Out of the Rough: Rocket Classic (2025)

With just three-weeks until the final major of the season, The Open Championship, the PGA Tour heads to the midwest for the first of three events in this week’s Rocket Classic.

This season marks the seventh playing of the Rocket Classic.

Including this week’s stop in Detroit, Michigan, the PGA Tour will spend three-weeks in the midwest. Next week is the John Deere Classic at TPC Deere Run in Illinois and then the Hurstbourne Country Club will host the alternate field ISCO Championship in Kentucky.

This event was first played seven years ago, taking over for the National, formerly the Quicken Loans National on the PGA TOUR schedule.

The Rocket Mortgage Classic became the first event staged in Michigan since the final edition of the Buick Open at Warwick Hills back in 2009. It is the first PGA TOUR event to ever be played in Detroit.

Detroit Golf Club was established in 1899 and has a long history, but is still very fresh to the PGA TOUR with it first being played in 2019.

The Field

Despite this week being a regular event on the PGA Tour schedule, plenty of star power will head to Detroit in hopes to touch up on their games before heading over-the-pond for the Genesis Scottish Open and The Open Championship.

World No. 4 Collin Morikawa headlines this week's field. Morikawa was notably on the wrong end of a three-man playoff, alongside Adam Hadwin, in 2023 when Rickie Fowler claimed his last PGA Tour victory.

Other notable names teeing it up include Hideki Matsuyama, Ben Griffin, Patrick Cantlay, Keegan Bradley, Wyndham Clark, Akshay Bhatia, Min Woo Lee and Cameron Young. All of which are within the top 40 of the Official World Golf Rankings (OWGR.)

Cam Davis comes in as the defending champion, as he held off a slew of golfers, including Bhatia, Lee, Aaron Rai and Davis Thompson by a single-stroke. Davis also won this event in 2021, where he won in a playoff over Troy Merritt and Joaquin Niemann. 

Other former winners of this event teeing it up this week include Fowler (2023,) Tony Finau (2022) and Nate Lashley (2019.) 

The Course

Detroit Country Club plays as a Par-72 at 7,370 yards and is best described as a bomb-and-gouge course that will feature some very low scores. In all, it’ll be a birdiefest this week.

There are two courses at the Detroit Country Club and although this week’s event will be held predominantly on the longer North course, the third hole for this week will be the South course’s first hole, which is a par-four.

Both courses are a Donald Ross design.

Although we’ve seen fairway finders have success and win here at Detroit Country Club, course and tournament history suggests that those who are long off-the-tee will have a leg up.

Around 50-percent of all drives have been over 300-yards here at Detroit Country Club.

Detroit Country Club as a whole lacks the bells-and-whistles of the PGA TOUR courses we are used to seeing.

The fairways are tree-lined but are rather wide, making it less of a positional course than other parkland courses we’re used to seeing.

There are very few hazards this week. There is also non-penal rough and features accessible back-to-front sloping greens.

The past installments of this event have boiled down to putting contests. This is true for most Ross designs such as East Lake and Sedgefield CC.

.

This is also a course where poor putters simply don’t catch fire and find themselves in contention. There will be a premium on the TOUR’s best putters.

The greens are a combination of Bentgrass and Poa.

The four par-fives featured this week are the easiest four holes on the course and will need to be taken advantage of. The 635-yard fourth hole is the most difficult of the par-fives but still boasts a 30-percent birdie rate.

The 577-yard 17th is the easiest hole on the course and has a 47-percent birdie rate.

Two of the par-threes play over 200 yards and play rather difficult while the other two play around 160-yards and play much easier.

There are ten par fours on this week’s scorecard. Four play 350-400 yards and four are 450-500 yards. 

Greens in regulation percentage is also higher here, coming in at 72-percent. Missing greens isn’t the end-of-the-world however as scrambling is easier here with the lack of hazards and non-penal rough as well.

Winners have more than doubled the field in sand saves over the last four years however.

Around 40-percent of all approach shots come from 125-175 yards with another 21-percent coming from over 200 yards.

In all, hitting greens and creating as many scoring opportunities as possible will be key. Any golfer who does not capitalize on these opportunities will quickly fall off pace and will find themselves out of contention quickly.

