2026 the Memorial Tournament presented by Workday

Introduction

Jack Nicklaus built something special in Dublin, Ohio, a golf course that he's spent five decades perfecting, a tournament he designed to rival the majors in prestige, and a week that always seems to deliver when the best players in the world show up to compete. The Memorial Tournament is an annual, late spring tradition, and this year it brings another deep field to central Ohio at Muirfield Village Golf Club. The storyline writing itself is Scottie Scheffler's pursuit of history, he is looking for a three-peat after successfully defending his title last year with a four-stroke victory, having joined Tiger Woods as the only players to repeat as champions at Jack Nicklaus' tournament. Woods went even further and won three in a row from 1999-2001, which is exactly what Scheffler has in his sights this week. Add in Rory McIlroy, the world's second-ranked player, making his first signature event appearance alongside Scheffler since the Arnold Palmer Invitational in March, and you've got the kind of marquee matchup that makes a late-spring preview feel like must-read material. This is the 50th anniversary of the event at Muirfield Village, which adds an extra layer of history to an already historically rich week. There is $20 million on the line, 700 FedExCup points up for grabs, and a course that will demand every shot in the bag.

Course Breakdown

Muirfield Village Golf Club is situated on 220 acres, and the course plays to a par of 72 at 7,569 yards, making it one of the longer layouts the Tour visits all season. But Muirfield Village is not a course you simply overpower. Nicklaus designed it as a shotmaker's examination, and he has continued to tinker with it over the decades to keep pace with the evolving elite game. The Nicklaus-led restoration tightened the rough lines, rebuilt every greenside bunker on the property, reduced the green sizes on certain holes, and added 250 yards across 10 of the 18 holes. What you're left with is a course that rewards patience, precision, and the ability to think your way around a golf course, not just hit it hard. The course is characterized by engaging elevation changes, immaculate conditions, and a meandering creek that the holes were strategically formed around. The rough here is grown in to near U.S. Open conditions every June, and missing fairways is punishing in a way that very few regular PGA Tour stops can replicate.

If you look at club selection off the tee at Muirfield Village, you might play driver twice on the front side, and likely five or six times on the back nine. That tells you something important about the front nine's demands, it's a placement game, where taking iron off the tee is often the percentage play because the angles into the greens are everything. The par 5s are theoretically reachable in two, but the creek comes into play on tee shots and approaches on three of the four, meaning aggressive plays can go sideways in a hurry. The par 4s are the biggest test of the course, ranging in length, style, and challenge. They demand everything from tight driving lanes to precise iron play into green complexes guarded by bunkers and slope. The par 3s vary in length and tend to play in the mid-to-long iron range, requiring genuine commitment to the target even when pin positions are tucked behind trouble.

The 18th hole has been the most brutish closer on this course for years. The average score in 2024 was 4.32, ranking it as the hardest hole at Muirfield Village, yielding just 21 birdies over four rounds while extracting 70 bogeys and 10 double bogeys. It features a creek down the left side, a black walnut tree and bunkers on the right, and a kidney-shaped green that punishes anything above the hole. The back nine is the better of the two sides with superior terrain, excellent risk/reward holes, and a marvelous test of skill that is highly memorable. The player who wins at Muirfield Village is typically one who finds fairways with regularity, attacks greens from the correct angles, and doesn't flinch when the pressure ramps up at the end of a round. Elite ball-striking is a prerequisite, but mental resilience on the closing holes is what ultimately separates the champions from the also-rans.

Tournament History

Tiger Woods has the most victories in the event's history with five wins, including three consecutive from 1999-2001. Kenny Perry has won the event three times. The Memorial has a habit of producing winners who are at the peak of their powers, it is not a tournament that tends to gift titles to players having down years. Scoring has generally landed in the range of double-digits under par in recent years, though the course is capable of playing firm and fast like a major, as evidenced by Scheffler closing with a 70 to finish at 10 under par in 2025 — the only player to break par all four rounds. In tighter, windier conditions, winning totals have climbed back toward single digits under par. History tells us to expect a major-caliber test with a winner who doesn't just run away from the field, but rather withstands it.

