Rocket Classic Preview
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Course Description
Weather
Custom Model
Ownership
DFS Picks
Betting Picks
Rocket Classic
Detroit Golf Club (North Course) / Detroit, MI
Tournament Preview
The 2025 Rocket Classic, a PGA Tour event, takes place from June 25-29 at the historic Detroit Golf Club in Detroit, Michigan. Below is a detailed description of the course and the tournament, based on available information.
Course Description: Detroit Golf Club (North Course)
Location: 17911 Hamilton Road, Detroit, MI 48203
Designer: Donald Ross, originally designed in 1916
Layout: Par 72, 6,936 yards
Course Features:
Overview: The North Course, used for the Rocket Classic, is a classic Donald Ross design that leverages the natural, relatively flat terrain, lined with trees, emphasizing precision off the tee. It blends strategic design with scenic beauty, featuring a mix of short and long holes, water hazards, and strategically placed bunkers.
Signature Holes:
Hole 15 (Par-3): Known for its challenging green, this hole plays a decisive role in tournament outcomes due to its length (180-233 yards) and complex green with a front bowl.
Hole 18 (Par-4): A dramatic finishing hole with a shallow ditch running its length, a fairway bunker, a large sycamore tree on the left, and bunkers on the right. Accuracy is critical for a short iron approach to the green.
Area 313 (Holes 14-16): A highlight of the course, comprising a par-5 (14th), par-3 (15th), and par-4 (16th). If a player scores an eagle, hole-in-one, and birdie on these holes (3-1-3), a $313,000 donation is made to bridge Detroit’s digital divide.
Key Characteristics:
The course rewards accuracy over distance, with tree-lined fairways and greens that demand precise approach shots. For example, Hole 2 requires avoiding out-of-bounds and bunkers, while Hole 3 (from the South Course) has a green with significant back-to-front slope.
The par-5 14th is a risk-reward hole, reachable in two for long hitters, guarded by water and a two-tiered green.
Bunkers and subtle green contours, typical of Ross designs, challenge players’ short games and putting.
Condition: The course is meticulously prepared, with crews perfecting greens and fairways. After the 2025 tournament, a $16 million restoration led by architect Tyler Rae will begin, removing over 100 trees, adding native grasses, ditches, and bunkers, and enlarging greens. This will be the last tournament on the course in its current form.
Historical Note: The course retains historical elements, like an oak on Hole 1 bent by Native Americans to mark a trail, commemorated with a bronze tablet.
Tournament Description: 2025 Rocket Classic
Dates: June 25-29, 2025
Venue: Detroit Golf Club, North Course
Purse: $9.6 million, with the winner earning $1.728 million and a trophy designed by artist Brian DuBois, featuring a torch-like design with the Rocket logo and a base depicting Detroit’s city layout.
Field: 156 players, including:
Notable Players: 10 major championship winners, 12 players in the top 50 of the Official World Golf Ranking, and 67 PGA TOUR winners with 195 career victories. Key names include:
Collin Morikawa (No. 4, 2020 PGA, 2021 Open Champion, T2 in 2023 Rocket Classic)
Hideki Matsuyama (No. 11, 2021 Masters)
Keegan Bradley (No. 21, 2011 PGA, 2025 U.S. Ryder Cup captain)
Wyndham Clark (No. 27, 2023 U.S. Open)
Tony Finau (No. 43, 2022 Rocket Classic winner)
Cameron Davis (two-time winner, 2021, 2024)
Rickie Fowler (2023 winner, tournament ambassador)
Nate Lashley (2019 winner)
Patrick Cantlay (No. 16), Max Homa, Min Woo Lee, Tom Kim, Aaron Rai, and others
Weather
I think there is a chance that the start could get delayed. Currently the first wave of golfers is set to go off at 6:45 EST on Thursday, but there is looking to be some rain and high winds expected. This is an early projection, so things could change. If this holds and they play through it, the afternoon wave will get about a 3-6 hole advantage of playing in no rain or wind. Pretty much once that rain stops, the winds die down and it will be great playing conditions the rest of the day barring another rain shower that shouldn’t stop play. After that, the only day that is showing some teeth is Friday with some strong winds and it is going to be a scorcher. This course will be playing fairly firm and fast once the moisture dries out from the rain which should happen quickly. I think from everything I see, there is a slight PM/AM advantage since on Friday they will get to go out when it is around 75-80 and not lower 90 degree weather. They will have a much easier time holding the greens even with this being a wedge fest type of tournament. The weekend looks like prime scoring conditions, so I fully expect this to be a birdie fest once again.