The Weather

We can expect some precipitation, in the form of thunderstorms, to start the week. Forecasts are currently calling for a 50-percent chance of thunderstorms for both Thursday and Friday. From there, Saturday is calling for a 20-percent chance of precipitation and Sunday a 15-percent chance. Temperatures will range between 82-to-83 degrees for Thursday and Friday before dipping to 79-degrees on Saturday and returning to 83-degrees for Sunday. Winds are set for eight miles-per-hour across Friday and Saturday before dipping to six miles-per-hour on Saturday and just three miles-per-hour for Sunday. We can only hope the thunderstorms miss the area. 

Key Stats

• Strokes Gained: Off the Tee (SG: OTT)

• Average Driving Distance

• Strokes Gained: Putting on Bentgrass (SG: PUTT Bentgrass)

• Strokes Gained: Approach (SG: APP)

• Birdie or Better Percentage / Birdie or Better Percentage from less than 150 Yards

• Proximity to the hole from 75-to-150 Yards

• Good Drives Percentage

• Par 5 Average Scoring

• Greens in Regulation Percentage (GIR%)

• Sand Saves Percentage

DFS Suggestions

$10,000+

With three options in this price range this week, I’m going with the cheapest of the three in Patrick Cantlay ($10,200.) He is currently third on Tour in GIR%, 13th in birdie or better percentage from less than 150 yards, 14th in both SG: APP and good drives gained, 17th in birdie or better percentage, 26th in SG: OTT, 56th in SG: PUTT Bentgrass, 67th in proximity to the hole from 75-150 yards, 70th in average driving distance, 81st in par-five average scoring and 106th in sand saves percentage. He placed 12th last week at the Travelers Championship. Although he missed the cut at the U.S. Open, he placed 12th at the Memorial Tournament, fourth at the Truist Championship and 13th at the RBC Heritage as of late. He’s played this event just once, placing second in 2022.

$9,000-$9,900

Leading off this price range is one of my tournament favorites in Harry Hall ($9,500.) Hall has not missed a cut dating back to the Valspar Championship. He placed ninth last week at the Travelers Championship, 24th at the RBC Canadian Open, sixth at the Charles Schwab Challenge, 19th at the PGA Championship, 20th at the ONEflight Myrtle Beach Classic, 33rd at THE CJ CUP Byron Nelson, 49th at the Corales Puntacana Championship, 26th at the Valero Texas Open, 18th at the Texas Children’s Houston Open and 54th at the Valspar Championship in that time frame. He placed 31st here a season ago and missed the cut in 2023. Hall is currently fourth on Tour in birdie or better percentage from less than 150 yards, fifth in birdie or better percentage, 11th in SG: PUTT Bentgrass, 25th in sand saves percentage, 36th in par-five average scoring, 60th in both proximity to the hole from 75-150 yards and good drives gained, 66th in GIR%, 83rd in average driving distance, 97th in SG: APP and 113th in SG: OTT. He is also on my betting card at +4000. Also consider Ben Griffin ($9,800.) Griffin has been in insane form dating back to the PGA Championship. He placed 14th last week at the Travelers Championship, tenth at the U.S. Open, second at the Memorial Tournament, won the Charles Schwab Challenge and placed eighth at the PGA Championship. He also won the Zurich Classic of New Orleans with Andrew Novak. He placed 31st here a season ago and 33rd in 2023. Griffin is currently 17th on Tour in GIR%, 34th in SG: APP, 36th in par-five average scoring, 42nd in sand saves percentage, 51st in SG: OTT, 52nd in birdie or better percentage, 64th in average driving distance, 65th in good drives gained, 67th in SG: PUTT Bentgrass, 131st in birdie or better percentage from less than 150 yards and 162nd in proximity to the hole from 75-150 yards. 

$8,000-$8,900

Against my better judgement, Keith Mitchell ($8,800) is my first play in this price range. He’s played this event just once, missing the cut in 2024. He last played the RBC Canadian Open where he placed 27th. Prior to that he placed 36th at the Charles Schwab Challenge, missed the cut at the PGA Championship, placed seventh at the Truist Championship, 18th at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans, second at the Corales Puntacana Championship, 12th at the Valero Texas Open and 18th at the Texas Children’s Houston Open. Mitchell is currently third on Tour in par-five average scoring, fourth in birdie or better percentage, sixth in SG: OTT, eighth in average driving distance, 22nd in GIR%, 23rd in sand saves percentage, 31st in proximity to the hole from 75-150 yards, 39th in good drives gained, 42nd in birdie or better percentage from less than 150 yards, 48th in SG: APP and 109th in SG: PUTT Bentgrass. He is also on my betting card at +4500. Also consider Alex Smalley ($8,000.) Smalley has played this event each of the past three seasons, missing the cut in both 2024 and 2022 and placing 47th in 2023. Smalley placed 13th in his last outing at the RBC Canadian Open. Prior to that he missed the cut at the Charles Schwab Challenge, placed 28th at the PGA Championship, fifth at the ONEflight Myrtle Beach Classic and 39th at THE CJ CUP Byron Nelson. He is currently 14th on Tour in birdie or better percentage, 16th in good drives gained, 17th in SG: OTT, 24th in GIR%, 26th in birdie or better percentage from less than 150 yards, 30th in both proximity to the hole from 75-150 yards and sands saves percentage, 41st in average driving distance, 46th in SG: APP, 50th in par-five average scoring and 153rd in SG: PUTT Bentgrass. He too is on my betting card at +6000. 

