2026 the Memorial Tournament: Top DraftKings Showdown Plays & Live Bets Ahead of Round 2
The 2026 Memorial Tournament is officially underway, with Muirfield Village continuing to shine as one of the premier tests in all of golf. After the first round, we have a four-way tie with Tommy Fleetwood, J.J. Spaun, Ryan Gerard, and Wyndham Clark leading the way at 5 under par.
Looking ahead, we have new data at our disposal to adjust our approach in DFS formats before Round 2 gets underway on Friday. Conditions have been perfect thus far, and it appears Jack’s place will be blessed with ideal conditions for the rest of the tournament. Ahead, we’ll look to identify the players who have shown they are most due for a Round 2 breakout.
Take a look at some of the best pillar players for the Memorial Tournament DFS contests and live betting opportunities.
DraftKings Showdown Golf Strategy
DraftKings Golf Showdown Golf is a one-round Daily Fantasy format in which players aim to construct the best-scoring one-round lineup while staying within the allotted salary cap. To identify value in Golf Showdown, it’s typically best to focus on buy-low opportunities on players who’ve shown uncharacteristically poor putting in the prior round. There is also an opportunity to find leverage by identifying favorable weather splits and players who are more likely to card birdies-or-better.
Round 2 the Memorial Tournament Showdown Pillar Plays
Birdies have been tough to come by at Muirfield Village, particularly as these greens have firmed up in the afternoon sun. We know this course well as a mainstay on the PGA Tour over the last 50 years, and it has continued to reward in-form ball strikers, reliable scramblers in thick rough, and confident putters on firm and fast Bentgrass greens. With bogeys feeling inevitable for the field over the next three rounds, it’s the players who are in complete control of their ball striking, and who can reliably scramble for par with consistency, who pose the greatest threat to contend at the 2026 Memorial Tournament.
Identifying value players who check each of these boxes can provide valuable bonus points in the DraftKings Showdown format. The three players below will be foundational plays in my Round 2 Showdown lineups for these reasons.
Scottie Scheffler ($13,600)
What an eventful opening round it was for Scottie Scheffler, whose 1-over-par round continued an unfortunate trend of slow starts that has plagued his 2026 season. The round unraveled on the par-3 16th, where a self-described “flushed 7 iron” found the water hazard. If we take Scottie at his word that he is flushing his irons and has simply been misjudging the wind, we should feel very bullish about a bounce-back second round.
Scheffler is still very much in this tournament, sitting T33 going into the second round. His approach metrics looked skewed by his penalty-induced strike into the 16th green, but he’s been his usual dominant self in all other facets of his game. Scheffler ranks top-15 in Scrambling, Driving Accuracy, SG: OTT, and SG: ARG after the first round, and will be motivated to make a charge on Friday.
Nick Taylor ($7,700)
It was as ideal a runout as Taylor could have expected to begin his week at the Memorial Tournament. The Canadian led the entire field in SG: Ball Striking in the opening round, ranking 4th in SG: APP, 8th in Driving Accuracy, and 10th in SG: OTT. Muirfield Village is a long course, but it is not one that eliminates the shorter hitters from contending, as players like Collin Morikawa, Billy Horschel, and even David Lingmerth have shown us over the years here.
Taylor is one of the fiercest competitors on the PGA Tour, and has kicked it into gear over the last month with finishes of T26, T14, and T9 over his last three starts. Taylor may have finally cracked the code at Muirfield Village last year, posting a career-best 4th-place finish. Currently in 5th place and just one stroke off the lead, he seems to be picking up right where he left off last year.
Alex Fitzpatrick ($6,700)
Ball Striking is key at Muirfield Village, and the next best player in this field in terms of SG: Ball Striking through the first round after Nick Taylor can be found right here in the $6K range. Fitzpatrick could not get anything to fall in his opening, ranking 71st out of 72 players in SG: Putting. It wasn’t from a lack of opportunity, however, as Fitzpatrick ranked 5th in SG: T2G and 12th in SG: APP.
The woeful putting performance seems like an anomaly for Fitzpatrick, who has been neutral on the greens this season. Currently sitting T23 at Even for the tournament, Fitzpatrick can make a charge inside the top-10 if he can get back to field-average in putting in his second round.
Live Bets To Consider Entering Round 2
Round 2 Matchup: Harris English over Robert MacIntyre
Best Available odds: -102
I was interested in Harris English before tournament play began, and his opening round of 1-under-par has made me regret not pulling the trigger sooner. English’s last PGA Tour win came at Torrey Pines, another long and demanding test, and he’s made a long career out of grinding in difficult conditions.
MacIntyre, by contrast, is still searching for something this time of year. He’s failed to crack the top-40 in each of his last five starts, and continues to search after a 5-over-par opening round. Muirfield Village is a course that will accentuate any holes in your game, so with MacIntyre ranking outside the top-60 in SG: APP, SG: ARG, and SG: P in the opening round, I’m not expecting to see a sharp turnaround on Friday.
Leader After Round 2: Justin Rose
Best Available odds:
A logjammed leaderboard with four players tied for the lead at 5-under-par makes it clear just how difficult it is to find birdies at Muirfield Village. Rose began his week in great form, firing a 3-under-par round and ranking above-field-average in all four strokes gained categories.
There’s been much speculation about how Rose’s form will persist after the switch to his McLaren irons. He’s put much of that noise to rest of late, as those irons have him ranked 13th in SG: APP. Just two strokes off the lead, I believe Rose can cash in here with a second round of 67 or 66.
Best of luck with your Memorial Tournament DFS lineups and bets!
Photo Credit: AP/Sue Ogrocki