Custom Model
Model Values (Last 36 Rounds):
wSG:Approach: 15%
wSG:Putting: 10%
SG:Total 2+: 6%
SG:Total 3+: 4%
Birdie or Better %: 15%
Driving Distance: 15%
Approach from 50-75: 7%
Approach from 75-100: 7%
Approach from 100-125: 6%
Par 5 Scoring: 5%
SG:Detroit Golf Club: 10%
Ownership and Picks
High Ownership Options (By Price Range):
$10,000+
a) Patrick Cantlay ($10,200)
b) Keegan Bradley ($10,400)
$9,000
a) Ben Griffin ($9,800)
b) Cameron Young ($9,300)
$8,000
a) Matt Fitzpatrick ($8,400)
b) Davis Thompson ($8,100)
$7,000
a) Cameron Davis ($7,400)
b) Stephen Jaeger ($7,700)
$6,000
a) Sami Valimaki ($6,700)
b) Adam Hadwin ($6,800)
Favorite Golfers:
Patrick Cantlay ($10,200): Personally, I might just fade this $10,000 range just based on the fact that none of them are the best molds for this golf course and the field strength is oddly a bit stronger than most want to think. If I were forced to pick, I am taking Cantlay here. He played here once in 2022 and picked up a T2 finish which makes me think he likes the course. He scores well on the Par 5s and is long enough to keep it a wedge game which will allow him to show off his strong SG:Approach ability. My reasoning for not going Keegan is I don’t trust him to come to a non-elevated event after picking up a win and take it seriously. Yes he is probably the one in the best form and “fit” for this course, but I am not privy to taking a guy the week following a win unless they are in the Scottie/Rory/Xander tier.
Cameron Young ($9,300): I don’t like chasing the chalk, but if there was ever a course fit for Cam Young, it would be this one. It asks you to hit it far, have strong wedge play and make your putts. He is top 5 in the field in Driving Distance and Putting with his wedges also being a strong suit. His long irons are what typically hold him back a bit, but he is 6th in this field in Par 5 scoring so he has to be doing something right. All in all, I think you can play him with confidence with the form he has coming in. Just get different in the other spots which with how spread out ownership is this week that won’t be too tough of a task.
Wyndham Clark ($8,600): I can’t believe I am saying this, but Mr. “I vandalize locker rooms” looks very nice for this week. He is coming off of a solid Travelers where he gained across the bag and his two times coming to Detroit Golf Club results in two top 20 finishes, including a T8 in 2022. He hits it far, is top 25 in Birdie or Better % and scores well on the Par 5s. He came out and said “I just want to put the US Open behind me”. Well the only thing doing that would be a win and it would go a very long way towards possibly being a Ryder Cup selection this year. He is middle of the pack in ownership for this range, so he is going a bit overlooked and he has the top end talent to possibly win in this field.
Nicolai Hojgaard ($7,600): Outside of his T8 at Mexico (which is a comp course for this week) and T2 in a duo tournament for the Zurich, he hasn’t been good. Because of those things, he is coming in at 4% ownership for this week. What does he do well? He hits it a mile, picks up a lot of birdies and has a relatively strong wedge game. This course asks for exactly those things. He is actually top 50 in this field in wSG:Putting so he if he can just figure out these greens then I think he has a chance at really shining this week. This price range is huge with over 40 golfers in it, so there might be a few other diamonds in the rough that also play well around him. I just think this is the perfect stop for him to put together a strong showing to finish out the season on a high note.
Jeremy Paul ($6,700): We are going way deep in the bag on this one because the $6,000 range is genuinely putrid this week. You don’t have anyone projected for over 5% ownership, so you could avoid it completely and be fine. For that reason, I kind of want to give a name that the data highlights in a positive way and if he does pop I can probably be the only one in the industry to have said his name. Paul is coming off of a T18 at the Canadian Open where he gained across the bag. The raw data over the last 36 rounds has him in the top 35 in this field for all of Driving Distance, Par 5 Scoring, Birdie or Better % and wSG:Putting. That is all I need to see. He is streaky, but he does seem to shine in some of these weaker field events and the course seems to fit his strengths. I think he has a shot at turning some heads this week if that data can be reflective.
Best Bets
All bets are based on odds from Draftkings Sportsbook
R1 Luke Clanton vs. Ryan Gerard, Clanton (-115): This is a case of looking at where some of these matchups landed in my course fit model. Clanton is 15th for me with strong Driving Distance and Birdie or Better numbers. He is also a fairly strong on approach which will be helpful this week. Gerard is 75th and is outside the top 90 in both Driving Distance and Birdie or Better % while also being 88th in Par 5 scoring which is a must here. I just think there are big discrepancies in how they find success and Clanton’s is much more in line with what Detroit Golf Club asks of you.
Ben Griffin Top 20 (+125): It is safe to say that Ben Griffin has unlocked a whole new part of his game over the last few months and specifically has gained across the bag in each of the last 5 tournaments he has played in (all being top 15 finishes). Now he comes to a course that he is 2nd in model for fit in a weaker field than some of his recent tournaments. I think he is a very safe bet to finish top 20 at plus money given he is still looking to solidify himself as selection for the Ryder Cup. Picking up another strong finish might do just that.
Outright Winner Bet: Cameron Young +2800, Wyndham Clark +4000
