This article is part of our Yahoo PGA DFS Picks series.
Rocket Classic
Detroit, Michigan
Detroit Golf Club - Par 72 - 7,370 yards
Field - 156 entrants
Purse - $9.6M
The Preview
Plunging into just the seventh edition of the Rocket Classic hosted by Detroit Golf Club, 156 players head to the flattest course on Tour where minimal elevation change combines with favorable scoring conditions to produce what we like to call a "birdie fest," especially if the current forecast for minimal wind holds throughout the weekend. Four of the event's first six champions reached the 23-under-par mark as triumphant bombers like Bryson DeChambeau have let it fly off the tee in Detroit where driving distance is generally rewarded, but par-breaking opportunities are converted on the greens, with SG: Putting having the highest correlation to success in what usually becomes a flat-stick contest. Half of Detroit Golf Club's 18 holes lend a birdie rate north of 20 percent while approach shots are most prevalent from the shorter 50-150 yard range on the par-4s, which helps explain the inflated GIR percentages despite some pretty small greens.
Recent Champions
2024 - Cam Davis
2023 - Rickie Fowler
2022 - Tony Finau
2021 - Cam Davis
2020 - Bryson DeChambeau
2019 - Nate Lashley
Key Stats to Victory
SG: Approach
Birdie or Better Percentage
SG: Putting
Par-5 Scoring
Yahoo Value Picks
Based on $200 salary cap
Cream of the Crop
Patrick Cantlay - $44
Cantlay notched his eighth consecutive Travelers Championship top-15 last week in Connecticut, and although a much smaller course history sample follows him to Detroit Golf Club, he tied for second here in 2022 when he gained nine strokes from tee to green and another 4.6 strokes with the flat stick. Although he's posted just one top-10 result since the beginning of March, Cantlay has gained strokes off the tee in nine straight starts, and he's No. 1 in proximity from 125-150 yards over his last 24 rounds as well.
Ben Griffin - $44
The only player in this field to rank top-12 in both SG: OTT and SG: Approach over their last 24 rounds, Griffin also has gained an average of 3.9 strokes putting per event throughout his current run of five consecutive top-15s dating back to the PGA Championship. He should be a popular click despite his career-high $44 Yahoo salary.
Glue Guys
Cameron Young - $37
All the names in the $38 to $43 range are overpriced, and that's where Young's salary should've landed, so expect plenty of ownership to accumulate on someone who's previously placed T6-T2 here at Detroit Golf Club since 2022. He brings a scorching-hot putter to this year's edition, and Young is No. 1 in P5: 550-600 Efficiency over his past 24 rounds.
Keith Mitchell - $33
In the past we'd laugh at the thought of targeting Mitchell in a putting contest, but he recently gained strokes with the flat stick in six straight outings from the Valspar Championship through the Charles Schwab Challenge. He'll be able to pound driver all over the place in Detroit, and over his last 24 rounds, Mitchell is first in Birdies or Better Gained and seventh in Par-5 Efficiency.
Harry Hall - $30
The $30 salary is a major miscalculation on Hall compared to his value everywhere else in the betting/DFS market, so he figures to be an especially common building block in Yahoo lineups this week. Not only is the Englishman the best putter in the field, but he's also gained strokes from tee to green in eight consecutive starts dating back to the Valspar Championship.
Bargain Bin
Luke Clanton - $27
Clanton rebounded from a missed cut in his professional debut at the RBC Canadian Open by tying for 34th at the Travelers Championship last week, where he ranked 14th among the field in SG: Putting and 18th in SG: Approach. He's third in Birdies or Better Gained over his last 24 rounds on the PGA Tour, and Clanton is severely underpriced at just $27.
Emiliano Grillo - $24
Second to none in both SG: APP and Prox: 75-100 over his last 24 rounds, Grillo placed top-25 in four of his last five starts dating back to the Valero Texas Open. He's also provided several pretty significant spike weeks with the putter since late March, so there's reason to believe he can contend in an easier event like the Rocket Classic.
Chris Gotterup - $20
On the one hand, Gotterup's putter is a concern at Detroit Golf Club, but on the other hand, his lack of accuracy off the tee is not detrimental here, and his extreme power can yield more eagle and birdie chances than we typically see from a minimum-salaried talent. Questionable wedge play and putting might cap his ceiling on the actual leaderboard, but from a DFS scoring perspective in GPPs, a $20 Gotterup is worth the risk in exchange for access to plenty of par-breaker outs.
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