Rocket Classic Betting Preview

Detroit, Michigan
Detroit Golf Club - Par 70 - 7,328 yards
Field - 147 entrants
Purse - $10M

We've reached the eighth and final edition of the Rocket Classic, and a $16 million renovation to Detroit Golf Club has enticed a relatively strong field to peg it in Michigan at the PGA Tour's penultimate event of the 2026 regular season, highlighted by tournament favorites Cameron Young, Xander Schauffele, Chris Gotterup and Wyndham Clark. While players near the various FedExCup bubbles posture for potentially career-altering playoff positioning, this 7,328-yard layout will encourage bombers to launch it off the tee in order to help reduce the amount of long irons that'd otherwise be required into newly elevated putting surfaces. Expect less of a birdie fest than years past due to the scorecard's reduction from a par 72 to a par 70, but I doubt it plays much harder from a total strokes perspective.

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook as of 2:30 PM ET Wednesday

Rocket Classic Bets: Outright Picks

Ben Griffin (29-1)

Griffin's outright price doesn't seem so bad when you peek a few spots higher at a 23-1 Patrick Cantlay, who hasn't won anywhere in nearly four entire years. A three-time champion on the PGA Tour in 2025, Griffin's 2026 campaign has been much quieter, though he's gained at least 1.43 strokes on approach in four consecutive starts dating back to a top-20 effort at the U.S. Open, and he's ninth in SG: Tee-to-Green over these past 16 rounds. Griffin tied for 13th at last year's Rocket Classic when he carded just three total bogeys across 72 holes.

Jake Knapp (33-1)

I'm comfortable leaning into injury risk in a market that pays out the same amount to second place as it does for a WD or a missed cut, while Knapp presents enough of a ceiling case to target this mid-30s outright number. Knapp's return from a thumb issue wasn't pretty for a few weeks, but he finally shook off the rust with a top-15 result at last week's 3M Open where he ranked fourth in SG: Ballstriking, sixth in percentage of 320-plus yard drives and seventh in par-4 scoring. He closed out his week at TPC Twin Cities with a nine-under 62 on Sunday, and Knapp tied for fourth here in Detroit last year.

Rocket Classic Bets: Top-10 Wagers

Davis Thompson (+570)

Ranking second to only 3M Open champion Jackson Koivun in SG: Ballstriking last week, Thompson actually paced the field in fairway proximity while hitting 60 total GIR en route to a T7 finish in Minnesota. He's gained an average of 1.233 strokes on approach per round over his past three starts, which is like prime Scheffler territory, albeit a much smaller sample. Thompson is 4-for-4 in cuts made throughout his career at Detroit Golf Club, highlighted by a T2 here in 2024 when he led the event in par-5 scoring by three shots.

Jackson Suber (+730)

Suber placed T6 or better in three of six outings from THE CJ CUP Byron Nelson through the John Deere Classic, but a missed cut at TPC Twin Cities lends us a discounted cost on Suber in Detroit where he tied for sixth during his 2025 Rocket Classic debut. Despite the early trunk slam at the 3M Open, Suber still managed to gain 2.8 strokes on approach in just 36 holes, and he's fifth in SG: T2G over his last 30 rounds.

Rocket Classic Bets: Top-20 Wagers

Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen (+355)

The Dane's driver impresses on a weekly basis, and he just led the 3M Open in SG: Off-the-Tee while ascending to fifth in this metric over his last 24 rounds. Neergaard-Petersen's driving skillset will be rewarded at a venue like Detroit Golf Club, and he's gone eight straight worldwide starts without a missed cut.

Johnny Keefer (+370)

Keefer rebounded from a first-round 76 at the 3M Open by firing a five-under 66 on Friday when he paced the field in total feet of putts made on the way to seven birdies, though it wasn't quite enough to make the weekend. Nevertheless, Keefer has made massive strides with his short game since a T3 at the Genesis Scottish Open, and he's third in SG: Ballstriking over his last 36 rounds. Similarly to the aforementioned Suber, we can take advantage of these post-MC discounts.

Rocket Classic Bets: Tournament Matchup

Michael Brennan (-118) over Jordan Spieth

I view Brennan as a significant favorite in the recent form and course fit departments over Spieth, who seems completely broken after a MC-T56-T66-T58-MC stretch from the Memorial Tournament to The Open Championship. They're both Rocket Classic debutants, but Brennan just notched a top-25 finish at TPC Twin Cities where he ranked first in ball speed and eighth in SG: Ballstriking.

Rocket Classic Bets: First Round Leader

William Mouw (96-1)

Although there are only two on the scorecard this week, Mouw absolutely dominates par-5s, and he should be able to take advantage of an early Thursday AM tee time after gaining 6.1 strokes with his ball striking across just 36 holes last week in Minnesota. He ranks top-20 in scoring opportunities inside 15 feet over his past 24 rounds, residing fourth in SG: APP within this same frame. He finished top-10 in both driving distance and GIR percentage at last year's Rocket Classic.

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