Rocket Classic
Course: Detroit Golf Club (7,328 yards, par 70)
Purse: $10,000,000
Winner: $1,808,000 and 500 FedExCup Points
Tournament Preview
The final edition of the Rocket Classic is set to go out with a bang. With Rocket electing not to renew their contract for 2027, this year will mark the eighth and final year of the event held at Detroit Golf Club, but it will be the best field they have ever had. 10 of the Top 25 in the OWGR are here there week led by a quartet of Top 10 players in Cameron Young (3rd), Russell Henley (5th), Chris Gotterup (7th) and Wyndham Clark (9th). 21-year-old phenom Jackson Koivun will also be in the field after holding off World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler last week at the 3M Open.
The race to the FedExCup Playoffs is really starting to come into focus. With the victory, Koivun vaults up to 70th in the FedExCup standings, right on the cutoff to make the playoffs. The Rocket Classic and next week's Wyndham Championship will be the final two events of the regular season before that Top 70 cutoff is made. Plenty of players in this field are also trying to make sure they are in the Top 50, not just to get into the BMW Championship, but also to ensure they will have a spot at all the Signature Events in 2027. Getting into all of those events will give players the best opportunity at making the Championship Series when there is a strict two-track split between the top and bottom of the PGA Tour membership in the new competitive model set for 2028.
The Detroit Golf Club has played host to the Rocket Classic every year since its debut in 2019. Birdie and eagles have become common place at this event over the years, but a lot of effort was put in since the last edition of the Rocket Classic to restore this golf course back to the original Donald Ross design. Tyler Rae led the restoration process and the golf course is expected to have some more teeth for the 2026 edition. The course will now play as a par 70 instead of a par 72, with the two easiest par-5s both being converted into long par-4s. Bunkers were also added and enlarged across the property, increasing the difficulty mainly of the green complexes. The greens will also feature more defined sections and give the setup team more options for hole locations. While Rocket is going away as a sponsor, the investment of the golf course signifies that they might want to find a place on the PGA Tour schedule long term with a new partner.
The midwest has been dealing with a heat wave over the last week, and that should somewhat continue into this week's tournament. After a very hot opening two rounds, temperatures will cool slightly on the weekend and we might also see some precipitation fall to soften some of these brand new greens that should be pretty bouncy. Wind is not expected to be a huge factor this tournament.
Recent Champions
2025 - Aldrich Potgieter (-22)
2024 - Cam Davis (-18)
2023 - Rickie Fowler (-24)
2022 - Tony Finau (-26)
2021 - Cam Davis (-18)
2020 - Bryson DeChambeau (-23)
2019 - Nate Lashley (-25)
Key Stats to Victory
- SG: Approach/GIR Percentage
- SG: Off-the-Tee/Driving Distance
- SG: Putting/Putting Inside 10 Feet
- Proximity 175-225 Yards/Total Driving
Champion's Profile
Detroit Golf Club got the reputation as a bomber's paradise in past years. The fairways were pretty spacious and the rough wasn't much of an issue. While distance is still going to be an advantage, especially with the number of lengthy par-4s on the card, playing from the fairway will be key as well. New greens are typically pretty firm that first year or two, so getting as much spin as you can on these long approach shots will be necessary to hold balls on the putting surface. The greens are also more elevated that before, making the penalty for missing on approach a little more severe.
Iron play should rule the day. SG: Approach, GIR percentage and Proximity in the 175-225 range will be the biggest keys for me this week. Given the more dynamic shaping of some of the putting surfaces, the hole locations are expected to be a little trickier to get the ball close than in the past. Putting should be a relatively moderate factor too. While typically in tournaments where a lot of birdies are made you need to be rolling the ball well, these greens are also going to be brand new for everyone. Reading them might be a bit of a challenge and the poa in them might make it a little bumpier in Year 1.
Overall, I will be targeting the top ball strikers in the field this week, with distance being and a hot putter being an added bonus.
FanDuel Value Picks
The Chalk
Cameron Young ($12,600)
Young was the top player in my model this week thanks to his stellar ball striking and strong course history. THE PLAYERS Champion scored a T2 here in 2022 and a T6 in 2024 at Detroit Golf Club. He ranks No. 1 in the field in SG: Ball Striking over the last 12 months and is No. 2 in total driving over the same timespan. His ability to play these long par-4s well will certainly help him after this latest restoration of the golf course. Expect Young to be very motivated after coming up a shot shy at the Open Championship.
