Out of the Rough: Rocket Classic (2026)
Updated: Jul 27
Positioned in a new portion of the PGA Tour schedule and following a massive $16.1 million renovation, Detroit Golf Club takes center stage this week for the Rocket Classic.
This season marks the eighth playing of the Rocket Classic.
This event was first played eight years ago, taking over for the National, formerly the Quicken Loans National on the PGA TOUR schedule.
The Rocket 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.
As previously mentioned, the course was completely renovated following the conclusion of last year’s Rocket Mortgage Classic.
The Field
The new position in the PGA Tour schedule has worked out for the Rocket Classic as the field slated for this week is the best that this event has ever seen.
Leading the charge is World No. 3 Cameron Young who is the highest ranked golfer within the Official World Golf Rankings (OWGR) to be playing this week.
He’ll be joined by Russell Henley (No. 5,) Chris Gotterup (No. 7,) Wyndham Clark (No. 9,) J.J. Spaun (No. 14,) Xander Schauffele (No. 15,) Si Woo Kim (No. 18,) Ben Griffin (No. 19) and Ryan Gerard (No. 24) as those ranked within the top-25 of the OWGR.
Aldrich Potgieter emerged victorious out of the playoff against both Max Greyserman and Chris Kirk a season ago to claim his maiden PGA Tour title. Both Greyserman and Kirk will be playing this week looking to better their position from a season ago.
Cam Davis won this event in both 2021 and 2024 and will look to make it a third Rocket Classic title this week.
Other former winners of this event playing this week include Rickie Fowler (2023) and Tony Finau (2022.)
The Course
As previously mentioned, the Detroit Golf Club’s North Course underwent an extensive $16.1 million renovation following the completion of last year’s Rocket Mortgage Classic.
With the renovation, the course was decreased from a par-72 to a par-70 as two of the short par-fives were changed to long par-fours. It also now plays at 7,328 yards.
Tyler Rae and NMP Golf Construction led the renovation which also saw the removal of numerous trees and a large focus in recreating the course’s bunkering. The goal was to return the course to Donald Ross’s original design.
The recent renovation saw the course visually return to Ross’ original design along with returning the greens to the original contours.
Bunkers were a major staple of the renovation. They were repositioned to be brought into play for the modern golfer. They were deepened and returned to Ross’ original design as well.
Additionally, the pond that once stood in the front of the par-five 14th was removed and replaced with a tall-fescue waste area.
Deep cross-ditches were added back to the course. These cross-ditches were part of Ross’ original design.
These cross-ditches, some upwards of 18-feet deep, also help with the course’s storm and drainage system. Additionally a new irrigation system was put into place as well.
In all, the renovation was geared to toughen the golf course. It saw several trees removed, rebuilt greens, brand new tee boxes and completely refreshed fairways.
The consensus is that these renovations will make the golf course play two-to-three strokes tougher.
Detroit Golf Club can best be described as a bomb-and-gouge venue.
Around 50-percent of all drives have been over 300-yards here at Detroit Golf Club.
Detroit Golf 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.
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.
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.
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 five 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
As of the time of writing this, Thursday calls for just a ten-percent chance of precipitation. Friday is calling for a 60-percent chance of late afternoon and evening thunderstorms. Saturday is calling for a 40-percent chance of scattered thunderstorms, mainly in the afternoon. Sunday calls for just a ten-percent chance of precipitation. Temperatures will be the highest on Thursday at 85-degrees before dropping to 84-degrees on Friday. Temperatures will drop to 83-degrees on Saturday before returning to 84-degrees on Sunday. Winds will begin the week at eight miles-per-hour on Thursday before peaking at nine miles-per-hour on both Friday and Saturday. Winds will return to eight miles-per-hour on Sunday.
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
Proximity to the hole from 200-plus yards
Good Drives Percentage
Par-Four Average Scoring
Greens in Regulation Percentage (GIR%)
Sand Saves Percentage
Betting Card
Wyndham Clark (+2200)
Despite the recent extensive renovation to the Detroit Golf Club, I still believe this will be a bomb-and-gouge course through-and-through. There are far fewer better than Clark when it comes to bomb-and-gouging. On the PGA Tour, the is currently third in birdie-or-better percentage, ninth in SG: PUTT Bentgrass, 17th in SG: APP, 21st in par-four average scoring, 23rd in birdie-or-better percentage from less than 150 yards, 36th in average driving distance, 52nd in both proximity to the hole from 200-plus yards and sand saves percentage, 59th in proximity to the hole from 75-150 yards, 76th in GIR%, 91st in SG: OTT and 120th in good drives percentage. Clark missed the cut in his latest outing at The Open Championship but prior to that he placed 13th at the Genesis Scottish Open, fifth at the Travelers Championship and won the U.S. Open. He also placed 11th at the RBC Canadian Open, third at the Memorial Tournament and won THE CJ CUP Byron Nelson. He did play this event a season ago but missed the cut. He placed eighth here in 2022.
