Fantasy Golf Predictions
Fantasy Golf Picks, Odds, and Predictions – 2021 Rocket Mortgage Classic
Fantasy Golf Picks, Odds, and Predictions for the 2021 Rocket Mortgage Classic
The 2021 Rocket Mortgage Classic Fantasy Preview
Two of the most unassuming and non-trendy golfers in the world served up a titanic slobberknocker of a conclusion at the Travelers Championship.
Harris English and Kramer Hickok won’t be claiming much of the PGA TOUR’s PIP fund anytime soon, but it was refreshing to see two guys who have experienced the lowest lows a professional golfer can sink to getting into the mix in an elite event.
After tying up at -13 after 72 holes at TPC River Highlands, English and Hickok set-off on a playoff campaign that would see them play EIGHT extra holes in a marathon conclusion.
In the end it was our top tier pick English, whether through quality golf or sheer bloody-mindedness, who prevailed, and he choked back tears in celebrating a second win of a season of glorious renaissance. Now ranked 12th in the world, here’s a man who thoroughly deserves his rewards.
Speaking of rewards….those will surely come much easier this week at Detroit Golf Club, our host for the Rocket Mortgage Classic.
The last two winning scores here have been -23 and -25, and so it’s a good old-fashioned birdie-fest in store.
Last Week’s Fantasy Results
We had Rahm two weeks ago at Torrey, and Harris English last week at TPC River Highlands. Back-to-back WINNERS picked heading into this week is giving us all the feels! Overall, we had 6 of 7 made cuts last week and we have successfully picked our 9th winner of the season!
In case you missed it, here’s what we said about Harris English heading into last week:
Fans of such things will note the 40/1 sportsbook odds on Harris English with relish.
His fantasy salary is appetizing too, and especially given that his solo third at the U.S. Open was backed by an excellent all-round performance.
English’s natural style will suit TPC River Highlands even better, and we’re inclined to completely overlook those three missed cuts here on the bounce between 2017-19. That was a very different edition of a player who is back to his best and amongst the finest PGA TOUR regulars around these days.
The 2021 Rocket Mortgage Classic Field
Last year, at the height of the pandemic, Bryson DeChambeau returned bulked up and proceeded to average 350 yards off the tee at Detroit GC – he won by three from Matthew Wolff, and will return in 2021 to try and retain his title.
There will be some 13 major winners in the field, including Phil Mickelson, Hideki Matsuyama and Jason Day, while Patrick Reed is also in the mix.
Wolff also makes a return trip alongside fellow phenoms Will Zalatoris, Sungjae Im and Joaquin Niemann, while Jason Kokrak will be eyeing a third win of the season.
All things considered, it’s not the strongest field you’ll ever see, but no less intriguing for it.
This Week’s Course Preview
After weeks of tough, make-it-count golf, it will be nice for the players to enjoy more forgiving fare this week.
It’s all good fun at Detroit GC, with birdie opportunities galore and very little danger to find – there’s only one water hazard on the real estate. Indeed, the only real pressure is getting out of the gates quickly, with a cutline around the -4 mark possible.
The man responsible for the layout is Donald Ross, whose imprint is on a number of key layouts on the PGA TOUR including Sedgefield and East Lake, home of the TOUR Championship.
This is one of his more forgiving courses, and with some rain around in the lead-in it could crumble at the hands of some of the best golfers in the world.
There are 87 bunkers on the property and some thick and juicy rough, but this poses little threat to the players – Bryson hit 58% of fairways last year and still went on to find 77% of greens in regulation.
One of the flattest golf courses on the rotation, Detroit GC features undulating Bentgrass/Poa Annua greens that typically run at around 12 on the stimp, although they might run more sluggishly this week given some of the rain around.
Weather Forecast for Detroit, MI
As ever, when we say there’s some rain around, with at the mercies of a forecast that may or may not deliver.
But the early predictions are for some precipitation for Monday through Wednesday, and then sporadic showers on Thursday too.
The term used is ‘scattered thunderstorms’, which as we know can mean something or nothing.
Otherwise, at least it’s warm with temperatures reaching 80˚F and wind speeds are expected to run no faster than 10 mph.
Last Year’s Results from the Rocket Mortgage Classic
If ever there was a golf course on the PGA TOUR that would succumb to Bryson’s beefed-up charms, it was Detroit GC.
