The Power Fade: 2024 Memorial
The Approach to fading big names for the 2024 Memorial Tournament
What’s going on TJ Nation! Ann Arbor's Own Good Ol' AK Allen Klutts here bringing you another edition of the Power Fade: The Fades 8K and Above You Need to Smash Your DraftKings GPP's!
Coming off the heels of Bobby Mac's emotional triumph north of the border, we return the United States this week.
Murfield Village, A Jack Nicklaus design plays host to this weeks Signature Event. A Par 72, playing 7,569 yards will give the players a stern test this week in Ohio. Essentially, this week is Jack's dream vision of what makes for great golf.
So what does this mean AK? Do pray tell. Success around Murfield Village features strong iron play, ability to scramble when needed, and an ability to find the fairway off the tee.
Scoring has varied over the years for the Memorial Tournament. We have seen winning scores barely reach double digits to Patrick Cantlay hitting -19 in 2018.
As we approach the penultimate stop on our way to the US Open, let us take a look at who will not be getting that handshake from Jack on Sunday evening.
Bring on the Power Fades!
Xander Schauffele ($10,900)
Our first Power Fade of the week finally got the monkey off his back the last time we saw him. Major Champion (Finally...) Xander Schauffele is our first Power Fade at $10,900.
Why The Fade Works:
Xander has had one hell of year there is no question. However we have a situation where you cannot play everyone and have to take stands. When you delve into the stats, fading the X man looks like a solid play.
Why is fading X the play? When it comes to the key metrics, Xander struggles (56th)Â in SG Around the Green Bunkers and Rough. The Bunkers around the greens at Murfield are treacherous to say the least.
Furthermore, Xander is not elite compared to the others in the 10K range from 175-200 yards. Ranking 34th this week ranks poorly considering Rory and Scottie both rank quite well in the category.
The Memorial also lends itself to course history as a critical stat. When delving into these waters, Xander has not fared all that well at Murfield Village.
For a man who is the king of the Top 10, Xander has no career finishes better than 11th in 6 tries. Over the last 3 years, Xander has actually gotten worse at the event going T11, T18 and last year T24.
This week may be the week to take a pause on the X man, but fire him back up for the US Open next week.
Hideki Matsuyama ($9,000)
Our second Power Fade is a former winner (Pre-redesign) at Memorial but hasn't been in the best form of late. Hideki Matsuyama makes his return to the PF at $9,000 on DraftKings.
Why The Fade Works:
Hideki is a name that has gained some steam for the US Open next week, but could have sneaky ownership for Memorial. On paper, this should line up as a Hideki track, history thou tells a different tale.
Coming into the week, Hideki ranks 57th in Hit Fairway Percentage. With how penal the rough is off the tee, this is cause for concern. Couple this with the fact that Hideki ranks 40th for Greens in Regulation, and we have a recipe to fade a name who has chalk potential this week.
Murfield Village is not the place to find form, and Hideki happens to be searching for it. Additionally, throw in results at Memorial post win that features only two top 20 finishes, along with multiple missed cuts and we can take a pass on Hideki but monitor him leading into Pinehurst.
That's it folks for this week's edition of the Power Fade! We will be returning to you next week we head to a little shindig known as the US Open.
Follow me on X @AllenKlutts and on Instagram @Allen_Klutts906
Until then Be Bold, Be Brave, and Let's Ride the Power Fade!
"For a man who is the king of the Top 10, Xander has no career finishes better than 11th in 6 tries. Over the last 3 years, Xander has actually gotten worse at the event going T11, T18 and last year T24."
— AK
Meet the Author:
Allen Klutts
A long time Tour Junkies fan and Nut Hut Member, Allen has always been an enthusiastic PGA DFS player and is looking to bring that passion to his writing. A frequent participant on the Wednesday Night Live Stage Chat, who DB once compared to Norm from the TV show "Cheers" for always kicking off the live stage segment, Allen lives in Ann Arbor, Michigan with his wife and two year old son.
Disclaimer: The views, opinions, and commentary in this post belong to its author and do not necessarily represent the Tour Junkies as a whole.