2021 Rocket Mortgage Classic Betting Odds & Picks: Top 5 Course Fits at Detroit Golf Club
Ezra Shaw/Getty Images. Pictured: Hideki Matsuyama.
The PGA Tour heads to Detroit this week scorching hot after one of the longest playoffs in Tour history decided last week’s Travelers Championship.
While we can’t expect to repeat the excitement that built up in Connecticut as Harris English and Kramer Hickok dueled until nearly sundown, this week’s event promises some fireworks as well. Many of the top names in the sport are back in the field, making for a very intriguing betting slate.
Detroit Golf Club will play host for the Rocket Mortgage Classic, just one year after Bryson DeChambeau muscled his way to a victory at this event.
Detroit Golf Club is the flattest course the Tour will visit this season. Playing over 7,300 yards for four days, according to ShotLink data. That will provide distinct advantages to certain types of players.
Hideki Matsuyama (+1900)
The flat terrain at Detroit Golf Club should play nicely into the hands of the reigning Master’s champion. Matsuyama has the distance off the tee to put himself into comfortable positions for approach shots, where his game shines.
Flat lies all around the golf course should provide him a green light to attack pins all weekend long. He’s long been one of the best iron players in the world, ranking in the top 20 in Strokes Gained: Approach this season.
Will Zalatoris (+2650)
The young rookie who made a name for himself a few months ago at Augusta has similarly been dialed in with his irons this season. He ranks third on the Tour in Strokes Gained: Approach, which should set him up nicely in Detroit this week.
Of course, he might rank highly in that statistic among Tour players, but Zalatoris is still looking for that elusive first win to elevate himself to full status on the PGA Tour, allowing him to compete in the FedEx Cup Playoffs.
It feels inevitable that he’ll break through soon enough, with this week setting up as a perfect opportunity.
Doc Redman (+5500)
This marks the third year that Detroit Golf Club has hosted a Tour event. As Action Network colleague Justin Ray tweeted this week, only a small group of players have excelled in both prior Rocket Mortgage Classic events held in the Motor City.
18 players have made the cut each of the first 2 years of the Rocket Mortgage Classic.
Best score to par of that group
Doc Redman, -32
Sepp Straka, -31
Brian Stuard, -29
Cameron Tringale, -29
Viktor Hovland, -29— Justin Ray (@JustinRayGolf) June 29, 2021
Viktor Hovland is the only household name on that list, though he’s not in this week’s field after winning a European Tour event in Germany last weekend.
Instead, let’s look to the low-scorer in the tournament’s two years at Detroit Golf Club: Doc Redman.
The 23-year-old has not only played well at this course, but he's also coming into form of late. He’s made five consecutive cuts, including a runner-up finish in that span.
Brian Stuard (+1100 for Top 10)
Let’s stay with that list of players who have played well in their two chances at Detroit Golf Club.
Stuard has clearly shown a liking to the setup at the Rocket Mortgage, making both cuts at the event and playing 29 shots under par in those eight rounds.
Last week at TPC River Highlands, Stuard recorded his best finish since April. At +1100 to finish in the top 10, it’s a decent gamble that he’ll find his way near the top of the leaderboard.
Joaquin Niemann (+2200)
Niemann ranks third among players in this week’s field in True Strokes Gained at prior tournaments at Detroit Golf Club, according to Data Golf.
Although he looks 200 pounds lighter than Bryson DeChambeau, Niemann has the game to replicate Bryson’s victorious strategy last year in this event. He ranks 15th on Tour this season in driving distance and has the raw power to bully the back nine at Detroit Golf Club.
This week lays out perfectly for the young Chilean bomber to collect his first win of the season.
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