And so it proved in 2020, with Bryson bashing his ball to all parts but still able to come up with the goods thanks to an excellent week with his short game.
Opening up with a 66 to keep tabs on the early leaders, DeChambeau went 67-67 for his next 36 holes and tore into the course on the Sunday, birdieing three of the first four holes played.
Bryson also made birdie at each of the final three holes, meaning that Matt Wolff’s efforts in making the close a meaningful affair came to nothing.
He finished in solo second with Kevin Kisner in third, and an eclectic cast at T4 including Ryan Armour, Tyrrell Hatton, Danny Willett and Adam Hadwin.
Bryson DeChambeau shoots 7-under 65 | Round 4 | Rocket Mortgage Classic 2020
In the final round of the 2020 Rocket Mortgage Classic, Bryson DeChambeau turned in the low round of the day with a 7-under 65, getting him to 23-under for the tournament to claim his sixth-career PGA TOUR victory. SUBSCRIBE to PGA TOUR now: http://pgat.us/vBxcZSh The PGA TOUR’s Return to Golf continues with the Rocket Mortgage Classic at Detroit Golf Club.
Where to Play Fantasy Golf for the Rocket Mortgage Classic this Week
It’s a fun week at Detroit GC, with birdies galore and plenty of puzzles to solve. It’s the kind of week where premium DFS gamers can really come to the fore.
- PGA $750k Flop Shot: This is one of those weeks where an unusual line-up could be what it takes to win the $200k top prize in this contest, and as we say this is one of those events where quality gamers should have a clear advantage.
- PGA $50k Dogleg: In contests where we expect to have the edge over casual gamers, single entry contests bring with them the necessary high risk, high reward. This $50k dogleg pays $5k to the winner.
This Week’s Fantasy Notes for the 2021 Rocket Mortgage Classic
It’s all about the short game at Detroit GC.
The reason for that is simple – you can do pretty much anything off the tee and get by.
Let’s face it – there aren’t many golf courses that would allow Bryson and Armour to finish in the same top five, especially given that 60 yards was what, on average, separated them off the tee.
The similarity was that Armour hit some lovely irons and Bryson hit short wedges out of the fluffy rough with ease – and then, crucially, both putted well.
We’ve documented the top five at the Rocket Mortgage Classic from last year, and in 2019 you had the likes of Nate Lashley, Brandt Snedeker and Brian Stuard in the thick of things – again, that’s a trio of putting specialists.
So, our mission is to simply find those players who we expect to pop on these Bentgrass/Poa Annua mix greens. Not an easy task, but an eventuality our database of stats dating back several years was designed for.
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Our Top 5 (and Top 2 Sleeper) Fantasy Picks and Odds to Win the 2021 Rocket Mortgage Classic
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Top 5 Picks/Odds to Win The 2021 Rocket Mortgage Classic
Top Tier Pick #1:
Patrick Reed (Odds: 14/1, FPPG: 70.4, GPFP: 56.31 Salary: $10,900)
Let’s start with a disclaimer.
This is a golf course that is completely exposed to Bryson’s game. There are no doglegs to prevent him from hitting the ball as far as he physically can, and there’s only one water hazard on the premises too.
In short, if Bryson hits those 100-yard wedges nicely and putts well, he’s going to take some stopping.
One potential issue is if the rough at Detroit GC does get wet. That will at least make hitting from the long grass more difficult, and that could negate DeChambeau’s obvious advantages.
And so we’re interested in Patrick Reed, who features in our database as one of the best wet ball players around. Happily, he’s also very comfortable on Bentgrass/Poa greens, and his form is strong enough – top-25s at the U.S. Open and Travelers to follow solo fifth at the Memorial – to suggest he can contend this week.
Key Stats:
- SG: Putting – 8th
- SG: Around-the-Green – 16th
- Birdie Average – 21st
Top Tier Pick #2:
Kevin Kisner (Odds: 35/1, FPPG: 54.0, GPFP: 66.96 Salary: $8,500)
As mentioned, we’re looking to draft those guys who should make lots of putts given all of the evidence.
Few in the field sank more than Kevin Kisner at the Travelers, and his penchant for the Bentgrass/Poa greens there puts him into mind this week too.
More so because he putted so very well at Detroit GC a year ago – in fact, only Bryson and Wolff did better on the greens.