Recent Champions and their scores to par:

• 2025 - Scottie Scheffler (-10)

• 2024 - Scottie Scheffler (-8)

• 2023 - Viktor Hovland (-7, playoff)

• 2022 - Billy Horschel (-13)

• 2021 - Patrick Cantlay (-13, playoff)

• 2020 - Jon Rahm (-9)

• 2019 - Patrick Cantlay (-19)

• 2018 - Bryson DeChambeau (-15)

• 2017 - Jason Dufner (-13)

• 2016 - William McGirt (-15)

Field Breakdown

The Memorial Tournament field is headlined by the likes of Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlroy, Cameron Young, Matt Fitzpatrick, and more, and as a no-cut Signature Event, every player in the field has earned their spot on merit. Scheffler is the obvious tent pole, he enters as the world's number one player and a two-time defending champion hunting a three-peat that only Tiger Woods has achieved at this tournament. Rory McIlroy returns off a dominant stretch of form and remains the most compelling Scheffler challenger in any field they share. Cameron Young continues to establish himself as one of the game's premier ball-strikers, and Matt Fitzpatrick's game profile, precise iron player who grinds rather than overwhelms, is tailor-made for Muirfield Village's demands. Tommy Fleetwood, Patrick Cantlay, Ludvig Åberg, Russell Henley, Corey Conners, Shane Lowry, and J.J. Spaun are among the other names who round out a legitimate tier of contenders just below the top two names in the world.

The second tier at this tournament is where interesting betting value tends to live, and this year is no different. Patrick Cantlay, a two-time Memorial champion (2019 and 2021), deserves serious attention whenever this event rolls around, his game profile of precision and patience is a natural fit for Muirfield Village even when his recent results have been inconsistent. Ludvig Åberg has quietly become one of the more dangerous iron players on Tour and profiles well for a course that rewards elite approach play above all else. Corey Conners is a name that fits this course archetype, a fairways and greens grinder who rarely beats himself and consistently shows up at major-caliber venues. Hideki Matsuyama, a 2021 Masters champion and 2014 Memorial champion, and two-time PGA Championship winner Justin Thomas round out a list of proven major-level players who know how to win on the biggest stages and carry legitimate course history at Muirfield Village.

The realistic contender pool at Muirfield Village is defined by one thing above everything else: the ability to execute on demanding iron shots into tricky, elevated, undulating greens under significant scoring pressure. This is not a course for players who rely on scrambling or driving brilliance to mask mediocre approach play. Muirfield Village is the quintessential shotmaker's course that demands your attention and consideration on every shot yet is quick to fairly reward you when shots are properly executed. Mid-iron precision, the ability to flight the ball under wind when necessary, and calm nerves on the closing holes are the profile of a Muirfield Village winner. The cream almost always rises here.

Weather Forecast

The forecast for tournament week in Dublin, Ohio sets up as classic early-June Ohio weather, warm and pleasant early in the week with increasing uncertainty as the weekend approaches.

Thursday: Morning conditions should be comfortable for scoring, with temperatures in the low-to-mid 70s and light winds that shouldn't create much in the way of tee-time advantages. Expect a mostly calm, clear-sky start to the tournament with winds staying relatively tame in the 5-10 mph range. Afternoon play could see the winds pick up modestly, but nothing that should dramatically split the scoring by wave. An early-Thursday tee time is a slight advantage if the breeze builds in the afternoon, but overall this shapes up as the most benign scoring day of the week.

Friday: Friday looks like the best morning of the week for low scoring, with calm winds and mild temperatures in the upper 70s giving early starters a chance to make real moves. The afternoon wave could get more interesting as the wind is expected to build, potentially gusting into the 15-20 mph range by the time the last groups come in. This creates a meaningful split-tee-time dynamic for DFS and betting purposes. Players in the early-Friday wave may have a scoring edge heading into the weekend.

