Fantasy Golf Predictions
Fantasy Golf Picks, Odds, and Predictions – 2022 Rocket Mortgage Classic
Fantasy Golf Picks, Odds, and Predictions for the 2022 Rocket Mortgage Classic
Rocket Mortgage Classic Fantasy Preview
Winning golf tournaments is hard.
But the pressure ramps up yet further when you are fighting for your life as a professional golfer, and where immediate success – just to keep your tour card and playing privileges – is absolutely necessary.
Scott Piercy, with four missed cuts in his last starts and just one win in seven years on the PGA TOUR, is (or, at least, was) in the doldrums. Faced with slipping out of the top 300 in the world and potentially losing his card as part of the FedEx Cup race, it’s gotten to that ‘all or nothing’ time for the two-decades long pro.
He must have been as surprised as anybody to be leading the 3M Open hallway through Sunday’s final round, and the realization of what he was about to achieve derailed Piercy to some tune – three bogeys and a triple on the back nine confirmation of how much golf is played by the space between the ears as it is with the hands and arms.
The only crumb of comfort for Piercy is that finishing T4 helps his chances of retaining his card, and it may have warmed his cockles to know that it was another notoriously dodgy closer – Tony Finau – who would be the chief beneficiary.
Big Tone clinched his third PGA TOUR title at TPC Twin Cities, showing plenty of clutch-putting ability on his own back nine to suggest that he may be growing in confidence when in contention. Three consecutive birdies through 14-16 was real ‘cometh-the-hour’ stuff.
One down, two to go. This week’s Rocket Mortgage Classic will be followed by the Wyndham Championship – the remaining two regular season events prior to the FedEx Cup playoffs. The top 125 will lock up their playing privileges for next season, and advance to the St Jude Championship.
Piercy, now up to 112th, will be giving it his all, no doubt….
Last Week’s Fantasy Results
Last week’s biggest horse was Emiliano Grillo on our Sleeper Report who finished T2. Although we cooled off a bit this week, we’re still rolling on picking two winners over the last few weeks.
No Finau-fresh for us last week unfortunately but lets try to get back into the winners circle this week in Detroit!
Rocket Mortgage Classic Field
Finau will have a chance to show off his new-found closing prowess as he seeks to go back-to-back at the Rocket Mortgage Classic.
He will be joined in Detroit by a myriad of straight-shooting young studs like Patrick Cantlay, Max Homa and British Open runner-up Cameron Young, while Will Zalatoris will – as ever – be the source of much interest.
Cameron Davis is the returning defending champion, and in the three years that Detroit GC has hosted this event few can boast the course form of Kevin Kisner.
The 20-year-old phenom Joo-Hyung Kim gets another invite to a PGA TOUR event, and he will tee it up alongside a bunch of guys old enough to be his father, like Adam Scott, Matt Kuchar and Stewart Cink.
This Week’s Course Preview
With an average winning score of 22 and a common cutline of -4, you get a feel for Detroit GC straight off the bat.
This is one of those courses designed more than a century ago that simply has not been able to proof itself against the modern player, and while Donald Ross’ legacy as a phenomenal architect remains, back in 1919 he would have had no idea what the future golfer was capable of.
The Par 5s are there for the taking, and with only one large water hazard on the real estate and around 85 bunkers, players are encouraged to have a heave at two of these holes in particular – 550 yards is not enough to convince many to lay up these days.
Four of the Par 4s weigh in at under 400 yards too, and while there are other protections – some of the tree-lined fairways require an element of shot shaping to ensure the right angle in to the green – this is a birdie-fest layout in every definition of the term.
The warm temperatures will help to quicken the Bentgrass/Poa greens – 12 on the stimpmeter is par for the course here, but for the most part both fairway and green are receptive, and so it’s with the flat stick where the main edge will be found this week.
Weather Forecast for Detroit, MI
Detroit GC was quite wet and cool for last year’s edition of the Rocket Mortgage Classic, but it looks unlikely that the 2022 event will follow suit.
Warm temperatures – we’re talking around 84˚F for the most part – will be powered by sunny spells, so it will feel pleasant and the course should play nice and fast.
The wind could reach between 10-13 mph, but it’s worth remembering that there are some thick tree-lines at Detroit GC, and so you wonder how much of the breeze will truly register.
Although some spots of rain are potentially in the offing on Wednesday, for the tournament itself the players should expect a nice dry week – according to the early forecast, at least.
Last Year’s Results from the Rocket Mortgage Classic
Talk about winning your maiden PGA TOUR title in style.
Cameron Davis splashed a 50ft eagle out of the sand on the seventeenth hole on Sunday and followed it up with a birdie at the last to hammer his way up the leaderboard and seal his place in a play-off against Joaquin Niemann and Troy Merritt.
Niemann arguably could and perhaps should have won it in regular time, but a couple of missed putts condemned the Chilean to the play-off – his disappointment was near palpable as he exited the shootout with a bogey on the first extra hole.