As discussed, those who can hit the ball miles off the tee have an edge at this layout, but don’t discount those that find fairways with regularity – especially if the rough does play gnarly when wet.
Kisner is accurate off the peg, and he has the short game of a proven champion too.
Key Stats:
- Total Driving – 8th
- SG: Approach – 12th
- Scoring Average – 19th
Mid-Tier Pick #1:
Brendon Todd (Odds: 60/1, FPPG: 61.5, GPFP: 49.16 Salary: $7,900)
One of the curiosities of Brendon Todd’s T30 effort at the Travelers last week was just how excellent he was from tee-to-green – hampered was he by a cold flat stick.
That’s odd for one of the most reliable putters on the PGA TOUR, and – we’re making assumptions here – if those ball striking improvements remain and are matched by a return to his baseline putting performance, you’d like to think a strong showing is in the offing.
Todd has putted well on Bentgrass/Poa before, so no concerns there, and while his lack of length is not perfect for Detroit GC we do know he will plenty of these narrow fairways – that could be crucial if the rain does emerge.
Key Stats:
- Driving Accuracy – 1st
- SG: Putting – 4th
- Par 5 Birdie or Better Leaders – 53rd
Mid-Tier Pick #2:
Mark Hubbard (Odds: 140/1, FPPG: 49.8, GPFP: 47.83 Salary: $7,300)
There’s not much glamour as to how Mark Hubbard plays his golf, but he is capable of outperforming his baseline performance when the conditions suit.
And they will at Detroit GC – he was T12 last year after all, and his ability to hit fairways, while possessing an excellent short game, naturally brings him onto the radar.
While rarely making the breakthrough into the upper echelons of the leaderboard, Hubbard has made the weekend in each of his last five starts – the perfect bottom tier pick candidate.
Key Stats:
- Driving Accuracy – 29th
- SG: Putting – 53rd
- SG: Around-the-Green – 73rd
Low-Tier Pick:
Andrew Putnam (Odds: 125/1, FPPG: 51.4, GPFP: 43.21 Salary: $7,100)
Another who shone at the Travelers was Andrew Putnam, but not in the way we might have expected.
He ranked fourth for SG: Putting at TPC River Highlands, which allied to his always solid putting culminated in a T13 finish.
Where that will take him at Detroit GC remains to be seen, but he’s got an excellent short game and that is half the battle this week.
Key Stats:
- Scrambling – 9th
- SG: Putting – 35th
- SG: Around-the-Green – 79th
Sleeper Pick for the 2021 Rocket Mortgage Classic
Sepp Straka (Odds: 110/1, FPPG: 60.1, GPFP: 48.08 Salary: $7,700)
With a decent stack of form at Detroit GC and on the back of a top-10 finish, Sepp Straka is very much on the shortlist this week.
The Austrian put a torrid run of form behind him, bookending his effort with rounds of 66 at TPC River Highlands.
For a player who has finished 8-11 at Detroit GC that’s eye-catching indeed, and particularly his ‘point and click’ game that saw him rank fourth for SG: Approach and 28th for SG: Putting.
A slight improvement in the latter could make it a hat-trick of strong showings at this layout for Straka.
Key Stats:
- Approaches from 100-125 yards – 20th
- Driving Distance – 49th
- SG: Putting – 74th
Alternative Sleeper Pick for the 2021 Rocket Mortgage Classic
Hank Lebioda (Odds: 125/1, FPPG: 58.2, GPFP: 46.62 Salary: $7,200)
An excellent iron player, Hank Lebioda found something on and around the greens last week at TPC River Highlands.
That T5 was the best of his season, but he’s served up some excellent performances lately including top-20s at the Valspar and Byron Nelson.
Detroit GC should suit a player not known for his qualities off the tee, but as a high GIR grinder that has found some putting form Lebioda is certainly of interest at this salary point.
Key Stats:
- Greens in Regulation – 22nd
- SG: Approach – 52nd
- SG: Putting – 56th
This Week’s Sample Fantasy Lineup
Note: Sample lineups provided as examples only. Be sure to mix-and-match players to best fit individual contests.
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Fantasy Golf Predictions This Season (2020-2021)
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Great stuff here. I was wondering your thoughts on Nate Lashley. He won in 2019 at like 23 under. Last year he didnt make the cut. He seems to be playing pretty well of late. Thoughts on Detroit this week?