Rocket Classic Odds & Betting Preview: Early Bets & Picks, Including Ben Griffin
Golf bettors are cruising on over to the Motor City for the next stop on the PGA Tour. A Midwest swing looms for the 2025 Rocket Mortgage Classic at the Detroit Golf Club. As always, our weekly preview covers a bevy of Rocket Classic odds and a course breakdown.
Established in 1899, the Detroit Golf Club has a long history. But it’s still fresh to the PGA Tour, with it added just six years ago. From a betting perspective, I’ve looked forward to the Rocket Classic each year, landing on the winner in 2021 (Cam Davis) and runner-up finishers in 2022 (Cameron Young, Taylor Pendrith) and 2023 (Adam Hadwin). We’ll look to keep that momentum going into this week, following the same tried and true formula.
In six years at the Rocket Classic, we’ve seen dramatically different sets of leaderboards. It’s a great week to diversify exposure on a longer card and reach for some longshots in trending form. While a fair mix of bombers (DeChambeau, Davis, Finau) and plodders (Kisner, Spaun, Merritt) have found success here, it’s the longest hitters who possess the greatest scoring upside, as the bomb-and-gouge approach has proven effective with little penalty for wayward drives.
Advantageous to those with plus-driving distance, I’ll be looking closely at skilled putters, particularly on Bent-Poa hybrid greens, as well as elite wedge players and birdie-makers in easy scoring conditions. After cashing in with Keegan Bradley last week, let’s review the key facts and information about the Detroit Golf Club.
Click any Rocket Classic odds below to place a wager. For more sportsbook promos, we highly recommend checking out the best sports betting sites.
Rocket Mortgage Classic Betting: Outright Odds
The Field At A Glance
The Rocket Classic seems to have found a new home on the schedule. Once a revolving door on the PGA Tour schedule, it is now fixed between the Travelers Championship and the John Deere Classic in late June. Understandably, the tour has leaned into these northern/mid-west venues in the heat of the summer, avoiding the heat wave that has been crossing through Arizona, Texas, and Florida.
To put it bluntly, this event is the first “dud” we’ve seen on the schedule since early May, making for an expected bye week for many of the tour’s best. With five majors or Signature Events contested over the last seven weeks, I can’t blame the top players for taking a breather before hopping overseas for the Scottish and British Opens in a couple of weeks.
Focusing on those who have opted to set this week’s plans in Detroit, it is World No. 4 Collin Morikawa and World No. 20 Patrick Cantlay who will bring the star power to the Motor City this week as two of the betting favorites. A total of nine OWGR top-40 players will tee it up this week, with Hideki Matsuyama, Ben Griffin, Keegan Bradley, Wyndham Clark, Akshay Bhatia, Min Woo Lee, Cameron Young, and Tony Finau rounding out the list of top contenders. To their credit, this field is a marked improvement over the 2024 event in the same slot on the schedule, which did not feature any OWGR top-30 players.
Two-time Rocket Classic winner Cam Davis will return for his title defense after narrowly skirting past Akshay Bhatia in regulation last season. Tony Finau, Rickie Fowler, and Nate Lashley will each be back to represent the list of past winners.
Introduction To Detroit Golf Club
This course is 7,370 yards, but it is shorter by tour standards. It has produced equitable leaderboards of bombers and plodders.
A narrative to chase long hitters’ upside has grown recently and paid off handsomely. Finau, Cantlay, Pendrith, and Cameron Young were the top four finishers in 2022, and each ranked in the top 20 in driving distance leading in. Last year, 14 of the top-16 finishers ranked above-average in Driving Distance for the week, with Aaron Rai and Dylan Wu being the only exceptions. In short, you don’t need distance to play well at Detroit Golf Club, but bombers do possess the greatest upside to generate the most birdie opportunities.
This course lacks bells and whistles. The classical design doesn’t feature many water or lateral hazards. And although Detroit Golf Club is tree-lined, wider fairways make this less of a positional test than other parkland courses. With its lack of hazards, non-penal rough, and accessible back-to-front sloping greens, Detroit Golf Club may be the course most prone to the bomb-and-gouge approach on the PGA Tour.
Given the wide fairways and options off the tee, I would describe Detroit Golf Club as a second-shot course. It’s boiled down to a putting contest each of the first six years. A premium on putting is consistent with Donald Ross courses. We see a similar theme on his other regular tour tracks, like East Lake and Sedgefield CC. While putting is the most volatile and difficult stat to predict, there is still a skill to putting consistently well. This week, more than most, I’ll put a premium on the best long-term putters.
