This article is part of our Yahoo PGA DFS Picks series.
Workday Charity Open
Dublin, Ohio
Muirfield Village Golf Club - Par 72 - 7,392 yards
Field - 157 entrants
Purse - $6.2M
The Preview
It's uncertain just how much easier Muirfield Village Golf Club will play during the first-ever Workday Charity Open, as the plan remains to keep the rough in check while also limiting the speed of the greens to precede a tougher setup the following week for the Memorial Tournament on the same layout. Expected thunderstorms throughout the weekend also figure to slow conditions, which could result in a birdie fest if pins are placed in fair enough spots. After a relatively weak field showed up to the Rocket Mortgage Classic in Detroit, Muirfield attracts a handful of the game's best even for the Workday Charity Open as Jon Rahm, Brooks Koepka and Justin Thomas will be in attendance despite the upcoming Memorial Tournament providing much more prestige.
Key Stats to Victory
GIR percentage
SG: Off-the-Tee
Birdie or better average
Putting inside 10 feet
Yahoo Value Picks
Based on $200 salary cap
Cream of the Crop
Hideki Matsuyama - $45
Matsuyama found the winner's circle in his Muirfield Village debut at the 2014 Memorial Tournament, and he's since notched three additional finishes of T13 or better there in Dublin, Ohio. He ranks 10th in SG: Approach through six measured rounds since the PGA Tour's restart in June, and he just gained 7.4 strokes from tee to green on the way to a top-25 performance at the Rocket Mortgage Classic. Matsuyama is 13th on the season in birdie average and simply needs to manage an average putting week in order to contend. He's lost an average of 3.3 strokes per tournament on the greens in his last five events.
Viktor Hovland - $40
Much like Matsuyama, a lousy putter has contained Hovland to four consecutive top-25s since the Charles Schwab Challenge. That's not bad, of course, but he could have notched four straight top-5s considering he's first in both SG: Approach and SG: Tee-to-Green over his last 16 rounds. Hovland has gained an average of 4.7 strokes on his approaches throughout his past five starts and he's second on Tour in total eagles this season with 11, providing a nice boost in daily fantasy formats. There's no course history to examine for this Muirfield debutant, but Hovland's ball-striking travels anywhere at this point.
Glue Guys
Corey Conners - $32
A missed cut at the Travelers Championship isn't quite as concerning when considering that Conners fired a second-round 66 and racked up six birdies and an eagle all while gaining 2.4 strokes on approach in 36 holes. Prior to the Travelers, he had gained no less than 3.4 strokes on approaches in his previous three starts and he's second on Tour in GIR percentage this season, while also ranking top-15 in SG: Off-the-Tee.
Matthew Wolff - $31
Wolff gained 6.1 strokes both from tee to green and with the flat stick en route to his solo runner-up at the Rocket Mortgage Classic, rising to a career-best 59th in the Official World Golf Ranking. He's eighth on Tour in driving distance and should enjoy spraying it as far as possible around Muirfield Village while the rough is kept shorter during the Workday Charity Open in preparation for the Memorial Tournament next week. In 12 measured rounds since the schedule resumed at Colonial, Wolff is 22nd in SG: Total and 13th in SG: Putting.
Bargain Bin
Emiliano Grillo - $25
Grillo's short game has been fairly atrocious this season as he ranks 217th in SG: Putting and 213th in scrambling, but he was one shot shy of first-round leader honors this past week at the Rocket Mortgage Classic and he's now gained strokes on his approaches in all four events since the Charles Schwab Challenge. He's 11th in SG: Approach and 13th in SG: Tee-to-Green during this span, finally making back-to-back cuts for the first time since the turn of the calendar year. Grillo's run of four consecutive made cuts at Muirfield, including a trio of top-25s, provides legitimate intrigue as well.
Henrik Norlander - $20
Norlander could be an under-the-radar gem in his Muirfield Village debut after he led the entire field in SG: Approach, driving accuracy and scrambling at the Rocket Mortgage Classic, ultimately carding just four total bogeys on the way to a T12 result. He also advanced to the weekend the week prior at the Travelers Championship, and he's now gained at least 2.4 strokes from tee to green in three appearances since the restart. From a season-long perspective, he's top-50 in both GIR percentage and proximity.
