Fantasy golf preview – Memorial Tournament and Nordea Masters
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Another week and another win for fantasy owners who backed the favourite.
Jordan Spieth’s victory at the Dean & Deluca Invitational in his home state of Texas means the so called ‘Big Three’ head into this week’s Memorial Tournament having each won on their previous outing.
Spieth needed just nine putts on his inward nine to win by three shots – the same margin of victory Rory McIlroy recorded at the Irish Open just seven days earlier.
It’s easy to forget that Day trounced the field at the Players Championship a little less than three weeks ago.
The world’s top five – Day, Spieth, McIIroy, Bubba Watson and Rickie Fowler – are part of a stellar cast who will be teeing it up on the links at Murfield Village, where Swede David Lingmerth is defending champion.
In total, 29 of the world’s top 50 will be in action on the PGA Tour, with a couple of notable absentees.
Last year’s runner-up Justin Rose is still nursing a back injury, while Masters champ Danny Willett is back on baby duties after finishing third at Wentworth.
On the European Tour, the spotlight falls on Swedish number one Henrik Stenson who will be making his first appearance in mainland Europe to play in the Nordea Masters – his home tournament.
However, Chris Wood will be basking in his glory at the BMW PGA Championship elsewhere, leaving the likes of Lee Westwood and Matt Fitzpatrick to fly the flag for Great Britain in Stockholm.
Other big names to look out for include 2009 US PGA champion Y.E. Yang, home favourite Robert Karlsson and Italian Matteo Manassero.
Top five fantasy picks this week…
Hideki Matsuyama (£14m) – Memorial Tournament
The Japanese number one may have featured in our top-five picks last month, but his love affair with Memorial makes him a must pick this week. The 2014 champion finished fifth last year and has a scoring average of just under 69 in his last eight rounds at Memorial. The fact he’s finished T11 or better in his last four stroke-play events makes his £14m price tag even more appealing.
Daniel Berger (£9.5m) – Memorial Tournament
The American is slowly building a case for the game’s most consistent player after recording six top 20s in his last seven appearances on the PGA Tour. He’s well rested after a T9 at the Players Championship and seems to relish the prospect of competing against the game’s biggest names. A top-10 finish at the Masters put the 23-year-old on the map and he’s delivered a handsome return for fantasy owners ever since. One to watch.
Lee Westwood (£10m) – Nordea Masters
The Englishman has fond memories of the Nordea Masters and will be hunting a record-breaking fourth title this week. His last victory on European soil came at the same event four years ago and the TG Tipster fancies the 43-year-old to repeat the feat again in the Swedish capital. A disappointing 76 on Sunday at the BMW PGA Championship did raise questions about his inability to close out tournaments, but you can’t argue with a trio of top 15s in his last three starts.
Alex Noren (£7.5m) – Nordea Masters
The Nordea Masters has a habit of throwing up multiple winners, of which Noren is one of them. The home favourite will be teeing it up as defending champion and has become a bit of a course specialist at Bro Hof Slott Golf Club. He followed up a victory in 2011 with a T10 a year later and a T4 in 2013. The world number 108 has suffered a dip in form in recent weeks, but that didn’t stop him from qualifying for the US Open at Walton Heath on Monday. If you’re short on cash, there are few better options.
Scott Hend (£7m) – Nordea Masters
Don’t let his final round capitulation at the BMW PGA Championship put you off. The Australian was the 54-hole leader at Wentworth and has four top 15s in his last five starts. At £7m, it’s definitely worth taking a chance on a player who has the length to make mincemeat of the 7,511 yards course in Sweden.
For the Memorial Tournament tee times, click here.
For the Nordea Masters tee times, click here.
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