Fantasy Golf Picks, Odds, and Predictions – Rocket Mortgage Classic

Fantasy Golf Picks, Odds, and Predictions for the Rocket Mortgage Classic

Rocket Mortgage Classic Fantasy Preview

The beauty of golf is that – some courses at least – give everyone a shot at glory no matter how far they can hit the ball.

TPC River Highlands is one of those, and that’s perhaps why we had two such contrasting layers duking it out at the Travelers Championship last week – Dustin Johnson and Brendon Todd.

Given that he’s won twice this season already and held a two-shot lead heading into Friday’s final round, Todd was favored by some for his no-frills, all-round game.

But then you have Johnson, a former world number one, who is capable of smashing the ball into orbit and making low scores – as well as some very high ones when things aren’t going his way.

Embed from Getty Images

It was a fascinating clash of styles to conclude the tournament, and in the end it was the pressure applied by DJ – he made two birdies in the opening five holes and four on the front nine – that buckled Todd’s tilt at a third PGA TOUR title this term. His final round featured zero birdies, two bogeys and a horrible treble at the twelfth.

It was Johnson’s 21st PGA TOUR win, but his first since the WGC-Mexico in the early weeks of 2019. As the old saying goes, you can’t keep a good man down….

There’s a bit of a sea-change on the Tour this week, with a number of the bigger stars deciding not to make the trip to Detroit, Michigan for the Rocket Mortgage Classic.

Last Week’s Fantasy Results

Last week DJ was the man to beat, along side of Kevin Streelman. The one-two power punch would have cashed in for you nicely! 

We ran with Bryson as our top pick and finished short as Bryson struggled a bit during his Sunday round and ended up tied for 6th.  

Embed from Getty Images

2020 Rocket Mortgage Classic Field

At the time of writing, it was being rumored that Dustin Johnson has now withdrawn from the field this week after his triumph in Connecticut, and his absence will be felt in an otherwise low-key tournament.

Webb Simpson, with two wins in his last five starts, is arguably the headline act alongside Patrick Reed, Hideki Matsuyama and the ever-polarizing Bryson DeChambeau.

Embed from Getty Images

Last year’s 1-2 at the Rocket Mortgage Classic – champion Nate Lashley and runner-up Doc Redman – also return, alongside winners on Tour this season in Tyrrell Hatton, Sungjae Im and Viktor Hovland.

Keep an eye out too for Sahith Theegala, one of the finest amateurs on the planet who has already landed the Ben Hogan and Fred Haskins awards.

This Week’s Course Preview

Embed from Getty Images

Roughly this time a year ago we got our first look at Detroit GC as a PGA TOUR venue.

You won’t hear many of the players giving the layout a grilling – Nate Lashley won with a score of -25, and the cutline was at -4. This really was the archetypal jolly in the sun.

That’s something of a surprise really, given that the architect behind the track is Donald Ross, perhaps better known for East Lake (home of the TOUR Championship) and Sedgefield, the venue for the BMW Championship.

One thing that should be mentioned is that there was lots of rain in the build-up last year, and that meant that Detroit GC became a point-and-click shootout on the softest of greens. We don’t expect a repeat this time around.

This tree-lined Par 72 course measures in at 7,334 yards, and while the players won’t need their snorkels – there’s only one water hazard on the whole real estate, they might need to bring their bucket and spade – there’s plenty of dangerously-located bunkers protecting fairways and greens.

The undulating, average-sized Bentgrass/Poa Annua greens might be softish – this is a surface that tends to be affected by hot temperatures, but they will run at around 12 on the stimpmeter and so will provide a sterner test than they did 12 months ago.

The best defense for this golf course is its tight fairways, and with no patrons to trample the grass down there could be some punishment for those straying off-line from the tee.

Weather Forecast for Detroit, MI

The Tour may have traveled in-land from Connecticut to Michigan, but it’s essentially a case of as you were as far as the weather is concerned.

There’s plenty more sunshine around, among cloudier spells, with temperatures rebounding around the 88-94°F mark.

It will be relatively windy but nothing too dramatic, with speeds of around 13-16 mph anticipated.

DETROIT WEATHER

Last Year’s Results for Rocket Mortgage Classic

It was one of golf’s great feel-good stories when Nate Lashley prospered in Detroit a year ago.

This was a guy whose life was destroyed when both of his parents and his girlfriend died in a plane crash, and a guy whose golfing aspirations were temporarily dismantled by a attack of the ‘yips’ and a complete loss of confidence.

Lashley put his life and his golf game back together and romped to victory in the Rocket Mortgage Classic, leading the field home by six shots to tie-up a fantastic wire-to-wire victory.