Saturday: The third round historically sorts itself out at Muirfield Village, and the forecast suggests Saturday could be the most difficult scoring day. Expect temperatures near 80°F, but with a southwest wind that could gust past 15 mph in the afternoon. The combination of firm, fast conditions (assuming the greens have been baking for a couple of days by this point) and meaningful wind will make the back nine extremely demanding. Players who can manage their games under pressure will separate from the pack here.

Sunday: Sunday looks like the most benign day of the week from a weather perspective, with winds settling back toward the 6-10 mph range. Temperatures should be pleasant in the mid-to-upper 70s. If conditions firm up as expected later in the week, Sunday scoring may not be as low as the conditions suggest, the course, not the weather, will be the primary challenge. A calm final-round setup at Muirfield Village generally favors the best ball-strikers in the field.

Outright Betting Breakdown

Matt Fitzpatrick +3100 (Boosted)

He ranks first in my model this week, and I'm not sure there's a more compelling case anywhere on the board when you factor in current form, course history, and skill-set alignment. Fitzpatrick has secured three wins in 2026 through 12 starts, including back-to-back victories at the RBC Heritage and the Zurich Classic of New Orleans paired with his brother Alex, as well as a runner-up finish at THE PLAYERS Championship. That is a truly extraordinary stretch of golf from the Sheffield native, and it has all been built on the back of what looks like a genuine leap forward in his iron play, the missing piece that previously capped his ceiling.

The form underpinning this run is historic by Fitzpatrick's own standards. Entering the Masters, Fitzpatrick was averaging 1.645 Strokes Gained: Total over his last five tournaments, ranking seventh on Tour in Strokes Gained: Approach, and those numbers have only improved since. At the Truist itself, he held the 54-hole lead entering the final round before eventually finishing just off the top of the leaderboard as Kristoffer Reitan held on. Back-to-back contention at major-caliber setups from a player who has won three times in 2026 is exactly the profile you want heading into Muirfield Village.

The course fit is exceptional. Fitzpatrick has three top-10 finishes over his last six appearances at Muirfield Village, with his best result being a third-place finish in 2020 where he led the field in scrambling. He has also finished T9 in 2023 and T5 in 2024, demonstrating a consistent pattern of results at a course that demands the precise, short-iron-centric approach game he has built his career on. He has found repeated success on his favorite courses, and Muirfield Village is one of them. The only blemish is a T31 in 2025, and given that his iron play has reached an entirely new level this year, I think the recency of his bad result here is far less important than the trajectory of his overall game.

This is my top selection of the week, and at +3100 with a boost, the price is still fair relative to what he's doing on golf courses right now. It's no coincidence we've seen Fitzpatrick's win rate skyrocket as he's dialed in his irons, and Muirfield Village is the ultimate iron-player's paradise.

2026 PGA Tour Strokes Gained Rankings:

• Total: 4th

• Off-the-Tee: 34th

• Approach: 4th

• Around the Green: 8th

• Putting: 89th

Hideki Matsuyama +5100

He ranks 14th in my model this week, and the number is built almost entirely on course history and approach-play quality, two things that Muirfield Village rewards above everything else. Matsuyama won the Memorial in 2014, his first time playing the event, and has also finished tied for fifth in 2015 and sixth in 2019. He has openly said he loves this golf course, and when a player of his caliber develops that kind of affinity for a venue, it's worth taking seriously on a week-to-week basis.

The form picture going into this week is complicated. He averaged -0.314 Strokes Gained: Total over his last five tournaments heading into the PGA Championship, which reflects a stretch of below-average play coming out of the spring. However, he did show up at the PGA and posted a T2 finish, which represented a strong performance at Aronimink Golf Club. Earlier in the season, the picture was brighter, he led the WM Phoenix Open only to be beaten in a playoff by Chris Gotterup, and on the season he has recorded two top 10s and four top 25s in six starts.

The skill profile is the reason he remains an interesting play at this number. His Strokes Gained: Approach this season ranks 14th on Tour, elite-level iron play that directly translates to success at a course like Muirfield Village, where the approach shot is the defining stroke on almost every hole. His driving metrics are a weakness, consistently ranking outside the top 100, but this is a course that prioritizes placement and angle over raw distance. In his most recent appearance here in 2024, he finished tied for eighth at one-under, a strong result in a year where barely anyone managed to get to double figures under par. The pattern of results at this course is simply too consistent to ignore at a number that prices him as a fringe contender.

