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Look beyond 'big three' for surest DFS bet at Memorial
— -- DUBLIN, Ohio -- Greetings from Muirfield Village, aka Jack's Place, site of this week's Memorial Tournament, where Nicklaus himself serves as the event's ubiquitous host.
All of which got me thinking: Just how valuable would Nicklaus have been in DFS during his prime years?
It's all retroactive speculation, of course, but speculation can be fun. I wrote something similar about Tiger Woods last year and surmised that the Tiger of his dominant years could've been somewhere in the neighborhood of $17,000 or $18,000, which would account for about 35 percent of your weekly salary. And yeah, he probably still would have been the highest-owned player, even at that cost.
Nicklaus was never as dominant as Tiger, so he likely would have hovered in the, oh, $15,000 area. But that would've been during a much longer time period.
In the two dozen years from 1960 (when he was 20 years old) through 1983, Nicklaus finished in the top 10 in 67 of the 96 major championships that were contested -- or just under 70 percent.
In DFS, where we're only looking to spend up for a sure thing at the top, Nicklaus was as close to it as we've ever seen. Woods had better winning numbers during his prime, but Nicklaus would have been a fantasy stalwart of epic proportions.
Maybe I'll ask him about that when I see him this week, just to see the puzzled look on his face when I mention daily fantasy.
As for this event's sure things, much will be made about Jason Day, Jordan Spieth and Rory McIlroy entering the Memorial Tournament after each won in his last start. They are, not surprisingly, the three highest-priced players in the tourney on DraftKings, at $12,400, $12,300 and $12,200, respectively.
I like one of 'em. You'll have to keep scrolling to find out which one.
Even more so, I like Rickie Fowler, who will save you some cash and ranks behind Hideki Matsuyama as the fifth highest on the board this week.
Fowler has contended here before, he calls this one of his favorite tournaments, and he loves smashing a good narrative. He's my pick to win the whole thing.
Let's get right to the rest of the picks for this week's Memorial Tournament, while still daydreaming about having prime-years Nicklaus at the top of our lineups.
Big draws (Over $8,500)
Jordan Spieth ($12,300). Fresh off a victory at Colonial, Spieth is heading to another course that suits his game. I tipped Spieth before last week's tournament, and I'm confident he'll be worth owning once again if you choose to pay up for one of the top three on the board.
Rickie Fowler ($10,300). As mentioned above, the stars seem aligned for a big week from Fowler. If you're staying away from the Day-Spieth-McIlroy trio, this might not be too contrarian but remains a strong pivot.
Dustin Johnson ($10,100). He's 10-for-10 making cuts so far this year and finished T-13 here last year.
Big fades (Over $8,500)
Jason Day ($12,400). I know, I know. Steer clear of Day at your own risk, because he's really, really good. But as a guy who lives nearby and is a member here, he has declined to play this event in the past. That could reveal all you need to know about his affection for this event.
Phil Mickelson ($9,100). He might be Teflon Phil, but the questions regarding his recent SEC battles will surface. At a course where he's struggled for years, it's difficult to see him putting together a good week.
Medium draws ($7,000-$8,500)
Jason Dufner ($8,400). Fresh off a T-6 at Colonial, look for continued strong play in his native Ohio.
Justin Thomas ($8,200). He always gets a little extra charge when playing with his buddy Spieth, which will happen once again (with McIlroy) over the first two rounds.
Kyle Reifers ($7,400). Like Dufner, another local guy coming off a strong week. Expect him to be a popular pick at this price.
Medium fades ($7,000-$8,500)
Francesco Molinari ($7,400). I don't hate him this week. It's just that I really like a bunch of the players in this price range ( Tony Finau and Kevin Chappell are a few others that nearly made my list of draws), and coming off a T-3 here a year ago, I think Molinari might be too highly regarded this week.
David Lingmerth ($7,300). Last year's champion hasn't finished in the top 10 anywhere since losing in a playoff at the CareerBuilder Challenge back in January.
Slight draws (Under $7,000)
Scott Piercy ($6,900). Making 13 of 15 cuts shows he's a nice value at this price.
Troy Merritt ($6,500). He's been a boom-or-bust kind of guy during his career, but last year's winner at Congressional could see his skills translate well this week.
Brendon de Jonge ($5,700). It's been a trying year for de Jonge, but if you need to fit in a player at the low price of the week, he fared extremely well here during the Presidents Cup three years ago.
Slight fades (Under $7,000)
John Huh ($6,600). The numbers don't look terrible overall, but four straight missed cuts don't bode well for the upcoming week.
Steven Bowditch ($6,300). After a dreadful few months, he finally bounced back with a T-22 last week, but I'm still staying away until he shows a little consistency.
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