An opening 54-hole burst of 63-67-63 is always going to be hard to reel in, and while conditions toughened somewhat on the Sunday Lashley was still able to shoot 70 to wrap up a comprehensive victory.

The promising Doc Redman finished in second on -19, with Rory Sabbatini and Wes Roach one back in T3.

Nate Lashley’s winning highlights from Rocket Mortgage 2019

In the 2019 Rocket Mortgage Classic, Nate Lashley claimed his first-career PGA TOUR victory with rounds of 63-67-63-70 to finish at 25-under-par at Detroit Golf Club. SUBSCRIBE to PGA TOUR now: http://pgat.us/vBxcZSh The inaugural Rocket Mortgage Classic will be contested at Detroit Golf Club. New U.S.

Where to Play Fantasy Golf for Rocket Mortgage Classic this Week

While the field is of a slightly lower quality this week, the DFS sites haven’t taken their foot off the gas with their raft of contests. There’s plenty to enjoy for budget players and high rollers alike!

• PGA $2.5 Millionaire: It seems as though the milly-maker is to be a weekly occurrence on the DK slate from now on, so why not enter a line-up or two – having the cut sweats is more fun than playing the lottery, after all! It’s $20 entry, but there are some fantastic consolation prizes aside from the million too.
• PGA $250k Drive the Green: Low rollers should consider this $5 entry contest this week. There’s still a very handy $50k jackpot prize to be won, and the top 25% of players will bank a profit from their ticket.

This Week’s Fantasy Notes for Rocket Mortgage Classic

Give the soft conditions, last year’s inaugural edition of the Rocket Mortgage Classic became something of a putting contest – Lashley ranked second for Strokes Gained: Putting, as if to confirm the point.

It will be slightly different this year, and we believe there could be a premium on driving –both in terms of distance, because that always helps on Par 72 layouts, and accuracy, because we expect the rough to be up with no spectators to stamp it down.

The greens are of average size and undulating, and so finding the right portion is key – as ever, approaching from the short grass is preferable.

We don’t anticipate another -25 blitz unless the weather takes a surprising turn, however there is still a premium on birdies made at Detroit GC – the four Par 5s in particular are there for the taking.

A strong driving game, matched with some solid approach play to set up birdie opportunities, is the way to go at Detroit GC.

[membership level=”0″]

Our Top 5 (and Top 2 Sleeper) Fantasy Picks and Odds to Win 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 Rocket Mortgage Classic

Top Tier Pick:

Hideki Matsuyama (Odds: 20/1, FPPG: 77.9, GPFP: 94.23 Salary: $10,200)

There’s an interesting set-up at the top of the salary rankings this week.

Bryson DeChambeau has racked up three consecutive top-10s since golf’s return, and to be honest his iron and wedge game hasn’t been at its best. If he can dial in with those clubs and hit more monster drives, the Scientist could be tough to beat this week.

But his poor approach play at TPC River Highlands cannot be overlooked, or can the fact that Patrick Reed’s normally sharp short game was below-par. Factor in Webb Simpson’s COVID-19 concerns, and there is something of a gulf at the head of the game.

Which brings us to Hideki Matsuyama. He missed the cut at his first start back at the RBC Heritage, but then Simpson failed to make the weekend at the Charles Schwab and it hardly hurt him a week later, did it!?

The Japanese ace will feel at home at Detroit GC – he is a prolific high performer at Donald Ross layouts, and finished T13 here a year ago.

Matsuyama loves life on Bentgrass/Poa greens, is an excellent driver of the ball and is a prolific birdie maker in full stride – three key components for success this week.

Key Stats:

• SG: Tee-to-Green – 3rd
• Scoring Average – 12th
• Par 5 Birdie or Better Leaders – 18th

Top-Tier Pick #2:  

Viktor Hovland (Odds: 22/1, FPPG: 67.3, GPFP: 53.86 Salary: $10,000)

We’ve opted for a ‘top heavy’ approach to our draft this week, but it was hard to leave the Norwegian out of our roster given how well he has been playing.

Hovland banked top-25s at the Charles Schwab Challenge and RBC Heritage, but he upped the ante at the Travelers with a T11 return – he ranked first for SG: Tee-to-Green, too.

The Norwegian is a quality ball striker with a poor short game, but the nature of this Detroit GC test dictates that his strong tee-to-green game will be of huge advantage this week.

He posted a round of 64 here on the Sunday last year – the best of the day, and we expect more fireworks from the 22-year-old this time around.

Key Stats:

• Total Driving – 8th
• SG: Approach – 12th
• Scoring Average – 19th

Mid-Tier Pick #1: 

Lucas Glover (Odds: 66/1, FPPG: 61.0, GPFP: 64.63 Salary: $8,400)

There have been plenty of signs from Lucas Glover since golf’s resumption that more prolonged good times are just around the corner.

