Summer on Tour is in full swing as the PGA pros head to Detroit for the 2023 Rocket Mortgage Classic. A total of 14 of the top 50 players in the world golf rankings tee it up at the Detroit Golf Club on Thursday. That includes No. 9 Max Homa, No. 18 Justin Thomas, No. 19 Collin Morikawa, No. 35 Rickie Fowler and defending champion, and No. 14 Tony Finau, who set the tournament record last year shooting 26-under par to win by five shots. Also, Keegan Bradley (18) moves into the top 20 after winning last week's Travelers Championship.
With wins by dark horse picks Max Homa in the'Farmers Insurance Open, Adam Svensson in the'RSM Classic,'and Matt Fitzpatrick in the'RBC Heritage, there are opportunities to cash in on other players behind the leading favorites. That includes a top-10 or top-20 finish like'dark horse'Jason Day at The Players Championship, Xander Schauffele at'The Masters,'Patrick Rodgers'(+300 for top 10) in Mexico, Tommy Fleetwood (+500 for top 5) at the Wells Fargo Championship, and Seamus Power top-20 at the AT&T Byron Nelson.
Rocket Mortgage Classic PGA Picks 2023
Beyond the favorites and top-ranked players with odds to win below +3000, there are plenty of capable longshots and dark horses that could make a run at the leaderboard and come away with a higher finish or victory on Sunday. After all, did you see Kurt Kitayama win the Arnold Palmer Invitational at 220/1 odds or greater and Wyndham Clark win both the Wells Fargo Championship and U.S. Open at 75/1?
Check out the 2023 Rocket Mortgage Classic'and preview, along with top finishing position odds, tournament matchups, and golf props on FanDuel Sportsbook.
1. Stephan Jaeger (+4100)
German Stephan Jaeger finished solo 5th here last year for his best-ever finish on Tour in more than 115 starts. His poor putting has held him back, but he's been much better gaining strokes in three of his last four events while finishing T-11 at Byron Nelson and top-25 against a stronger field at The Memorial. Over his last 24 rounds, Jaeger ranks top-10 in SG: Around-the-Green, Tee-to-Green, and top-15 in Approach.
2. Mark Hubbard (+6000)
Hubbard failed to fire last week and missed the cut. That only adds value, as he's top-10 on strokes gained Approach over his last 50 rounds and top-20 in Short Game and Putting. Since the end of May, the 34-year-old has a pair of top-10s. The short-hitting pro missed the cut here the last two years, but Hubbard finished T-12 here in 2020 while right in contention for his first PGA Tour win until a final round 72 dropped him back.
3. Chez Reavie (+8000)
Reavie was tied into the final round of last week's Travelers Championship before finishing T4. He ranks top-10 in this field in Birdies or Better Gained and Opportunities Gained and just had his b est week of putting since 2019. His iron play has been very solid, and over his last 50 rounds, Reavie is a strokes gained star, ranking top-10 across the board in Tee-to-Green, Ball Striking, Around-the-Green, Approach, and Total. The 41-year-old has missed the cut in two appearances at Detroit GC, but we'll bank on his form and strong stats to give him a chance to go low this week.
Honorable mention big bombs: Matt Wallace (+9000), Harry Hall (+10000), Chesson Hadley (+32000)