History has shown us this is not a course where poor putters have suddenly caught fire. So, I’ll take a stance and fade the worst putters in the field.
- Related: Rocket Classic Golf DFS Picks & Longshot Bets
Course History & Similar Betting Outlooks
Similar to the 3M Open, which also joined the PGA Tour schedule in 2019, six years of data is still not a massive sample size to draw conclusive course history trends. That’s especially the case at Detroit Golf Club, considering the role the greens play. Of the first six winners. Nate Lashley, Bryson DeChambeau, and Cam Davis posted a combined 0-for-5 in made cuts at the Rocket Mortgage Classic outside of their respective wins. Tony Finau finished T53 in his only prior appearance at this event. 2023 winner, Rickie Fowler, showed some encouraging Course History signs leading in, but missed the cut the year prior to his win.
I won’t fade any players on the basis of poor course history alone this week. It should create a great buy-low opportunity to catch drifted odds on longshots who either have poor past results or are making their tournament debut.
Player History
Just 10 players avoided missing the cut with at least three prior appearances at the Rocket Mortgage Classic: Keegan Bradley, Si Woo Kim, Taylor Moore, Zach Johnson, Patrick Rodgers, Danny Willett, Davis Thompson, Chris Kirk, Justin Lower, and Max Homa. Of that group, Taylor Moore has notably finished within the top 10 in each of his first three Rocket Classic appearances.
There are 10 players who have recorded multiple top-15 finishes: Taylor Moore, Cam Davis, Rickie Fowler, Matt Wallace, Stephan Jaeger, Alex Noren, Seamus Power, Cameron Young, Adam Hadwin, and Kevin Kisner. Three of the top names in this event, Collin Morikawa, Patrick Cantlay, and Min Woo Lee, each have a T2 finish in one prior Rocket Classic appearance.
The best 10 golfers in total strokes gained at Detroit Golf Club over its first six contests are: Cameron Young, Taylor Moore, Cam Davis, Collin Morikawa, Patrick Cantlay, Min Woo Lee, Adam Hadwin, Chris Kirk, Tony Finau, and Wyndham Clark.
Course Comps
TPC Twin Cities stands out as the clear top comparison to Detroit. Both events produced a top two of Bryson DeChambeau and Matthew Wolff in their inaugural year. Both feature similar lengths on the scorecard with ample birdie opportunities and similar Bentgrass agronomy. They’re also advantageous to bombers, and, of course, both were taken down by Tony Finau in successive weeks in 2022.
The absence of lateral hazards and emphasis on putting at Detroit GC is the glaring difference between the two. Bombers can get away with swinging a bit more freely here as long as they avoid being blocked out by the tree lines. Ten players rank top-25 in SG: TOT at both venues: Taylor Moore, Collin Morikawa, Cam Davis, Adam Hadwin, Tony Finau, Wyndham Clark, Rickie Fowler, Max Homa, Kevin Kisner, and Hideki Matsuyama.
Sedgefield CC is also very high on the list of comps. It has the Donald Ross connection, emphasis on wedges and putting, and overlapping success from players like Kevin Kisner and Webb Simpson. I’ll also give a close look at performance on other comps like Silverado Resort, TPC Deere Run, TPC River Highlands, TPC Craig Ranch, Hamilton G&CC, and Oakdale Golf & Country Club, and TPC Toronto, given the similar Bent/Poa-blended agronomy and easy scoring conditions in open, “putting contest” set-ups.
From a Donald Ross standpoint, East Lake, Oak Hill, and Pinehurst No.2 may serve as a useful comp if only for the consistent style of greens. Given the disparity in scoring difficulty at these events, however, I won’t be modeling from strokes gained on these courses.
Combine performance across this list, and the top 10 players in Comp Course History are Patrick Cantlay, Tony Finau, Collin Morikawa, Eric Cole, Cam Davis, Tom Kim, Keith Mitchell, Davis Thompson, Alex Noren, and Cameron Young.
