The PGA Tour continues this week as we head to the Detroit Golf Club in Michigan for the annual Rocket Mortgage Classic. We are ramping up our PGA Tour coverage as the FedEx Cup playoffs draw nearer.
Check out our preview and betting tips for the Rocket Mortgage Classic below and remember to head to our Golf Tips page for weekly updates throughout the playoffs.
PGA Tour Rocket Mortgage Classic Betting Tips
Detroit Golf Club, Thursday 28th July - Sunday 31st July
The Field
The LIV Golf Tour has dug their claws deeper into the PGA Tour over the last few weeks since the Open Championship marked the last major of the season. Japanese star Hideki Matsuyama is rumoured to be next on the block after a reported $400 million contract was offered, while rumours continue to swirl over the Open Champion and No.2 ranked player in the world, Cameron Smith.
The LIV Golf factor as well as players opting to take an extended break after the final major of the season means that the field for the Rocket Mortgage this weekend is a touch thin.
Patrick Cantlay headlines the field alongside the likes of Tony Final, Will Zalatoris, Max Homa, Adam Scott, Kevin Kisner and Open Championship runner up, Cameron Young.
This will be just the fourth edition of the Rocket Mortgage Classic. Past winners Nate Lashley and Cameron Davis will participate, however, 2020 champion Bryson DeChambeau will obviously miss due to his involvement with LIV.
The Course
The Detroit Golf Club boasts a North and a South course, and the Rocket Mortgage Classic will use predominantly holes from the North Course, which plays longer at just over 7,000 yards from the back tees.
With some rerouting, use of a couple of South Course holes and the construction of several new tee boxes, they have been able to stretch that out to a Par 72 at just over 7,300 yards.
Scoring has been relatively consistent over the three editions of the Rocket Mortgage Classic, with winning scores averaging -22 under par. The level of scoring this year will largely depend on how penal the rough is, and the key stats will be looking for is shots gained from tee-to-green.
The greens aren’t particularly tough to navigate with the flat-stick, but they can be tricky to find, particularly if you’re not hitting the fairway.
Betting Tips
Love me some Kevin Kisner this week. The No.27 ranked golfer in the world had a great outing at the Open Championship considering the course was not at all suited to his game style. He has a fantastic record at the Detroit Golf Club, finishing T46 in 2019 before racking up a T3 and a T8 over the past two seasons.
Kevin Kisner Win/Top 30 ($36/$2.25 at Ladbrokes)
Patrick Cantley is obviously the big dog in the field this week and although he’s never played the Rocket Mortgage Classic before, his recent form would suggest he’ll be right in the mix come Sunday afternoon. His last five events has seen him finish T3 at the Memorial, T14 at the U.S. Open, T13 at the Travelers, T4 at the Scottish Open and T8 at the Open Championship. This is a much lighter field than all of those events.
Patrick Cantlay Win/Top 10 ($11/2.40 at Ladbrokes)
My dark horse this week comes in the form of Troy Merritt. The No.108 in the world certainly hasn’t set the PGA Tour alight this season but he does have a great record at the Rocket Mortgage Classic, where he picked up a T2 last season and a T8 in 2020. Certainly not picking him to win this week but his value to finish in the top 40 is fantastic.
Troy Merritt Top 40 ($2.20 at Bet365)
Bonus Tips
LIV Golf Bedminster
Trump National Golf Club, Bedminster, New Jersey/Thursday-Saturday
Brendan Grace Top 10 ($2.37 at Bet365)
Scott Vincent Top 10 ($2.05 at Bet365)
European Tour - Hero Open
Fairmont St. Andrews, Fife, Scotland/Thursday-Sunday
Ryan Fox Win/Top 10 ($12/$1.80 at Bet365)
Garrick Porteous Top 40 ($2.05 at Bet365)