Ryan Gerard (+4200)
Gerard is a golfer I’ve been heavy on recently and with his performance at The Open Championship, I have to keep my finger on the pulse. Gerard placed ninth in his latest outing at The Open Championship. Prior to that he placed 26th at the Genesis Scottish Open, 44th at the Travelers Championship, missed the cut at the U.S. Open but was also second at the Memorial Tournament and tenth at the Charles Schwab Challenge. He also played this event a season ago where he placed 41st. He also played here in 2023 where he placed 56th. Gerard is currently third on Tour in birdie-or-better percentage from less than 150-yards, fourth in proximity to the hole from 75-150 yards, 16th in birdie-or-better percentage, 20th in SG: APP, 21st in par-four average scoring, 25th in good drives percentage, 54th in SG: OTT, 64th in GIR%, 77th in average driving distance, 98th in sand saves percentage, 111th in proximity to the hole from 200-plus yards and 140th in SG: PUTT Bentgrass. Although his Bentgrass numbers aren’t ideal, overall, he is 32nd on Tour in SG: PUTT.
Jacob Bridgeman (+4600)
Bridgeman and Gerard are extremely similar golfers so it makes sense that both popped in my model and found their ways onto my betting card this week. Bridgeman is currently second on Tour in birdie-or-better percentage from less than 150-yards, fourth in par-four average scoring, tenth in birdie-or-better percentage, 11th in proximity to the hole from 75-150 yards, 36th in SG: PUTT Bentgrass, 42nd in SG: PUTT, 70th in good drives percentage, 7st in both SG: OTT and GIR%, 84th in average driving distance, 116th in proximity to the hole from 200-plus yards and 141st in sand saves percentage. Bridgeman also had a good showing at The Open Championship, placing 28th. Prior to that he placed 26th at the John Deere Classic, 47th at the Travelers Championship, 39th at the U.S. Open, 11th at the RBC Canadian Open and 34th at the Memorial Tournament. Bridgeman placed 26th here a season ago and 31st in 2024.
Davis Thompson (+7800)
I’m unsure if I should admit it, but Thompson was an easy first click this week. Thompson has been rather good at this event and course across the last five seasons. He placed 34th a season ago, second in 2024, 24th in 2023 and 58th in 2021. Thompson also comes into this week on the back of a seventh place finish at the 3M Open. He missed the cut at the ISCO Championship but was 26th at the John Deere Classic. Thompson is currently sixth on Tour in proximity to the hole from 75-150 yards, 12th in par-four average scoring, 15th in sand saves percentage, 21st in SG: APP, 28th in GIR%, 40th in SG: OTT, 55th in average driving distance, 84th in good drives percentage, 97th in birdie-or-better percentage, 104th in birdie-or-better percentage from less than 150-yards, 130th in SG: PUTT and 134th in proximity to the hole from 200-plus yards.
Jackson Suber (+9200)
It seems I have a Suber problem as of late but the stats continue to tell me he’s knocking on the door step of a victory. He is currently second on Tour in proximity to the hole from 200-plus yards, seventh in GIR%, 13th in proximity to the hole from 75-150 yards, 14th in good drives percentage, 19th in SG: APP, 29th in birdie-or-better percentage, 50th in SG: PUTT Bentgrass, 66th in birdie-or-better percentage from less than 150-yards, 78th in both average driving distance and par-four average scoring, 80th in sand saves percentage and 84th in SG: OTT. Suber missed the cut last week at the 3M Open but placed 28th at The Open Championship, sixth at the John Deere Classic, missed the cut at the Travelers Championship. He also placed fourth at the RBC Canadian Open, 67th at the Charles Schwab Challenge, fourth at THE CJ CUP Byron Nelson and 19th at the ONEflight Myrtle Beach Classic.
Pierceson Coody (+10000)
Just as I highlighted in my write-up on Clark above, with this course being a bomb-and-gouge set-up, this is right up Coody’s ally. Coody is currently eighth on Tour in SG: PUTT Bentgrass, 12th in average driving distance, 25th in birdie-or-better percentage, 28th in SG: OTT, 39th in sand saves percentage, 68th in GIR%, 89th in both birdie-or-better percentage from less than 150-yards and proximity to the hole from 75-150 yards, 97th in par-four average scoring, 98th in both SG: APP and proximity to the hole from 200-plus yards and 113th in good drives percentage. Coody missed the cut last week at the 3M Open. He placed 28th at The Open Championship, missed the cut at the Genesis Scottish Open, 39th at the John Deere Classic and 23rd at the U.S. Open. Coody last played here in 2024 where he placed 63rd.
2025 Betting Card
Harry Hall (+4000) - T13th
Keith Mitchell (+4500) - MC
Alex Smalley (+6000) - MC
Jesper Svensson (+9000) - MC
Lee Hodges (+11000) - T34th
2024 Betting Card
Tom Kim (+1200) - MC
Keith Mitchell (+3500) - MC
Ryan Fox (+5500) - T67th
Erik van Rooyen (+7000) - T6th
Patton Kizzire (+27500) - T20th
2023 Betting Card
Tony Finau (+1400) - MC
Max Homa (+1800) - T21st
Stephan Jaeger (+4100) - T9th
Kevin Yu (+12000) - MC
Joseph Bramlett (+15000) - MC
Gambling Disclaimer
I am not responsible for any losses associated with gambling. The suggestions listed above are simply that, suggestions. All of the information listed above was acquired from my own personal research. There are some statistics I reference that I have created myself. Again, I am not responsible for any monetary loss associated with using my suggestions, research or statistics. Please bet responsibly.
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