At +5100, I'll take a shot on Matsuyama coming back to a place where he's always performed and where his best skills are directly valued. The form dip is real, but these prices compensate for that.

2026 PGA Tour Strokes Gained Rankings:

• Total: 29th

• Off-the-Tee: 131st

• Approach: 14th

• Around the Green: 19th

• Putting: 64th

Justin Thomas +5600

I'll be honest, Justin Thomas ranks 49th in my model this week, and I don't love that. But the price compensates for the model gap, and there are specific reasons I'm staying involved with him that the model alone doesn't fully capture. He is a two-time major champion who is rounding back into form after spinal surgery, and the closing stretch of 2026 has featured some legitimately encouraging performances. At the PGA Championship, Thomas shot a final-round 65, tying his best score in 40 career rounds at the event, and found himself holding the clubhouse lead for a stretch before Aaron Rai closed it out. That's not a player still working his way back. That's a player ready to contend.

The Truist Championship two weeks prior offered another data point. Thomas was tied for third through 36 holes at Quail Hollow, shooting a 68 on Friday, and was posting his best putting performance of the year at +1.35 strokes gained per round on the greens. He spent the first part of the season battling his putter, but the Truist and the PGA both showed signs that those struggles may be turning. His approach play and short game have never been the issue; he ranks highly on approach and around the greens, which is about as Muirfield-specific a skill set as you can construct.

The course history is complicated. His best result here is a T4 in 2017, and his career scoring average of 72.21 at Muirfield Village puts him outside the elite tier of course performers. He has missed the cut here multiple times. Thomas has acknowledged the course presents a pattern of either top-10 finishes or missed cuts, which is actually the volatile kind of bi-modal outcome you want in a player at +5600. When he's on at this course, he's really on. The recalibrated putter, combined with approach and short-game skills that directly translate, make him a live dart at this number on a week where his game is trending upward.

2026 PGA Tour Strokes Gained Rankings:

• Total: 46th

• Off-the-Tee: 59th

• Approach: 72nd

• Around the Green: 24th

• Putting: 90th

Alex Smalley +8400

He ranks 10th in my model this week, which makes him one of the most underpriced names on the board relative to my numbers. The broader market hasn't fully caught up to what Smalley has been doing in 2026, but the résumé is starting to force people to pay attention. He has closed the 2025 fall swing with multiple top-five finishes and continued to elevate his game throughout 2026 with a T24 at THE PLAYERS, T14 at the Valero, T7 at the Cadillac, T17 at the Truist, and a runner-up finish at the PGA Championship two weeks ago. That is not a lucky streak. That is a player who has made a genuine developmental leap.

The key to understanding Smalley's rise is his short game transformation. After losing strokes per round both on and around the greens in 2024, he has flipped that into a gain in 2026. That kind of improvement in scrambling and greenside work, combined with an approach game that ranks 17th on Tour, produces a complete player who can survive and thrive at a course where precise iron play and a reliable short game are absolute requirements. He finished T3 at the Charles Schwab Challenge just last week, which means he arrives in Dublin on the back of a podium finish at a major-caliber setup.

His Muirfield Village history is limited, this will be among his earlier starts at the event as a Signature Event qualifier, but the profile fits the course archetype almost perfectly. A patient, precise iron player with an improved short game who knows how to grind through demanding setups? That's a Muirfield Village winner. His 2026 form has peaked at exactly the right time, with a T2, a T7, and multiple other top-25s signaling a player hitting the biggest events in career form. I want him at +8400, and I think this number is significantly too long.

