Expert Picks – Golfbet’s panel lays out who they’re targeting at the Memorial Tournament presented by Workday—along with fantasy rules for the new PGA TOUR Fantasy Game and captain/roster-style guidance built around Muirfield Village history and current form.
The Memorial Tournament presented by Workday is here, and for many players it’s more than a leaderboard—it’s a weekly puzzle. Who fits the course, who’s worth taking a risk on, and how to build a fantasy lineup that can survive the week’s swings.
This season, PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf comes with updates fans are already tracking. In 2026. the game includes in-tournament rostering features. and each week’s selections are built through four starters—one captain and three more starters—plus two bench players who can be rotated after each round. There’s also a cap on usage: every golfer can be used only three times per each of the three segments.
Each week. Golfbet’s experts from PGATOUR.COM make their selections in PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf. while Golfbet’s Fantasy Insider Rob Bolton breaks down the field in that week’s Power Rankings. Here’s where the panel is putting their money and their fantasy expectations as the Memorial Tournament gets underway.
WILL GRAY (Senior Manager. TOUR & Golfbet Editorial & Distribution) is bullish on Matt Fitzpatrick in a way that’s familiar to anyone who watches tee-to-green skill translate under pressure. He points to Fitzpatrick as a Top 10 choice at +176. saying he doesn’t have a spot for him in Fantasy. but is expecting the season’s fourth-win run on a course that should highlight his tee-to-green edge.
For the long-shot swing, Will Gray leans Billy Horschel as a Top 20 pick at +610. He calls it “a bit of a flier,” but ties it to Muirfield Village—highlighting that four of his last six starts have finished T15 or better, including his 2022 victory.
CHRIS BREECE (Senior Content Manager, Golfbet) offers two different flavors of confidence. Alex Smalley is the outright-lean at Top 20 (+166). Breece says he’s staying with his outright winner pick from last week. adding that as long as Smalley is “not backing down. ” fantasy players should keep him in their lineups. His justification is simple and specific: Smalley hasn’t finished outside the Top 20 since March.
Then comes a matchup gamble that reads like a coin flip with stakes. Rory McIlroy (+187) gets the 72-hole matchup edge over Scottie Scheffler. The reasoning is blunt: either Scheffler wins soon, or he’s due for an off week—and Breece is taking the almost +200 odds on that “off week.”
JIMMY REINMAN (Digital Content Manager) looks at players returning to places where momentum has already been tested. Sepp Straka is picked as a Top 10 choice at +365. Reinman says the Austrian “just got some good juice” playing in his home country and posting a T12. then points to the return to Muirfield Village—where Straka has top-five finishes in his last two trips.
Reinman also supports Ryan Gerard, who lands as a Top 30 pick at +118. He describes seeing a spark last week on a difficult, classic layout, even though Gerard sputtered back outside the top 10 on Sunday. The bet here is profile fit for a “vintage challenge like Muirfield Village.”
The sequence of picks is built around the same question everyone at this tournament ends up asking: can the player’s season form survive the specific demands of Muirfield Village?. The roster logic follows that reality—how a tee-to-green advantage can matter. how past finishes at this venue translate. and how a matchup can be won with timing rather than certainty.
If you want to see whether the expert panel matches your own instincts. the PGA TOUR Experts league is open to the public. The game is free, and you can play along to compare your team against the experts below. Joining is straightforward: click to sign up or log in. create a team. select the “LEAGUES” tab. choose “JOIN A LEAGUE. ” then search for the “PGA TOUR Experts league.”.
The PGA TOUR also reminds fans that gambling help is available. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, the National Council on Problem Gambling offers a confidential toll-free hotline reachable by phone or text at 1-800-522-4700.
Memorial Tournament Workday PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf Golfbet Expert Picks Muirfield Village Matt Fitzpatrick Billy Horschel Alex Smalley Rory McIlroy Scottie Scheffler Sepp Straka Ryan Gerard
So it’s like fantasy football but for golf? Honestly I just pick whoever I’ve heard of and hope.
Matt Fitzpatrick is “bullish” again? Feels like they always hype the same guys. Also +176 sounds made up lol.
Wait the “cap on usage” is only three times per segment? So if you like a player you just can’t use them later? That’s dumb, I thought fantasy was supposed to be flexible. Unless they mean like only for that week’s lineup? I’m confused.
Billy Horschel at +610 as a “flier” sounds like gambling not fantasy, but okay. Muirfield Village history and form… sure, but golf always has random weather chaos. I saw Fitzpatrick last year do decent-ish and then fell apart so I’m not sure. Guess I’ll take the long shot and rotate after each round like they said even though I didn’t even know you could.