Davis and Merritt duked it out over four more play-off holes, but in the end the relentless pressure applied by the Australian told when Merritt missed on the fifth and Davis was left to celebrate his first PGA TOUR victory.
Where to Play Fantasy Golf for the Rocket Mortgage Classic this Week
We’re heading towards the end of the 2021-22 season now, and before we get to the smaller field events of the FedEx Cup, it’s well worth building our bankroll in advance – hopefully the Rocket Mortgage Classic will prove successful in that regard.
- PGA $1M Pitch & Putt: Even the sharps and the whales will find putting a strong line-up together tough this week, with a very top-heavy look to proceedings. So we can get stuck into this $20 contest, which yields a handsome $250k to the winner.
- PGA $40k Albatross: It will take a hardy soul to tackle a single entry contest this week, but this $12 entry game serves up a top prize of $4,000 – and, ironically, there’s fewer than 4,000 teams to defeat.
SPECIAL DEAL: NEW CUSTOMERS PLACE ANY BET AND GET A FREE BET UP TO $1000 DOLLARS IF YOUR BET LOSES – Use Code GOLFICITY at DraftKings.com
This Week’s Fantasy Notes for the Rocket Mortgage Classic
There can’t be many golf courses in the world that could host an event in which Bryson DeChambeau – one of the longest hitters in the professional game – could share a top-five finish with Ryan Armour, one of the shortest.
But that’s what happed at Detroit GC in 2020, and that’s indicative of a layout where what you do off the tee is of less consequence than the average week on the PGA TOUR.
The secret sauce is in having an unbelievable week with irons and wedges – leaving a catalogue of close-range putts, or instead simply having one of those tournaments where you drain every putt you look at it.
These Bentgrass/Poa greens are tremendously pure, and so you could see how those with the hot hand could fire in birdie after birdie, and so really we’re looking for those guys who have plenty of class in their ball-striking but who save their best putting performances for Poa surfaces.
We’re clutching at straws when it comes to correlating courses, but maybe Silverado – home of the Fortinet Championship – holds some worth. It has very similar average approach distances to Detroit GC, features some tighter holes and is laid with Poa Anna greens.
[membership level=”0″]
Our Top 5 (and Top 2 Sleeper) Fantasy Picks and Odds to Win the Rocket Mortgage Classic
You must be a Premium Member to view our exclusive fantasy golf picks.
Already a member? Sign in Here.
[/membership]
[membership level=”1,2,3″]
Top 5 Picks/Odds to Win the Rocket Mortgage Classic
Top Tier Pick #1:
Will Zalatoris (Odds: 16/1, FPPG: 69.1, GPFP: 55.31 Salary: $10,400)
He will win on the PGA TOUR soon, right?
It seems unthinkable that Will Zalatoris’ first ‘W’ isn’t just around the corner, and as we’ve written numerous times before the Californian’s maiden silverware seems likely to come on greens with a bit of Poa to them – it’s by far and the best surface for a fairly mediocre putter.
But maybe the masses are too hard on Willy Z when it comes to critiquing his flat stick prowess. In his last eight strokeplay starts, Zalatoris has gained more than +1.00 strokes on the field putting in three of them and turned out more marginal gains – but gains nonetheless – in two others.
For a player of his immense talents, it’s obvious that a solid week with the flat stick is all that separates Zalatoris – who ranks eleventh and first on TOUR for SG: Off-the-Tee and Approach respectively – from his first trophy.
Key Stats:
- SG: Approach – 1st
- SG: Off-the-Tee – 11th
- Birdie Average – 17th
Top Tier Pick #2:
Max Homa (Odds: 25/1, FPPG: 70.9, GPFP: 79.45 Salary: $9,900)
Max Homa is fast becoming an elite player in the world of golf, and his all-round game is such that he can head to Detroit with absolute confidence.
A tee-to-green supremo, Homa is also reliable with flat stick in hand, and has gained strokes on the field putting in five of his last seven starts.
A three-time winner on the PGA TOUR since 2020, Homa knows how to take care of business, and with a pregnant wife watching on he may just benefit from that sense of perspective that impending fatherhood provides.
With a top-20 to his name at Silverado and excellence in the short-range approach categories, Homa is a solid play this week – we’re happy to take the salary hit to draft him and Zalatoris in the same line-up.
Key Stats:
- Par 5 Birdie or Better Leaders – 8th
- SG: Approach – 19th
- SG: Putting – 41st
Mid-Tier Pick #1:
Gary Woodland (Odds: 50/1, FPPG: 52.8, GPFP: 47.48 Salary: $8,100)
Big time players generally get their act together at some point in the PGA TOUR season, and Gray Woodland seems to be shaping up in that direction.
T10 at the U.S. Open and T30 at the Scottish Open were both the result of much improved all-round performances, and in weaker company here we have to hope that Woodland could kick on yet further.
