Workday Charity Open: Top 10 power rankings at Muirfield Village

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The first of two consecutive tournaments at Muirfield Village comes in the form of the Workday Charity Open

To quote Phil Mickelson from The Match 2, “This one’s for you Workday!”

The first four weeks of the PGA Tour’s return to action were all tournaments previously on the schedule, even if they were not played on their original dates.

With the improvised schedule due to COVID-19, we now get a tournament inserted into the fold that was invented just weeks ago. It’s the Workday Charity Open at Muirfield Village, which replaces the John Deere Classic on these dates. It’s a unique scenario as Muirfield Village will host its traditional Memorial Tournament the week after.

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There are 156 players teeing it up this week for a $6.2 million purse. The Memorial is an invitational limited to 120 players vying for $9.3 million. Next week is also an elevated status event with a three-year exemption for the winner versus the standard two for a win. Of course, more FedEx Cup points, Official World Golf Ranking points, etc. are reserved for next week.

For those reasons, next week’s field will be stronger. This week is still far from a Korn Ferry Tour event. Plenty of players will play both tournaments, especially after tons of big names skipped last week’s Rocket Mortgage Classic.

Five of the top 10 in the world led by No. 2 Jon Rahm are here this week, as are 11 of the top 20. Tiger’s won the Memorial five times, but is not in the Workday field. He has not committed to the Memorial at time of writing.

It’s believed that Muirfield Village will set up to play easier this week compared to next. Tournament officials plan to keep the rough down, use different tees and slow down the greens to try to provide somewhat of a different challenge compared to what’s accustomed at the Memorial.

Fans will not be allowed this week, nor next week, it was recently announced.

From a fantasy and betting perspective, past data and key statistics from the Memorial still make sense to use for the Workday.

These include par-5 scoring, greens in regulation, proximity from 150-200 yards and performance on bentgrass greens. A hot putting week is often the difference maker to separate on what’s also a ball striker’s golf course.

Muirfield Village is Jack Nicklaus’ pride and joy. It was established in 1966 in Dublin, Ohio. The name is an homage to Muirfield in Scotland where he won his first of three Open Championships.

The par-72 layout measures 7,392 yards. John Huston owns the course record with a 61 in 1996. The fairways and greens are bentgrass with poa annua mixed in.

Water comes into play on nearly half the holes, and precision with all irons in the bag is a big asset.

So is a left-to-right ball flight, which was how Nicklaus got it done in his hay day.

Muirfield Village requires good course management. The required shot is usually right in front of the player, so execution is key. The fairways are relatively wide, but there are enough bunkers scattered about to keep players on their toes.

Precise approach shots are key to hit the small, usually fast greens.

The rough is usually thick for the Memorial, though we’ll see how much teeth it has for the Workday. Rainy conditions throughout the week could make it juicy.

The early forecast calls for temperatures in the 70s-90s Fahrenheit, rain on Tuesday and Friday-Sunday, with light wind. That helps both the bombers, as well as your mudder types.

Let me help you prosper with my picks to click this week at the Workday Charity Open.

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