$7,000-$7,900

Leading off this penultimate price range is Rico Hoey ($7,300.) Hoey is currently third on Tour in good drives gained, fourth in both SG: OTT and GIR%, 15th in par-five average scoring, 34th in birdie or better percentage, 48th in average driving distance, 56th in SG: APP, 58th in birdie or better percentage from less than 150 yards, 77th in SG: PUTT Bentgrass, 100th in proximity to the hole from 75-150 yards and 168th in sand saves percentage. Hoey last played the RBC Canadian Open where he placed 36th. Prior to that he placed 66th at the Charles Schwab Challenge, missed the cut at the PGA Championship and placed seventh at the ONEflight Myrtle Beach Classic. He’s played this event once prior, placing sixth a season ago. Also consider Lee Hodges ($7,200.) Hodges is currently first on Tour in par-five average scoring, 27th in GIR%, 29th in proximity to the hole from 75-150 yards, 31st in SG: APP, 43rd in good drives gained, 58th in average driving distance, 63rd in birdie or better percentage from less than 150 yards, 65th in birdie or better percentage, 71st in SG: OTT, 101st in sand saves percentage and 128th in SG: PUTT Bentgrass. Hodges placed ninth in his last outing at the RBC Canadian Open and placed 53rd prior at the Charles Schwab Challenge. He is also on my betting card at +11000. 

$6,900-

First up in this final price range is Steven Fisk ($6,900.) Fisk most recently played the RBC Canadian Open where he placed 43rd. Prior to that he placed 66th at the Charles Schwab Challenge, 13th at the ONEflight Myrtle Beach Classic and 24th at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans. He’ll be making his tournament debut this week. He is currently second on Tour in GIR%, 15th in par-five average scoring, 18th in good drives gained, 20th in both SG: OTT and average driving distance, 36th in SG: APP, 65th in birdie or better percentage from less than 150 yards, 66th in proximity to the hole from 75-150 yards, 125th in birdie or better percentage, 137th in sand saves percentage and 166th in SG: PUTT Bentgrass. Also consider Danny Walker ($6,700.) Walker has missed back-to-back cuts coming into this week at the RBC Canadian Open and the Charles Schwab Challenge. Prior to that he had a great run of form however as he placed 34th at the ONEflight Myrtle Beach Classic, 25th at THE CJ CUP Byron Nelson, 12th at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans and 31st at the Corales Puntacana Championship. He too will be making his tournament debut this week. Walker is currently eighth on Tour in birdie or better percentage, 15th in par-five average scoring, 39th in average driving distance, 51st in birdie or better percentage from less than 150 yards, 52nd in SG: PUTT Bentgrass, 58th in SG: APP, 73rd in proximity to the hole from 75-150 yards, 92nd in SG: OTT, 96th in GIR%, 121st in good drives gained and 133rd in sand saves percentage. 

Betting Card

• Harry Hall (+4000)

• Keith Mitchell (+4500)

• Alex Smalley (+6000)

• Jesper Svensson (+9000)

• Lee Hodges (+11000)

Jesper Svensson (+9000)

Svensson is currently third on Tour in par-five average scoring, fourth in average driving distance, seventh in birdie or better percentage, eighth in SG: OTT, 37th in sand saves percentage, 44th in SG: PUTT Bentgrass, 62nd in birdie or better percentage from less than 150 yards, 126th in both proximity to the hole from 75-150 yards and GIR%, 134th in good drives gained and 154th in SG: APP. That approach number is not ideal but he did gain 0.351 strokes on approach in his last outing at the RBC Canadian Open. He placed 18th at the RBC Canadian Open, 46th at the Charles Schwab Challenge and 61st at the ONEflight Myrtle Beach Classic coming in. He’ll be making his tournament debut this week.