Rocket Classic Odds: Key Stats To Consider
- SG: OTT / Driving Distance
- SG: APP
- Good Drives Gained
- SG: Putting (L36) / SG: P (Bent-Poa) / SG: P (5-10 ft)
- Birdies or Better Gained / Opportunities Gained
- Prox 75-150 Yards
- Par-5 Scoring
- Par-4 Scoring: <400 Yards
- SG: TOT (Easy Courses)
- Course & Comp Course History
Ball striking form has not correlated very well with results at the Rocket Mortgage Classic. Prior winners of Nate Lashley, Bryson DeChambeau, Cam Davis, Tony Finau, and Rickie Fowler should tell us that truly anything can happen at this event. But if there’s one trend emerging from the first five years of this event, it’s an advantage for the pure bombers who wedge their way into these accessible greens. Among the players who are above average in the field in SG: TOT leading into this week, the top 10 in Driving Distance are: Min Woo Lee, Keith Mitchell, Chris Gotterup, Rico Hoey, Kevin Yu, Luke Clanton, Michael Thorbjornson, Kurt Kitayama, Keegan Bradley, and Ben Griffin.
While ample randomness exists this week, SG: APP remains a logical place to start in any birdie fest. With a unique layout producing 40% of approaches inside 150 yards, I’m looking to hone in on the top iron players with an emphasis on shorter distances. The top 10 in SG: APP who also rank above-average in Prox: 100-150 include: Emiliano Grillo, Collin Morikawa, Patrick Cantlay, Henrik Norlander, Victor Perez, Joel Dahmen, John Pak, Sami Valimaki, Keegan Bradley, and Antoine Rozner.
Putting & Drives
SG: OTT has not proven to be very predictive of success in this event, given how accessible these greens still are from the rough. At an event where Kevin Kisner, JJ Spaun, and Troy Merritt have enjoyed similar success as Taylor Pendrith, Bryson DeChambeau, and Tony Finau, Good Drives Gained has acted as a useful combo stat to measure those who position themselves well to reach greens in regulation, regardless of distance. The top 10 in Good Drives Gained this week are: Emiliano Grillo, Collin Morikawa, Patrick Cantlay, Luke Clanton, Kevin Yu, Victor Perez, Keith Mitchell, Steven Fisk, Keegan Bradley, and Ben Griffin.
As a pure example of a PGA Tour putting contest, I’ll hone in on the most well-rounded putters in this week’s field. At Detroit Golf Club, total (L36 rounds), Bent-Poa blend, and Donald Ross putting have proven fairly predictive, leading in. Additionally, with greens reached in regulation well above the Tour average, conversion in the 5- to 10-foot range has proven a significant indicator. Weighting these characteristics together, the top 10 includes Harry Hall, Danny Willett, Jacob Bridgeman, Cameron Young, Zach Johnson, Sami Valimaki, Patrick Rodgers, Eric Cole, Ben Griffin, and Cristobal Del Solar.
As a basis for success this week, I’m looking for players above average in all key putting categories, as well as Prox: <150 and Birdies or Better Gained. Nine players in the field fit those criteria: Eric Cole, Akshay Bhatia, Matt McCarty, Patrick Cantlay, Rickie Fowler, Keith Mitchell, Luke Clanton, Alex Norem, and Lee Hodges.
Looking more broadly at key all-encompassing stats of Comp Course History, SG: APP, Driving Distance, Par-5 Scoring, and Prox: 100-150, just ten players rate above average in each: Keith Mitchell, Kevin Yu, Luke Clanton, Ryo Hisatsune, Rico Hoey, Antoine Rozner, Ricky Castillo, Kurt Kitayama, Rickie Fowler, and Victor Perez.
Golf Betting Correlations
Looking at the correlation charts this week, we have limited data from the six years of this event. But what we have has started to tell a more cohesive story. Par-3 Scoring and SG: OTT sees a notable decline in importance compared to the tour average, each falling outside the top 15. At Detroit Golf Club, the correlation charts continue to tell the same story as the names on the leaderboards. SG: P, particularly on putts from 5–10 feet, continues to be the greatest indicator of success.
Top 10 Correlated Stats with SG: TOT
Top 10 Correlated Stats with SG TOT at Detroit GC
Only seven players in the field rank above average in each of the above 10 key stat categories: Patrick Cantlay, Keith Mitchell, Rickie Fowler, Lee Hodges, Harry Hall, Luke Clanton, and Danny Walker.
Player Spotlight: Ben Griffin ()
The hottest man in the field right now is none other than Griffin, who ranks No. 1 in SG: TOT over his last 16 rounds with four consecutive top-10 finishes between the PGA Championship and U.S. Open. The “floodgates” narrative is often overblown after a golfer gets over the hump for his first career PGA Tour win, but in Griffin’s case, there’s plenty of reason to believe he has staying power atop the leaderboard week-to-week.
