Rocket Mortgage Classic: Matsuyama to Mash up Rivals

• This is the fifth edition of the tournament
• Birdies are required in bunches to succeed at Detroit GC 
• Tony Finau returns to defend the title he won by five in 2022

Rocket Mortgage Classic Odds

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Rocket Mortgage Classic Picks and Predictions

• Hideki Matsuyama each-way at +1800 (1/5 1-8) with bet365

• Brandon Wu to beat Beau Hossler over 72 holes at -110 DraftKings Sportsbook

• Harry Hall for a Top 20 at +425 with bet365

Rocket Mortgage Classic Intro

The Rocket Mortgage Classic is one of the newer events on the PGA Tour and was first contested in 2019.

A short hitter, Nate Lashley, took the trophy in that inaugural edition. And then some. His victory margin was six.

But bombers have landed the last three editions.

Bryson DeChambeau won by three in 2020, Aussie Cam Davis ousted Troy Merritt and Joaquin Niemann in a playoff in 2021 while Tony Finau shot a tournament-record 26-under last year to win by five.

As at last week’s Travelers Championship where Keegan Bradley won with 23-under, the birdie count will need to be high.

Bradley bids to go back-to-back and is +2800 to triumph on a course where he’s 3-for-3 with a best of tied 14th in 2021.

In a wide-open betting heat, the top eight in the betting are priced from +1200 to +2000.   

Rocket Mortgage Classic Winners

Detroit Golf Club Course Notes

• Detroit Golf Club is a par 72 measuring 7,370 yards from the tips
• The two courses on the property were designed by Donald Ross
• 17 holes are used from the North Course and one from the South
• The tournament only came onto the schedule in 2019
• Winning scores are low: -26, -18, -23, -25  
• The greens are a mix of Poa Annua and bentgrass
• Strokes Gained Putting has been a key metric here
• Storms caused the course to be closed on Monday

Favorites to win the 2023 Rocket Mortgage Classic

Rickie Fowler (+1200)

Fowler is creating all sorts of headlines right now but, crucially, not yet on Sunday. He was the first-round leader at the US Open after matching the lowest score (62) in the history of the Majors while he torched a Saturday 60 when 13th at last week’s Travelers Championship, Fowler’s seventh top 15 in the last eight starts. He owns course form here of MC-32-12-46. 

Tony Finau (+1200)

Finau arrived here 12 months ago on a roll having just won the 3M Classic and made it back-to-back wins by storming to a five-shot win. He’s since added further PGA Tour titles in Houston and Mexico although his very recent form is more subdued: no top 20s in his last five starts. 

Collin Morikawa (+1600)

It’s not often that a player shoots a second-round 63 and misses the cut but that fate befell Morikawa last week at the Travelers. An opening 74 was to blame. Prior to that, he’d made light of recent back issues to finish tied 15th in the US Open. This is his Rocket Mortgage Classic debut.

Make it Matsuyama  

Hideki Matsuyama has won two of his eight PGA Tour titles with scores of 23-under.

That includes his most recent win, the 2022 Sony Open, when he ripped up the course on the weekend with a pair of 63s.

In other words, he can definitely handle a birdie-fest.

He racked up the red circles again at last week’s Travelers Championship and twirled laps of 64, 65 and 66 over the final 54 holes.

With eight straight finishes of tied 32nd or better - a run that includes five top 20s - he looks ready to put in a title challenge again.

The 2021 Masters champion has a 13th and a 21st in his three starts here so let’s take the Japanese star at +1800 at bet365, selecting the each-way place terms of 1/5 1-8. 

Wu to Outscore Hossler

We’re on a Donald Ross course this week and that’s good news for Brandon Wu.

The Stanford grad was 30th on his tournament debut here last year while two of his other three starts on Ross tracks show eighth in last year’s Wyndham Championship at Sedgefield and 10th in the Korn Ferry’s Knoxville Open at Holston Hills.

He’s been somewhat hit-and-miss in recent weeks and months but results show he’s better in more modest fields.

Wu was ninth in the Canadian Open earlier this month while going further back he placed third in the Mexico Open and was runner-up at Pebble Beach.

Beau Hossler is his rival in a 72-hole match bet but Wu looks the bet in DraftKings’ -110 pick ‘em. Read our golf betting guide to learn everything you need to know on how to bet on golf.

Hossler has modest course form of MC-MC-55-69 and also went home after 36 holes at last week’s Travelers Championship.

And with scoring set to be low, Wu is 24th in Birdie Average this season compared to Hossler in 100th.

Hall to Land Top 20

If taking the idea that Strokes Gained Putting and Birdie Average are key metrics this week, Harry Hall comes into the crosshairs.

The 25-year-old Englishman ranks 6th for SGP and 18th for Birdies this season so looks to have the ideal game for his first look at Detroit GC.

Hall has four top 15s in his last 10 individual strokeplay events, including third at the Charles Schwab Challenge three starts ago.

On those numbers, he’s well worth a bet to finish in the Top 20 at +425 with bet365.   

How to Watch the Rocket Mortgage Classic

• Tournament: Rocket Mortgage Classic
• Location: Detroit Golf Club, Detroit, MI
• Date: THURSDAY JUNE 29 - SUNDAY JULY 02
• How to watch: THURSDAY-FRIDAY 3 p.m.-6 p.m. ET (Golf Channel). SATURDAY-SUNDAY 1 p.m-3 p.m. (Golf Channel), 3 p.m.-6 p.m. (CBS). And all four days on Sky Sports.