preceded it in Segment 2 (due to roster fatigue), you can be aggressive. It’s the source of your greatest leverage with the charges at your disposal.

Captain

Scottie Scheffler … The No. 1 in my Power Rankings is poised to give gamers who somehow had the patience not to burn all three of their starts in his first five of Segment 2 the last laugh. Although he’s finished second thrice and third once in those outings, he hasn’t won since The American Express to lead off his season in Segment 1.

Surprisingly, a healthy split of just over 24% of gamers include him among saved rosters. Of course, that’s game-wide, so it includes private leaguers with customizable schedules, but you should know where you stand by having tracked your opposition’s starts to date.

Other considerations

• Rory McIlroy ... This is a decision that follows through on the theory that he or Scheffler always should be your captain whenever possible. As for McIlroy having never won the Memorial in 13 tries, he never had won the Masters until last year, either, and now he has matching green jackets in his possession.
• Ludvig Åberg or Xander Schauffele ... This choice speaks to one of the messages in the opening. Either you go with the Swede and his firepower that he’s displayed in numerous recent starts or chalk with Schauffele and his reliably high floor. Both have experience and success at Muirfield Village and neither is a wrong answer.

Rounding out the roster

It’s tempting to work in safe choices like Patrick Cantlay and Tommy Fleetwood, and I still might. The forecast for Friday’s wind might be enough to persuade me, so I’ll be revisiting as usual on Wednesday night. For the record, I’m out of starts for Scheffler, Åberg and Matt Fitzpatrick, so yeah, I’m writhing in my seat as I continue to manage the tiniest of leads among the experts

My starters

• Si Woo Kim
• Hideki Matsuyama
• Rory McIlroy (C)
• Xander Schauffele

My bench

• Russell Henley (1)
• Ben Griffin (2)

Careful

For almost every tournament, a usually impressive subset of the field warrants avoiding, and it might be represented in my Power Rankings which is not written in the context of any fantasy golf format. In this section, I single out who demands pause and why.

• Aaron Rai ... It’s not surprising that his ownership percentage in PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf is just under seven, but there’s an argument that it shouldn’t be even that high. This is his first start since breaking through at the PGA Championship, but that was on a neutral field on which ball-striking was expected to reign supreme, and he doesn’t contend often. It was proof that he’s good enough, obviously, but he’s never been chalk. It’s not a dissimilar perspective of the next guy.
• J.J. Spaun ... Pulling in about 12% at last check despite a 1-for-5 record at the Memorial, so that’s a strong indication of the trust that he’s built since his career boon of the last year or so. Coming in hot, too, with a pair of top 10s in his last three starts and six top 25s in his last nine, including a victory at the Valero Texas Open, but he missed the cut at the first two majors. The correlation between Augusta National Golf Club and Muirfield Village is well-documented, so it’s not surprising that he hasn’t popped on either.

• Kurt Kitayama ... In full disclosure, he was the first golfer that I had penciled down for Sleepers, but he didn’t even make that file. Part of that is influenced by shorter odds than I anticipated, but he’s also 0-for-3 with a scoring average of 76.33 at Muirfield Village. Now, I tend to tilt most often into recency bias, a box that he checks with authority, with a trio of top 10s and a T19 in his last four starts, so the hedge is to inject him into DFS as a course contrarian, although with him populating only 2.6% of rosters saved, the same angle plays in PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf. Just temper your expectations.
• Min Woo Lee ... I continue to be baffled at how weak his odds are. As of Tuesday afternoon, he was tied for 11th-shortest to win at just +3900. It’s an extension of a phenomenon that goes back as long as I can remember, since first glancing at his values. He checks out analytically throughout his bag and at fourth in the all-around ranking, but he’s more of a top-20, cut-making machine than a contender. He’s just +110 in that market, so that’s not the kind of juice that will excite most bettors. He’s also just 1-for-2 at Muirfield Village with a T49 last year.

Membership matters

Blades Brown ... As expected, he has accepted Special Temporary Membership. But before you rush to see if he’s still somehow a free agent in your league – don’t hold your breath – it’s likely that his primary focus will be on securing a PGA TOUR card in 2027, not simply taking advantage of the unlimited starts unlocked by achieving STM this season.

As I detailed in this space last week, because the 19-year-old is comfortably inside the top 20 on the Korn Ferry Tour Points List – he’s 11th and 208 points clear of Sandy Scott at 21st – and because the category in the PGA TOUR’s Priority Rankings dedicated to graduates of that circuit is higher than the category reserved for non-members who finish inside the top 70 of the FedExCup at the conclusion of the Wyndham Championship, it stands to reason that he’d continue to ply his craft on the Korn Ferry Tour for the foreseeable future. Compartmentalize what he’s achieved on the PGA TOUR this season as a bonus and remember that three of his most recent starts on it were when the Korn Ferry Tour was dark.

Short of a PGA TOUR victory during a spot start, consider him a keeper for 2027. If that’s not a possibility in your format, then dangle him as trade bait. And if that’s also not an option, at least you know what to expect in the interim.

For resources to overcome a gambling problem, call or text 1-800-MY-RESET today.