2024 Rocket Mortgage Classic Course Preview
We were so close to finding back-to-back winners after betting Tom Kim at 55-1 last week at the Travelers Championship where he fell on the first playoff hole to Scottie Scheffler. Luckily, Kim’s top-10 bet returned $100, so we were dead even with bets for the week.
The Rocket Mortgage Classic isn’t a bad event by any means, but it’s in a tough spot in the schedule. The last three weeks have featured signature events and the U.S. Open, which makes this week feel like a bit of a letdown as many of the top players take a break before The Open Championship.
However, it’s not all bad news because Scheffler isn’t in the field. He can’t win if he’s not teeing it up — at least that’s what they tell me. We’ve had a few runner-up finishes to Scheffler already this year, so it’ll be nice to not worry about him this week.
Detroit Golf Club is a par-72 that measures 7,370 yards. It’s fairly short by PGA Tour standards (on a par-adjusted basis) and is one of the easiest courses in rotation. The winning score has been at least 23-under par in four of the five years this event has been played, and in terms of overall difficulty, this has ranked 38th or easier every year.
There will be plenty of birdies to go around and very few penalty strokes with only one water hazard on the course.
While the rough is expected to be around four inches this week, the fairways here are wide at 36 yards and easy to hit on average. I wouldn’t call this a bomber’s course since the overall length isn’t daunting for the shorter hitters, but this is certainly a driver-heavy course.
Golfers who are strong off the tee will have a sizable advantage this week. The greens are fairly small in size at an average of 5,150 square feet but are also easy to hit on average. In 2023, the field hit 73% of these greens in regulation. The greens are contoured and predominantly slanted from back to front, so being precise with irons will be key to making birdies.
Ultimately, golfers need to drive the ball well, hit quality approach shots and make putts if they want to contend this week. I suppose that’s the case every week, but this week is more about making birdies than anything else.
Find my 2024 Rocket Mortgage Classic Predictions below.
- Starting bankroll: $1,000
- Last week: +/- $0
- Current bankroll: $586
2024 Rocket Mortgage Classic Predictions
Maverick McNealy
Outright +5500 (bet365) | Top 10 +350 (bet365):
$10 to pay $560 | $20 to pay $90
McNealy has had a very nice year of golf and already has three top-10 finishes while making every individual cut since The American Express in February. He has routinely gained strokes off the tee, around the green and putting.
However, the key difference recently has been his approach play. Over his last five starts, he has gained nearly eight strokes with his irons. This is a big improvement from earlier in the year and why he’s rattled off some high-end finishes.
He seems to like this golf course after finishing in a tie for 21st in 2021 and a tie for eighth in 2022.
Taylor Pendrith
Outright +3500 (FanDuel) | Top 10 +450 (FanDuel)
$10 to pay $360 | $20 to pay $110
This number seems to be dropping by the minute. If you can find it at +3500 or better, it’s my favorite bet of the week.
Pendrith has already won on a driver-heavy golf course this year at TPC Craig Ranch. That was also one of the easiest courses on the PGA Tour rotation, so I don’t mind comparing it Detroit Golf Club.
Pendrith is one of the longest drivers of the ball in the field and has one of the hottest putters on Tour right now. He has gained strokes putting in 14 of his last 15 events and has gained over 16 strokes putting in his last four starts combined. He’s been in solid form over the last few months and has finished in a tie for 14th and tied for second in his two appearances at this event.
Stephen Jaeger
Outright +3500 (FanDuel) | Top 10 +375 (FanDuel)
$10 to pay $360 | $20 to pay $95
Much like Pendrith, Jaeger also won earlier this year on a driver-heavy golf course. It’s been impressive to watch him transform his driver from his biggest weakness into his biggest strength over the last couple of years. He’s among the top 10 in this field in both Strokes Gained: Off the Tee and Total Driving.
His irons have always been solid, and he’s underrated around the greens. The putter can be hit or miss, but he’s shown an ability to make putts in contention on Sunday. He’s played well at Detroit Golf Club in the past, with back-to-back top 10s here the last two years.
Justin Lower
Top 10 +1200 (bet365)
$10 to pay $1300
I see tremendous value in Lower to finish in the top 10 this week at 13-1. He's finished in the top 10 twice in his last 11 starts and has three other top-30 finishes during that stretch.
While he’s not the most consistent off the tee, I wouldn't call his driver a major weakness. The rest of his game has been sharp this year, and he has gained strokes on approach in 11 of his last 12 events and is an excellent putter.
He should also be comfortable at Detroit Golf Club after making the cut here in both of his appearances by finishing in a tie for eighth and a tie for 30th.