2026 PGA Tour Strokes Gained Rankings:

• Total: 11th

• Off-the-Tee: 54th

• Approach: 17th

• Around the Green: 56th

• Putting: 30th

Nick Taylor +15000

He ranks 12th in my model, and the gap between that ranking and the +15000 number is where the value lives this week. Nick Taylor is not a player whose name pops up automatically when you think of Muirfield Village contenders, which is exactly why the odds are this long, and exactly why I'm interested. Taylor made a run at winning this tournament last year, finishing in solo fourth place, co-leading through 36 holes and staying in contention well into the weekend before a difficult Saturday ultimately bumped him off the pace. That's not a lucky result. That's a player who knows how to score on this course.

He has been rounding into form this season, finishing T9 at the Cadillac Championship, T14 at the Truist Championship, and T26 at the PGA Championship, while gaining strokes on approach in 12 straight starts. His Strokes Gained: Approach this season ranks 31st on Tour, and his short game has been one of his best attributes down the stretch of the year. The putter has been inconsistent, ranking 84th on Tour in Strokes Gained: Putting, which is the primary concern with him at any course, but Muirfield Village's demanding iron-play requirements mean the approach advantage he brings is particularly relevant here.

The knock on Taylor is the driving. He ranks 119th in Strokes Gained: Off-the-Tee. Muirfield Village is long and penalizes bad tee shots severely, but it's also a course where intelligent placement matters more than pure distance, and Taylor has demonstrated through his fourth-place finish last year that he can navigate the layout effectively when his irons are working. At +15000, you are being compensated for every one of those concerns and then some.

2026 PGA Tour Strokes Gained Rankings:

• Total: 38th

• Off-the-Tee: 119th

• Approach: 31st

• Around the Green: 10th

• Putting: 84th

My outright card is built around a simple target: a minimum 10x return on my unit. In practice, that means I spread one total unit across all my selections for the week, structured so that any single winner returns at least 10 units. This means I only need to hit one outright in ten tournaments to break even. It keeps me honest about the odds I'm willing to accept and prevents me from chasing value at prices that don't justify the risk.

That said, this is my system, and it works for my bankroll and my risk tolerance. Yours may look completely different, and it should. Figure out what return threshold makes sense for you, how many units you're comfortable putting at risk in a given week, and build from there. The best betting system is the one you can stick to consistently, not the one that sounds best on paper.

Daily Fantasy Sports Breakdown

$10,000+ Price Range: Ludvig Åberg ($10,100)

Ludvig Åberg is looking to continue his fabulous springtime stretch of results, and this week he arrives at a course that fits his profile as well as any on the Tour schedule. The 26-year-old Swede has developed into one of the most complete ball-strikers on the planet, and Muirfield Village, a course that rewards elite ball-striking, long driving off selective tees, and reliable approach play, is exactly the kind of venue where his game should translate. At $10,100, he's appropriately priced as a top-tier option, and I'm comfortable rostering him in both cash games and tournaments this week.

Åberg's Strokes Gained: Off-the-Tee ranks 12th on Tour and his approach mark ranks eighth. He entered THE PLAYERS Championship with a three-shot lead heading into Sunday and has been a fixture near the top of leaderboards all spring. His iron play has been particularly elite lately, ranking in the top ten in that category, which is the primary currency at Jack's place. He also has a strong recent track record at Muirfield Village, ranking among the top players in course history at this venue.

For DFS purposes, Åberg is a strong cash game anchor at $10,100. His consistency and elite skill set give him a high floor, and his ceiling is obvious given what he's done in 2026. In GPP lineups, he'll be moderately owned given his results and ranking, but not as chalky as Scheffler, McIlroy, or Cameron Young, which makes him a viable tournament play at the right leverage percentage. He's the kind of player you can comfortably pair with lower-salary upside pieces without feeling like you've overextended your stack at the top.

The concern is primarily the putting. His Strokes Gained: Putting ranks 52nd on the season, not a weakness, but not the weapon that some of his competitors bring to fast bentgrass greens. If the putter goes cold at a venue where par feels like a victory on certain holes, his scoring upside becomes more limited. That said, when the iron game is firing at this level, you don't need to make a lot of putts at Muirfield Village, you just need to give yourself manageable looks.