He pops in the long and short approach distance categories that are so crucial to crushing Detroit GC’s Par 5s, and with a win at Pebble Beach – his U.S. Open crowning glory – we know that Woodland is at home on Poa Annua greens.
Key Stats:
- Approaches from >200 yards – 12th
- Approaches from 100-125 yards – 35th
- SG: Putting – 72nd
Mid-Tier Pick #2:
Doug Ghim (Odds: 90/1, FPPG: 51.6, GPFP: 41.31 Salary: $7,200)
Still a frustratingly inconsistent performer, it’s weakness with the flat stick that generally undermines Doug Ghim’s efforts.
But, lo and behold, he has seen some improvement in that department lately, and gained more than +1.00 strokes on the field at both the Scottish Open and 3M open with flat stick in hand.
There is a lineage of shorter hitters doing well at the Detroit GC, and so Ghim’s typically excellent approach game should provide the foundation for plenty of birdie looks – let’s hope his improvement on the greens is more than just a fleeting mirage.
Key Stats:
- Driving Accuracy – 48th
- SG: Approach – 52nd
- Scrambling – 52nd
Low-Tier Pick:
Adam Schenk (Odds: 150/1, FPPG: 45.7, GPFP: 36.57 Salary: $7,000)
It’s testament to how bad Adam Schenk’s short game was at TPC Twin Cities that he could rank fifth for the week for SG: Approach and still not crack the top-50.
But that’s not to say that it wasn’t an interesting performance. Schenk is generally pretty good with flat stick in hand, and if his improvement with irons and wedges continues – he’s gained strokes on the field in four of his last five outings, including the U.S. Open and high-class Memorial Tournament – it could yield a strong showing at Detroit GC.
He’s made the cut comfortably in his three previous visits to this track, and so an improvement on his best – T30 in 2020 – seems more than fair for a low-tier selection.
Key Stats:
- Approaches from >200 yards – 66th
- SG: Approach – 91st
- SG: Putting – 98th
Sleeper Pick for the Rocket Mortgage Classic
Joel Dahmen (Odds: 100/1, FPPG: 59.6, GPFP: 47.66 Salary: $7,200)
As you probably know, the sportsbooks release their odds before DraftKings and the other daily fantasy sites have priced up their salaries.
So when we saw 100/1 about Joel Dahmen, we were hoping that would be replicated by a similarly undervalued salary, too. And we’ve not been disappointed….
A classy operator with iron and wedge in hand, finding some consistency on the greens is the key for Dahmen – he bagged a T10 in the US Open just three starts ago with a solid putting effort. T21 in this event 12 months ago, there is clearly plenty of upside to him this week.
Key Stats:
- Driving Accuracy – 15th
- SG: Approach – 47th
- Par 5 Birdie or Better Leaders – 69th
Alternative Sleeper Pick for the Rocket Mortgage Classic
Peter Malnati (Odds: 175/1, FPPG: 57.4, GPFP: 45.93 Salary: $6,600)
With a top-heavy approach to our draft this week, we need a budget sleeper or two to balance the books.
Peter Malnati is an interesting player in that regard because his putting stroke is so reliable, and at a layout where his suspect ball-striking won’t get too badly found out, we can all breathe a sigh of relief.
In fairness to Malnati, he struck the ball beautifully from tee-to-green in the 3M Open, where he finished T11, and if he can bring anything approaching that form to Detroit GC we can expect another above-expectations performance from him.
Key Stats:
- Approaches from 100-125 yards – 18th
- Birdie Average – 39th
- SG: Putting – 69th
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.
[/membership]
Fantasy Golf Predictions This Season (2021-2022)
Tourneys Played '21 -'22
Season Earnings YTD
Remember to visit our private Facebook group to discuss this week’s picks for the John Deere Classic with other Premium Members.
Cover Photo via Instagram
What’s Really Going on with LIV Golf?
Blind Ranking The Most Iconic Masters Moments
FIRST LOOK: Titleist Unveils New Vokey WedgeWorks Grind Lineup
New Shot Scope LM1: The Best Budget Launch Monitor Under $200?
Did LIV Golf Finally Get its Big Breakthrough?
FIRST LOOK: Titleist’s New GTS Driver Lineup Spotted on Tour
New Shot Scope LM1: The Best Budget Launch Monitor Under $200?
FIRST LOOK: Titleist Unveils New Vokey WedgeWorks Grind Lineup
Did LIV Golf Finally Get its Big Breakthrough?
Blind Ranking The Most Iconic Masters Moments
We Played This Old Golf Course Where Thomas Edison Was A Member
Are You MEASURING Your Golf Swing Correctly? (This Can Help)
Zach Johnson Explains Why He Didn’t Pick Bryson DeChambeau for the Ryder Cup
Justin Thomas FIRES Coach before Ryder Cup…Who’s Next?
