The PGA Tour continues on this week as it visits Detroit Golf Club for the 2025 Rocket Classic. Designed by iconic golf course architect Donald Ross, Detroit Golf Club will play as a Par 72, 7,370 yard layout this week.
To find success in this event, players will want to go low. Every winner has reached at least -18 or better for the week in this event, with four of the last six finishing at -23 or better. The course can definitely be taken advantage of by both bombers and short hitters alike due to the course being mainly flat, and with rain expected in the forecast earlier in the tournament, expect players to be ripping darts at the pins and getting those birdies while the getting is good. Regardless, players will need to be dialed in with their irons in order to set themselves up for success on the greens. A hot putter always trumps all when it comes down to that pay window on Sunday, but the players who score well on poa annua greens will also have a distinct edge coming down the stretch. Be prepared for the unexpected, as this event has produced a variety of different types of winners in its brief existence: long bombers, short hitters, rising stars, veterans. This course doesn’t really favor one specific subset of the sport. Strap in and look for all sorts of interesting stories on the leaderboard all week long.
The Rocket Classic is a younger event on tour, with the first edition taking place in 2019. Despite its lack of history, many of the tour’s best play here year after year, looking to make their own history in this event. Some of the highlights in the field this week include Keegan Bradley, Patrick Cantlay, Ben Griffin, Hideki Matsuyama, Collin Morikawa and Cameron Young, as well as rising stars like Akshay Bhatia, Luke Clanton, Chris Gotterup, Max Greyserman, Harry Hall and Davis Thompson, just to name a few.
Cameron Davis is the only player to win this event more than once, finding victory here in both 2021 and 2024. The remaining winners? Bryson DeChambeau, Tony Finau, Rickie Fowler and Nate Lashley. That’s it. That’s the whole list.
Last year’s edition was won by Cameron Davis, who posted a tidy score of 70 in the final round to hold off a quartet of players by one stroke. Akshay Bhatia, Min Woo Lee, Aaron Rai and Davis Thompson all finished T-2, one stroke behind Davis.
Collin Morikawa is my player to fade. I have to go against the grain and say he won’t be doing much at this event. His game has struggled and he hasn’t seen a top 10 in a long stream of events. His putting was awful at the U.S. Open, and he just doesn’t seem to have the groove needed for this event. So many people are looking at his second place finish at this course a few years back, but if your whole game isn’t in the pocket, it doesn’t matter where you play. Doesn’t seem promising for him here.
Gary Woodland is my dark horse. I think a lot of people overlook him because he is somewhat inconsistent, but that’s how I know he is due. He has had a few rough events in a row and then made the cut last week. I could see him turning it on based on his strength with his driver. This course requires discipline off the tee and he has that. He just needs to stay calm and make sure he isn’t over thinking the week. We have seen him play some solid golf, so why not here at the Rocket?
Patrick Cantlay should easily slip into the top-10 this week. His iron play is solid and he is a favorite for this event. He is a personable favorite. For this event, a lot of people see him winning and while his game is solid, I don’t see a win here. He should have no problem with his game and feeling good going into this week.
Cameron Young is my pick to win this week. He has had a great track record at this event, not to mention. He has finished top 4 in his last few starts on tour, and I feel like his confidence is solid right now. No better time to win an event when you are playing well and have played well on this course already. His career could make a move this week.
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