2026 PGA Tour Strokes Gained Rankings:

• Total: 2nd

• Off-the-Tee: 12th

• Approach: 8th

• Around the Green: 21st

• Putting: 52nd

$9,900–$9,000 Price Range: Si Woo Kim ($9,400)

Si Woo Kim is quietly one of the best course fits in the entire field this week, and $9,400 gets you access to a player who has one of the more compelling Muirfield Village track records outside of the elite names. Kim is among just five players to have avoided missing the cut and finished inside the top-40 over each of the last five years at Muirfield Village (minimum three appearances), company that includes Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlroy, Tony Finau, and Xander Schauffele. That kind of sustained course performance is not a coincidence. Kim's precise, short-iron-centric game is exactly what Nicklaus's layout demands.

Kim has been enjoying one of his best seasons on Tour in 2026, and the statistical profile to back that up is encouraging. He is listed among the top-tier contenders in the Memorial betting market at a price that suggests the broader market has noticed, but DFS ownership may lag behind that recognition given his somewhat quiet public profile relative to the American and European players in this range. He enters this week with the kind of all-around game, fairways, greens, solid short game, that converts at Muirfield Village even when conditions are firm and demanding.

In cash games, Kim at $9,400 is a comfortable play given his course history reliability. You can construct a strong roster around him without reaching on salary, and the five-year pattern of top-40 finishes or better suggests a high floor in no-cut Signature Event format. In GPPs, his ownership will likely be modest compared to higher-profile names in this range, which makes him a viable differentiator in tournament lineups. A player who consistently makes top-40 at this venue is the kind of stable anchor that lets you take shots elsewhere in the lineup.

The concern is his inconsistency week to week on the national stage, Kim can be streaky, and in weeks where the iron play deserts him, the results can get ugly in a hurry at a course this demanding. But at $9,400, the floor established by his course history and current form makes him a reasonable play in both formats.

2026 PGA Tour Strokes Gained Rankings:

• Total: 6th

• Off-the-Tee: 15th

• Approach: 7th

• Around the Green: 29th

• Putting: 106th

$8,900–$8,000 Price Range: Hideki Matsuyama ($8,700)

The DFS case for Matsuyama at $8,700 is built on the same foundation as the outright play, but with an added wrinkle: in no-cut Signature Event format, you are guaranteed four rounds from a player who has a proven history of performing at this specific venue, and whose primary strength, elite approach play, is the single most valuable skill on this course. He won the Memorial in 2014, his first time playing the event, and also finished tied for fifth in 2015 and sixth in 2019, demonstrating repeated excellence at Muirfield Village across different stretches of his career.

His Strokes Gained: Approach this season ranks 14th on Tour, which is an elite mark, and the rest of his statistical profile features a solid around-the-green number and adequate putting. The off-the-tee weakness is real, he consistently ranks outside the top 100 in driving metrics, but Muirfield Village is one of the few courses on Tour where that disadvantage is most mitigated, because accurate placement beats distance on the majority of holes here. A player who hits fairways, attacks greens from the right angles, and scrapes it around when necessary will always score at Muirfield Village, and that's exactly the game Matsuyama plays.

For cash games, Matsuyama at $8,700 is an interesting value play relative to his historical production at this venue. Four rounds of guaranteed elite approach play is a high-floor proposition in a format that rewards consistency. In GPP tournaments, his ownership may be somewhat elevated given his course pedigree and outright betting popularity, which is a mild concern, but his ceiling in a week where the irons are clicking is absolutely tournament-winning. He's a cash game lean and a GPP consideration depending on the rest of your build.

The primary risk is the form dip that has crept in lately, and the putting, which has been his most inconsistent skill across the season. At Muirfield Village, neutral putting can still produce competitive scores if the irons are doing the work, but if both go sideways in the same week, the ceiling collapses quickly.

2026 PGA Tour Strokes Gained Rankings:

• Total: 29th

• Off-the-Tee: 131st

• Approach: 14th

• Around the Green: 19th

• Putting: 64th

$7,900–$7,000 Price Range: Alex Noren ($7,200)

Alex Noren at $7,200 is one of the best value plays in the field this week, and I don't think the DFS market is fully pricing what he brings to Muirfield Village. He is a 43-year-old Swede who has been grinding his way through the Tour for years, and his game profile, accurate, patient, elite scrambler, reliable putter, lines up almost perfectly with what Muirfield Village rewards. Noren has made 5 of 7 cuts at Muirfield Village with two top-25 finishes, and he returns to Jack's place in strong form having made 10 straight cuts and finishing inside the top-30 seven times during that cut streak.

The most recent data point is particularly encouraging. In his last start, Noren finished T26 at the PGA Championship at the demanding Aronimink Golf Club and closed the major with a 4-under 66 in the final round. A closing 66 at a major championship setup is the kind of performance that tells you a player is in peak form. He has also gained strokes on approach and with his putter in three straight starts, which is the exact combination of skills that translates at Muirfield Village. His driving distance ranks near the bottom of the field, but like Matsuyama, this is one of the few venues on the schedule where placement and accuracy limit the disadvantage of being a shorter hitter.

In cash games, Noren at $7,200 offers a tremendous floor-to-price ratio. Ten straight cuts made, strong recent form, and a course history that demonstrates consistent performance at this specific venue, that's a player who provides real value in the middle of a DFS roster and gives you salary cap relief to invest in the premium range. In GPPs, he'll be very low-owned given his age and relative profile, making him a superb differentiator. A top-10 or top-15 finish from Noren at this price in a tournament lineup is a score-mover.

The concern is simple: there is essentially no upside path to a tournament win from a 43-year-old who doesn't bomb it. His ceiling is firmly in the top-15 to top-20 range, which is fine for cash games and useful in GPPs for salary construction purposes, but he's not the play if you need upside in a head-to-head scenario. Use him for the floor in cash, and in tournaments as a value piece paired with higher-ceiling selections elsewhere.

2026 PGA Tour Strokes Gained Rankings:

• Total: 36th

• Off-the-Tee: 113th

• Approach: 63rd

• Around the Green: 67th

• Putting: 14th

$6,900–$6,000 Price Range: Nick Taylor ($6,800)

There is one thing I know about Nick Taylor and Muirfield Village: he nearly won here last year, and the market has completely forgotten about it. Taylor co-led after 36 holes at the 2025 Memorial, sharing the midway lead at seven-under with Ben Griffin before ultimately finishing third through 54 holes and closing in solo fourth. That's a player who demonstrated the ability to keep pace with and outpace elite competition at this course for 72 holes, not a lucky result, not a flash in the pan. At $6,800 in DFS, you are getting a proven Muirfield Village performer at the lowest salary range where real fantasy upside still exists.

Taylor has gained strokes on approach in 12 straight starts heading into this week, and his recent results include a T9 at the Cadillac Championship and T14 at the Truist Championship. His Strokes Gained: Approach ranks 31st on Tour, and his accuracy off the tee, though he doesn't hit it far, is an advantage at a course where placing the ball in the right spot matters more than generating raw distance. The short game, as noted in his 2025 Memorial run, has been one of his better tools during his best stretches.

For cash game purposes, Taylor at $6,800 is a value anchor. His course history alone gives him a higher floor than his price suggests, and the sustained approach-play gains over the last three months indicate current form backing up the historical performance. In GPP tournaments, Taylor is the kind of forgotten course fit who will be extremely low-owned, making him a high-leverage differentiator if he repeats his 2025 performance. A top-10 finish from this salary slot can win you a GPP.

The concern is the putting, which has been a persistent issue, ranking 84th on Tour for Strokes Gained: Putting, and the distance deficit that makes bogeys more likely when he does miss fairways at a course this punishing. He's not the right cash game play if you need a truly safe floor; he's better in GPPs at this salary where the upside justifies the risk. Either way, at $6,800 for a player who was in the final pairing on Sunday at this venue 52 weeks ago, I'm playing him.

2026 PGA Tour Strokes Gained Rankings:

• Total: 38th

• Off-the-Tee: 119th

• Approach: 31st

• Around the Green: 10th

• Putting: 84th

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