Rocket Mortgage Classic picks and best bets at Detroit Golf Club this week as we have an outright, Top 10 and more PGA Tour expert picks for golf.
Another designated event down, and now we're on to Detroit Golf Club for the 2023 Rocket Mortgage Classic, the venue where Tony Finau got white-hot a year ago and captured a victory as part of a back-to-back streak of wins for the big man. He's the favorite in the field this week, and perhaps he should be, but he won't be part of our Rocket Mortgage Classic picks this week.
Last week, we were close to having a huge week with our PGA Tour expert picks and best bets, even with Collin Morikawa missing the cut as our outright pick and with Tom Kim fading on Saturday to dismiss any chance of a Top 10 finish. We still ended up positive with +1.9 units for the week, but that could've been bigger had we not come painfully close to Austin Eckroat with a Top 20. We're going for that big week now with our PGA Tour expert picks at the Rocket Mortgage.
So who are we targeting? Driving distance is often a big factor, but we're also looking for players who can hit long irons and short wedges well too. The short game is a bit of something to look at with the putter but, as per usual, it's a secondary option for me when looking at the numbers.
With that, let's get into our Rocket Mortgage Classic picks for this week with a Top 10, outright and One and Done selection with our PGA Tour expert picks before filling out the rest of the card with our best bets.
Note: All odds are courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook unless otherwise noted. Odds will be updated when made available. For more betting picks and advice, check out BetSided.
Golf betting record in 2023 through Travelers: 39-100-2, +6.206 units (2-31 on outrights, 0.5 unit bets, 0.1 unit longshot bets | +1.9 units at Travelers)
One-and-Done record in 2023: $7,987,510.65 (Tom Kim at Travelers, $83,000)
PGA Tour expert picks for Rocket Mortgage Classic: Winner, Top 10, One and Done
Top 10 Pick for the Rocket Mortgage Classic: Ludvig Aberg (+450, DraftKings)
Still relatively fresh out of Texas Tech and the new Tour member off of PGA Tour U, Ludvig Aberg hasn't popped hugely yet, but he's shown up well with two Top 25 finishes under his belt. Now in Detroit this week against a weak-ish field, Aberg can show off his skill set as one of the best drivers of the golf ball in the world. If he hits it as well with his irons as he's capable of, he could not only cash a juicy Top 10 but also contend to win this week at the Rocket Mortgage.
Pick to Win the Rocket Mortgage Classic (0.5 Units): Justin Thomas (+1800)
This is wholly a zig when people are zagging move, though it might be a bit late. Justin Thomas finally showed something last week, finishing T9 in a low-scoring affair and finishing third in the field in Strokes Gained: Tee-to-Green for the week. Facing a real tricky situation in the FedExCup race, he needs to ramp it up. This should be another birdie-fest and I like a motivated JT's fit for this tournament and think this number in this field is still good value given some of the minor signs.
One and Done Pick for the Rocket Mortgage Classic: Ludvig Aberg
This play comes down to two things: First, I'm big on Aberg this week. Second, we're trying not to go too wild with a One and Done play with so few heavy-hitters left in the chamber for The Open Championship and the playoffs. As such, the young Swede feels like a nice compromise that could cash nicely for us.
Rocket Mortgage Classic picks and best bets
Austin Eckroat to finish Top 20 (+220, DraftKings)
We missed on Eckroat finishing Top 20 last week, but we're not afraid to go back to the well. He still hasn't finished worse than T30 in any of his last five starts with three T16 or better finishes over that span while gaining 1.30 strokes tee-to-green and gaining 0.6 strokes putting. The entire game is there for him right now. His lack of distance off the tee is my only concern, but I'm willing to bet on the entire game continuing to play in a weaker field this week after he was still T24 in the designated Travelers.
Carson Young to finish Top 30 (+260, DraftKings)
Carson Young is not a long-hitter off of the tee by any stretch, much like Eckroat. Also in the same vein, the rest of his game is too good for me to ignore at this point. Young continues to be a stud this year, finishing T15 last week, his fourth finish of T21 or better in his last seven starts dating back to the Mexico Open. With his putter working solidly and his approach game looking legitimately on the high-end of this field, I think a Top 30 is feasible pretty easily this week.
Gordon Sargent to finish Top 20 (+320, DraftKings)
Really honing in on some young players here, the thing everyone knows about Vanderbilt star Gordon Sargent is that he just hits the ball a ton off the tee but is also a fine approach player. The short game is the concern with him but that's less of a factor around this place. He's got a ton of game and was Top 40 at the US Open, so I like for a far better fit such as Detroit Golf Club to play to his strengths, mask his weaknesses, and allow for him to pop up with a great finish.
Longshot pick to win the Rocket Mortgage Classic (0.1 Units): Vincent Norrman (+12000)
One of the throughlines we've seen in Detroit in its brief history on the PGA Tour is that bombers who can spike with the approach game can have a lot of success here. That's Vincent Norrman to a tee. He's been one of the longest drivers on Tour this year and has been gaining on approach over the last 20 rounds as well. He's a dark horse, without question, but he's one with a ton of upside.
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