Wyndham Clark ($11,600)
Clark brings nice value here in the middle of the $11K range. He is a great fit for this golf course as a bomber who has really improved with his irons and is red hot with the putter. Clark is No. 1 in SG: Putting over his last 20 rounds and is No. 1 in SG: Par 4 over the last three months. Prior to that missed cut at Birkdale he was playing better than anyone in the world. Clark also has a pair of top-20s in three starts at Detroit Golf Club.
Jake Knapp ($10,600)
Knapp is not a player you want to be late on, and this seems like a great spot to fire him up. After a 14-even stretch where he racked up nine finishes of T11 or better, Knapp has struggled to come back from a left thumb injury. Last Sunday he showed flashes of that player shooting a 28 on the back-nine to card a 62 and soar into a T13 at the 3M Open. That week he ranked third in SG: Approach and fourth in driving distance, a great combination for Detroit Golf Club where he finished T4 last year, just one shot out of joining a playoff.
The Middle Tier
J.J. Spaun ($10,500)
Spaun has been the best iron player in this field over the last six months and should be a great fit for this golf course where he has gone 6-for-6 in his career with a trio of top-15 finishes. If you throw out the majors, Spaun has been on a heater the last few months. He has scored six top-15 finishes in his last eight non-major starts. Spaun also ranks third in this field in SG: Ball Striking over the last 12 months.
Davis Thompson ($9,700)
Thompson was going through a bit of a rough stretch before he found it with a T7 finish at the 3M Open. He ranked inside the top-6 in SG: Off-the-Tee, SG: Approach and GIR percentage for the week. That is much more the level of ball striking that we are familiar with. Thompson is No. 1 in this field in SG: Total on Donald Ross courses over the last three years. He has never missed a cut in four tries at Detroit Golf Club, including a T2 back in 2024.
Ben Kohles ($9,400)
Kohles shot up in price this week on FanDuel, but still ranks inside the top 10 in my model giving him solid value. Kohles finished ninth at the 3M Open with a 70 in the final round, but ranked second in SG: Approach, T3 in driving accuracy and eighth in scrambling. He is fourth in SG: Ball Striking over the last 12 months and top 5 in virtually every approach metric I used. Kohles has been on a run with seven straight finishes of T29 or better across two different tours.
The Long Shots
Chris Kirk ($8,200)
Kirk has not yet finished top 25 in 2026, but this would be the perfect place for him to do so. He has gone 6-for-6 with 5 top-25 finishes in his career at Detroit Golf Club. The iron play has been trending upwards as he ranks 11th in this field in SG: Approach over the last 20 rounds. Kirk is also top 15 in SG: Total on Donald Ross courses over the last three years. The putting has given him the biggest issue this season, but these new greens should mitigate some of that loss this week.
Zac Blair ($8,100)
Blair was a player I was high on last week and he is once again popping in models. He will be looking for his fourth straight top-15 finish on the PGA Tour. While Blair is on the shorter end, he is very accurate off the tee and No. 1 in approach proximity from 200+ yards. He also is No. 2 in SG: Putting over his last 20 rounds and No. 1 in scrambling over the last six months. A lot of high rankings in key areas for a player that sits this far down the board.
William Mouw ($7,900)
Mouw missed the cut last week due to a terrible putting performance, but should be in for a solid bounce back on brand new greens in Detroit. Mouw is one of the best ball strikers in this field ranking fifth in total driving this season and fifth in SG: Approach over his last 20 rounds. Prior to that missed cut in Minnesota, Mouw has finished T26 or better in three of four starts. He ranked fourth in SG: Off-the-Tee and T5 in GIR's last year at Detroit Golf Club.
Strategy Tips This Week
Based on a Standard $60K Salary Cap
There's a much different feel this week with the pricing with Scottie Scheffler not being in the field. Everything is a lot more condensed and the field in Detroit is a little deeper as well. It lends itself to a lot of different build options. My favorite builds have been taking one player from the $12K, $11K and $10K ranges then figuring out the rest from there. It feels like a lot of noise in the $9K range from players who shouldn't be that high, while the low $8K range features a handful of players who quite honestly are better course fits. On a course with new greens, we should always lean towards the ball strikers than the putters.
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