It’s not every week that the Fantasy Insider column requires a rewrite, but this is one of those weeks.

While the faithful are grateful that Scottie Scheffler withdrew from the Texas Children’s Houston Open on Tuesday morning so that adjustments to saved fantasy rosters could be made, the entirety of the 1.0 version of the copy you’ll never read was dedicated to what was slated to be his debut in Segment 2 of PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf.

Scheffler has some nerve pairing his outrageously successful day job with the best kind of fulfillment at home. (His wife, Meredith, is due to deliver the couple’s second child at some point soon.) But it’s OK. The advice to you was to sit out his annual trip to Memorial Park Golf Course, anyway.

Even though this tournament slotted third among Scheffler’s strongest sites in Segment 2, six in all appeared in Future Possibilities, but there’s an argument that all could slot first or second, so you won’t miss him in that context. However, he was the only golfer who populated that section, so it’s been removed from its customary spot below.

One of the reasons why I was advising to abstain was his form upon arrival. It’s been sketchy relative to our expectations, and no doubt his. So, the door that opened for the field of 135 to capitalize alongside him was blown off the hinges when he withdrew.

The same goes for us.

With Scheffler out, 16 golfers are spread among the five experts with lineups in my little league. That alone suggests that movement will occur in the ranks, but a tough course promises to humble a handful of our charges.

When faced with a situation like this and absent enough chalk to feel truly comfortable about it, it’s best to lower expectations and make decisions that should yield at least four to make the cut. Because of the challenge and because front-runners are compelled to play it safe for a push, the fortunate among us not only will achieve that primary objective with the captain leading the way, but that cohort of gamers will be in position to take sizable bites out of deficits of the front-runners who fail to match numbers on the weekend.

Looking ahead, this is the final stop before Augusta National Golf Club exempts the top 50 in the next Official World Golf Ranking into the Masters. Of the latest OWGR, Daniel Berger (37th), Jake Knapp (42nd), Matt McCarty (44th) and Nicolai Højgaard (47th) are inside the bubble and not yet in the field. Among them, only Knapp and Højgaard are committed to play Texas Children’s as of Tuesday afternoon.

Meanwhile, Pierceson Coody (51st) and Michael Thorbjornsen (56th) sit Nos. 1-2 among those outside the bubble and not yet exempt. Both are in play at Memorial Park.

Because golfers always are chasing entry for tournaments sooner or later, and because motivations are unique to every golfer, I’ve never advised investing in a guy just because he could be argued as “hungrier” or “more focused to perform.” If anything, there’s more pressure to achieve when their backs are against the wall. No matter what, they still have to make sense in a vacuum for all fantasy and betting considerations.

Captain

Chris Gotterup … The No. 2 in my Power Rankings is a sublime fit for Memorial Park. He’s played it both when it was predictably difficult in 2024 and as a pushover last year. That experience is the bonus that piggybacks who he is now as a grounded professional, still just 26 years of age.

Other considerations

• Brooks Koepka ... He's the new No. 1 in the Power Rankings, but note that I’m opening with him on my bench. This explains why he’s not my captain. Because fantasy scoring projects to be lower than usual at Memorial Park, I’m angling to save him for the majors and perhaps another spot down the road. He’s not yet eligible for any Signature Event, but as a big fish in this week’s pond, he deserves the hedge.
• Sungjae Im ... Eliminated all residual doubt about his health with a T4 at the Valspar Championship, where he led outright after each of the first three rounds. This is his fourth start at Memorial Park, so it’s just a matter of a simple reset. What I like most is that his time on the sidelines to allow his right wrist to heal yielded rest that a very high percentage of the field hasn’t had in months. We see this perk benefit notables who arrive later in a season, and they often cite the unexpected recharge as a reason for their success.

Rounding out the roster

Tournaments like this one often are the most fun because ownership distribution will be vast. Sure, there’s some chalk, but because so much of it is reliant on personal preference and how the keenest eyes forecast potential value, successes feel more personal than expected. It’s the kind of experience for which we apply the lessons we’ve learned to grab an edge over others still climbing the curve.

My starters

• Chris Gotterup (C)
• Sungjae Im
• Stephan Jaeger
• Kurt Kitayama

My bench

• Gary Woodland (1)
• Brooks Koepka (2)

Careful

For almost every tournament, a usually impressive subset of the field warrants avoiding, and it might be represented in my Power Rankings which is not written in the context of any fantasy golf format. In this section, I single out who demands pause and why.

• Sam Burns ... It’s a strange thing with him. Despite what his body of work proves otherwise, he’s difficult to trust. Recently missed the cut in three straight tournaments that had one and he hasn’t appeared at Memorial Park since 2022, but he populates in 32% of the rosters saved at last check.
• Shane Lowry ... Over 17% of gamers have selected him but there will be spots later in Segment 2 where it makes more sense. Although he played in five straight and no one can tee it up every week, his absence at the Valspar Championship was noticeable because of his success at Copperhead. However, he had just missed two cuts, so the break arguably was better than reminding himself that he’s still pretty good at golf. Still, he hasn’t seen Memorial Park since he missed the cut in 2021, so lean on others for whom the fit and timing are stronger.

• Wyndham Clark ... Despite a pair of 64s to close out a T5 in scorable conditions last year contributing to a 4-for-4 slate since 2021, he presents as a trap. No better than a T35 in his most recent six starts upon arrival and his once-sensational putting is giving strokes away to the field regularly.
• Ben Griffin ... Like Clark, Griffin’s ownership percentage also is in the single digits, so gamers are paying attention, but he’s cashed in all three of his trips to Memorial Park. Two yielded a top 20, but he has arrived on an 0-for-3 skid and without a top 25 in six straight, so this is another potential pitfall to sidestep.

Returning to competition

• Will Zalatoris ... Just his third start of the season. He was scheduled to peg it at the Cognizant Classic in The Palm Beaches until bowing out before the first round with an injured ankle. While it seems that he can’t catch a break, he needs to be absolutely sure that he can compete given that he has status this season via a Major Medical Extension from which he has 14 starts remaining. On talent alone, its terms should be an afterthought, but he hasn’t had a top 10 anywhere since the 2024 Masters. Full-season investors are compelled to remain all-in, but they’re as antsy as he is to start piling up paydays.
• Ryan Fox ... Back in action after missing THE PLAYERS Championship due to emergency surgery to have kidney stones removed. If there’s anything that makes the Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass seem like a stroll in the park, that qualifies. The additional rest never hurts but it’s fair to wonder how the ordeal will affect his swing and stamina. The Kiwi has cashed in a dozen consecutive starts worldwide and he’s 2-for-2 at Memorial Park, where his distance would play up if entirely healthy, but limit to fractional considerations in speculative DFS lineups.
• Brian Campbell ... Walked off Copperhead during his second round of the Valspar Championship with a sore neck. It’s the latest in a series of rough results for the two-time winner in 2025. He’s now just 2-for-8 and without a top 50 this season. Making his debut at Memorial Park.
• Trace Crowe ... Committed to the Korn Ferry Tour’s Club Car Championship at The Landings Golf & Athletic Club. Assuming he can give it a go, it’ll be his first action in seven months and since he broke his right wrist. He’s fully exempt on the PGA TOUR as a Korn Ferry Tour grad, so he’s poised to contribute as soon as he sheds the rust.

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