He’s finished no worse than T23 in his three starts since, and his irons in particular were outstanding at the Travelers – he ranked fourth for SG: Approach there, which when you factor in the +2.27 strokes he gained putting in round four is very handsome indeed.

A tremendous driver of the golf ball, if Glover’s improvement with the putter continues he can go very week this week.

Key Stats:

• Total Driving – 9th
• SG: Approach – 41st
• Birdie Average – 47th

Mid-Tier Pick #2: 

Sebastian Munoz (Odds: 150/1, FPPG: 65.6, GPFP: 52.49 Salary: $7,100)

Ranking thirteenth on Tour for Birdie Average this season, Sebastian Munoz has to be a consideration in a slightly weaker field where going low is at a premium.

The Colombian prevailed in a similar set-up to this at the Sanderson Farms Championship, while his last truly strong showing came in Mexico at the Poa Annua laid Club de Golf Chapultepec.

A strong driver of the ball, Munoz can make a mockery of his recent form on a layout that suits – and at a bargain price, too.

Key Stats:

• Birdie Average – 13th
• SG: Tee-to-Green – 36th
• Total Driving – 36th

Low-Tier Pick: 

Tyler Duncan (Odds: 125/1, FPPG: 56.0, GPFP: 44.82 Salary: $7,000)

To offer some context as to how well Tyler Duncan hit the ball off the tee at TPC River Highlands, he ranked third for Driving Accuracy while still averaging 303 yards in length.

Such ‘total driving’ prowess will be rewarded at any golf course but especially Detroit GC, and given that the 30-year-old is a strong iron player that could be a happy combination.

The final piece of the jigsaw is the short stick, but if Duncan can sort that out then maybe he can add a second PGA TOUR title to his name after capturing the RSM Classic earlier in the season.

Key Stats:

• Driving Accuracy – 7th
• SG: Approach – 56th
• Par 5 Scoring Average – 63rd

Sleeper Pick for Rocket Mortgage Classic

Brian Stuard (Odds: 100/1, FPPG: 62.1, GPFP: 53.39 Salary: $7,400)

On the back of a run of form that read MC-65-33-64-59, Stuard banked a top-five finish at Detroit GC last year at a venue that isn’t all that suited to his game.

So what was the reason? Who can say, but certainly being back in in his home state of Michigan seemed to have a positive affect.

This time around, Stuard heads home in much better form, with some progressive showings leading to T20 at the Travelers Championship, where he ranked fourth for GIR.

Could the 37-year-old be set for an even better showing in Detroit this time around?

Key Stats:

• Driving Accuracy – 5th
• SG: Putting – 74th
• Scoring Average – 85th

Alternative Sleeper Pick for Rocket Mortgage Classic

Patton Kizzire (Odds: 200/1, FPPG: 46.5, GPFP: 37.18 Salary: $6,900)

It’s easy to forget that Patton Kizzire won twice on the PGA TOUR in 2018.

A lot of water has passed under the bridge since then, but of course the assumption is that Kizzire has bags of talent to achieve what he did a couple of years ago.

There were certainly glimpses of quality in his T6 at the Travelers, where he delivered three rounds of 66 and a 67, and the 34-year-old was particularly strong on approach – always a good sign.

It’s been a season to forget for Kizzire so far, but if his tee-to-green game improves to go with his excellent putting then better times are ahead.

Key Stats:

• SG: Putting – 24th
• Approaches from 100-125 Yards – 84th
• Birdie Average – 114th

This Week’s Sample DraftKings 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 (2019-2020)

[skill_bar heading=”Total Top 3s” percent=”8.70%” bar_text=14 out of 161 picks” style=”background-color: #5fb341″][skill_bar heading=”Total Top 10s” percent=”21.74%” bar_text=”35 out of 161 picks” style=”background-color: #5fb341″][skill_bar heading=”Total Top 25s” percent=”31.05%” bar_text=”50 out of 161 picks” style=”background-color: #5fb341″][skill_bar heading=”Total Winners Picked” percent=”21.74%” bar_text=”5 out of 23 events” style=”background-color: #5fb341″][skill_bar heading=”Total Runners-Up Picked” percent=”17.39%” bar_text=”4 out of 23 events” style=”background-color: #5fb341″][skill_bar heading=”Total Made Cuts (Includes Sleepers)” percent=”70.81%” bar_text=”114 out of 161 picks” style=”background-color: #5fb341″]

Remember to visit our private Facebook group to discuss this week’s picks for Rocket Mortgage Classic with other Premium Members.

---

Cover Photo via Instagram