The chase for speed has been a fruitful one for Griffin, who has completely transformed from ranking below-average in SG: OTT in each of his first three seasons on the tour to now ranking top 10 in SG: OTT over his last four starts. Speed training has transformed Griffin into one of the longest hitters in this field, as he ranked top-5 in Driving Distance for the week at Oakmont two weeks ago. That distance advantage makes Detroit Golf Club a much more inviting course setup, with all four of the par-5s being reachable in two.
Prior to reinventing himself off the tee, Griffin leaned on his short game as his greatest strength. That has lent to a great resume in easy, “putting contest” types of events, where Griffin has separated with his putting and wedge play. On a Donald Ross design like Detroit Golf Club, I’m always looking to hone in on the most skilled putters, as elite putters like Kevin Kisner, Adam Hadwin, and Rickie Fowler have credited in recent years.
Whether this be a sustained heatcheck, or a sign of the next young star on the PGA Tour, Griffin’s current form, course fit, and history on comparable easy-scoring venues make him one of the biggest threats to win in Detroit this week as he chases his third victory over his last nine starts.
Rocket Classic Odds: DFS Pool
With all the course-fit profiles in mind, I’m leaning early toward the below player pool. Naturally, I’m looking their way in the 2025 Rocket Classic odds as well. I’ve broken the list down by projected pricing and an “odds” tier at DraftKings Sportsbook.
Tier 1
- Collin Morikawa
- Patrick Cantlay
Tier 2
- Ben Griffin
- Keegan Bradley
- Keith Mitchell
- Luke Clanton
- Tony Finau
Tier 3
- Cameron Young
- Cam Davis
- Min Woo Lee
- Wyndham Clark
Tier 4
- Emiliano Grillo
- Harry Hall
- Kevin Yu
- Rico Hoey
- Taylor Moore
Tier 5
- Henrik Norlander
- Lee Hodges
- Sami Valimaki
- Michael Thorbjornson
Rocket Classic Odds: Betting Model & Breakdown
In my model, I’m emphasizing SG: APP, SG: OTT, Comp Course History, SG: TOT (Easy Scoring Conditions), Prox: 100-150, and SG: P (TOT + Bent-Poa), followed by a more balanced mix of Par-5 Scoring, Birdies or Better Gained, and Good Drives Gained.
Golf Model Favorites
Still in search of his first win since the 2922 BMW Championship, my model suggests Patrick Cantlay is the man most likely to emerge victorious in Detroit. Cantlay claims the No. 1 overall spot in my model as a credit to ranking top-5 in this field in Comp Course History, Birdie or Better Percentage, SG: TOT (L16), and SG: APP. He finished T2 in his only prior Rocket Classic appearance, and will be amongst the favorites when odds release.
After Cantlay, my model’s top 10 is rounded out by Luke Clanton, Collin Morikawa, Keith Mitchell, Keegan Bradley, Ben Griffin, Alex Smalley, Emiliano Grillo, Rico Hoey, and Cameron Young.
When the 2025 Rocket Classic odds are released, I’ll look to target Ben Griffin, Keith Mitchell, Keegan Bradley, and Lee Hodges as my first looks, depending on where the odds ultimately fall.
Check back in later this week for more updates, and best of luck navigating these Rocket Classic odds!
Sportsbook Promos For Rocket Classic Odds
Up to $1,500 in Bonus Bets if Your First Bet Doesn't Win*
*Bonus Bets Expire in 7 Days. One New Customer Offer Only. Add’l terms. 21+. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER
Use Bonus Code: LINEUPS
- Bet $5 Get $150 in Bonus Bets Win or Lose
- OR First Bet Safety Net up to $1,000
- 30% Extra on Same Game Parlay Profit
- T&Cs Apply. Gambling Problem? Call or text 1-800-GAMBLER 21+
- Use Bonus Code: LINEUPSBET
- Stream NFL Games In-App for Free
- 21+ Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER
- Use Promo Code: LINEUPSDYW
Get $150
Bet $5, Get $150 in Bonus Bets if Your Bet Wins
Available on Desktop, Android & iOS
Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER. 21+
To Claim: Click Play Now
Get $150
Bet $5, Get $150 in Bonus Bets Instantly
Get Your Bets Boosted
21+. Gambling Problem? Call/Text 1-800-Gambler. T&Cs apply
To Claim: Click Play Now
- Bet and Get up to $1,000 in No Sweat Bets or Choose Your Own Offer
- Earn FanCash & Spend it on Team Swag or More Bets
- 21+. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER
- To Claim: Click Play Now
Bet $5 Get $150 in Bonus Bets Instantly!
PLUS Get a $50 Bonus Bet on Deposit
PLUS up to $1,000 Deposit Bonus
Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER
