DFS Dish: To Scheffler, or not to Scheffler at the Memorial Tournament presented by Workday

The Memorial Tournament celebrates 50 years at Muirfield Village Golf Club this week and welcomes a field of 45 of the top 50 players, led by world No. 1 and defending champion Scottie Scheffler ($13,300). For the third consecutive week, investors will have to answer the question:

To Scheffler or not to Scheffler.

Over the last three weeks, only three players have defeated him over 72 holes. Ben Griffin, Matti Schmid, and Bud Cauley, the top three players at the Charles Schwab Challenge, stopped the Texas train from rolling to his third consecutive victory on TOUR. Making his fourth consecutive start, this time on a track where he has won before, his price tag reflects his dominance. Muirfield Village Golf Club is never an easy walk, and this Signature Event does cut the field to the top 50 and ties, after 36 holes. Unlike the regular Signature Events which do not feature a cut, investors will have an extra challenge this week.

If I am not paying the #SchefflerTax, Collin Morikawa ($9,900) lures me in. Playing in the final group with Scheffler last year, he almost ran down a four-shot deficit but fell one shot short of a playoff. Earning his second runner-up finish in four years, the Californian won the 2020 Workday Charity Championship on this track. His ball-striking makes this an easy alternative and with a pair of solo second paydays in 2025, I’m not concerned about his form or caddie switch.

The only player who averages more DFS points than Morikawa is Justin Thomas ($10,300). He does not own a top-10 payoff at the Memorial since 2018. For those who enjoy powerful stats, Xander Schauffele ($10,900), the second choice,stared down missing the weekend at Quail Hollow Club before dragging himself into the weekend at the PGA Championship. His streak, on the line again this week, is at 64 consecutive events with collecting a check. With only one top-10 result in 2025, T8 at the Masters, he only has one top-10 payday in Ohio, T8 last year. He’s never finished outside the top 25 in any format of this event within the last six editions.

The past champions in the field this week paint two different price points. 2023 winner Viktor Hovland ($8,900), one of four players to defeat Scheffler here in his last three visits, broke through for victory in March at the Valspar Championship. Since winning, his best production is T13 in four tries, but he’s cashed in five straight on TOUR. He shared second after 36 holes in his defense in 2024 before fading to T15.

Patrick Cantlay ($9,500) is the only multiple winner in the field (2021, 2019) but missed the cut last year after picking up T30 in 2023. The axiom with Cantlay is that he plays well where he plays well. Four top five paydays is the proof but the recent uneven form makes me think twice. Hideki Matsuyama ($9,000) won for the first time on the PGA TOUR at Muirfield Village in 2014. Only four players have broken their maiden on this track this century. With a field of this magnitude, I would not expect another entrant into that club, sorry, Tommy Fleetwood ($9,400) fans.

Like Hovland, Matsuyama won earlier this year. Like Hovland, he has not earned a check better than T13 since his victory. Matsuyama owns six T16 or better finishes, including T8 and T16, over the last two seasons. His incredible short game and 11 previous starts help. I’m surprised with Ludvig Åberg ($9,300) and his number, especially with his past successes on long, demanding tracks. He cashed T5 on debut last year, won at Torrey Pines this year, and has a pair of top-seven paydays at the Masters. But those putting numbers …

The Signature Events are usually dominated by the top players, but we need six players who are likely to make the cut. I’m going to lean on the recent form of Sepp Straka ($8,800). The winner the week before the PGA Championship joins Scheffler and McIlroy as the only multiple winners on TOUR in 2025. His worst finish this year is T30. Si Woo Kim ($8,300) is quietly going through the gears, cashing T28 or better with a pair of top-10 payouts in his last five.

To see Denny McCarthy ($7,900) at this price is either pyrite or an oversight. The runner-up to Hovland in 2023 ran in the top 10 at the PGA Championship and was T5 at Torrey Pines for The Genesis Invitational. With two wins in his last five events, Ben Griffin ($7,800) added T8 at the PGA Championship in his excellent run of form. He’s never broken par in four previous rounds outside Columbus (MC-MC). J.J. Spaun ($7,500) returned to relevance at Colonial Country Club last week with T6, his first top-10 result since losing to Rory McIlroy (not entered) in a playoff at THE PLAYERS Championship.

Adam Scott ($7,200) once made 11 birdies in a round, the course record. The Australian is trending (T49, T34, and T19) after falling short of the weekend at the Masters. Andrew Novak ($7,100) watched his title-winning teammate from the Zurich Classic win for the second time last weekend. Novak, who cashed T11 at the Charles Schwab Challenge, picked up his fifth T17 or better result from his previous six events. He stubbed his toe with a second round of 80 at the PGA Championship, his only blemish since the end of March. Rickie Fowler ($7,000), a Nicklaus family favorite, owns five T14 or better paydays from his last eight starts in Dublin, Ohio. He cashed T15 before the PGA Championship and T16 last week, playing in the final group.

I should find separation digging deeper again this week with Christiaan Bezuidenhout ($6,900).He ran solo fourth here last year and cashed T16 on another demanding layout at Colonial Country Club. Bud Cauley ($6,800), third last week, is free money. He’s collected T6 or better in four of his last six starts on TOUR. He should be conveniently lost in the shuffle of big names.

Here's how I would devise a six-man lineup this week, staying within the $50,000 salary cap for DraftKings contests:

• Scottie Scheffler ($13,300)
• Denny McCarthy ($7,900)
• Ben Griffin ($7,800)
• Andrew Novak ($7,100)
• Rickie Fowler ($7,000)
• Bud Cauley ($6,800)