The Rocket Mortgage Classic is the next event set to get underway on the PGA Tour circuit. It’s the fifth annual edition of the RMC, held at Detroit Golf Club in Detroit, Michigan. The course has yielded red scorecards galore since its inception in 2019 when Nate Lashley set a first-round course record at -9-under-par en route to his -25-under-par victory at the inaugural RMC.
Last year, Tony Finau scorched the entire course, going -26-under-par to beat Lashley’s 2019 record by one stroke. Again, Finau leads the field at 12/1 odds for his current outright value. Still, his inconsistency in the last five events following his outright win at the Mexico Open makes him a risky favorite to pursue. Rickie Fowler, Hideki Matsuyama, Justin Thomas, and Max Homa round out the top five outright betting favorites at DraftKings Sportsbook, ranging from +1400 to +1800.
It’s a relatively deep field despite the absence of World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler and World No. 2 Jon Rahm. Tom Kim and Cameron Young flashed in certain rounds at the 2022 RMC, plus Keegan Bradley is fresh off of a dominant -26-under-par outright win at Travelers. Sungjae Im is certainly a force with his irons. Cam Davis has been quietly producing quality, albeit inconsistent, finishes, returning to the only event he has won during his four years on the PGA Tour. Let’s explore the current outright betting odds, followed by previous winners, a few relevant betting stats, and an in-depth Detroit Golf Club course layout.
We’ll finish with my top players to target for outright betting tickets and explain why each one is worth wagering on ahead of Thursday’s opening round from the 2023 Rocket Mortgage Classic.
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Rocket Mortgage Betting Odds
2023 Rocket Mortgage Classic Betting Preview
Previous Winners
- 2022 - Tony Finau (-26)
- 2021 - Cam Davis (-18)
- 2020 - Bryson DeChambeau (-23)
- 2019 - Nate Lashley (-25)
Relevant Betting Stats
- Strokes Gained Tee-to-Green
- Strokes Gained Off-the-Tee
- Driving Accuracy percentage
- Strokes Gained Putting
- Birdie Average
- Scrambling
Course Layout
Detroit Golf Club is a Donald Ross design, playing as a par 72 that runs just under 7,400 yards. This is the first time in several PGA Tour events that four par 5 holes will be featured throughout the course, each running various lengths, including the 635-yard fourth hole. Narrow fairways with undulations are the main challenge to overcome at Detroit GC, as the greens are slightly under average in size but tend to cede plenty of birdies and eagles.
The tree-lined, doglegged fairways will create challenging lies with errant tee shots, while there are much fewer water hazards than we saw at TPC River Highlands. Greens have been modified recently to increase the pace of putting velocity, but Tony Finau and four other golfers netted -20-under-par or lower on their final scorecard last year. Accuracy off the tee will be huge, along with strokes gained off-the-tee, tee-to-green, and of course, strokes gained putting. Players who can hit greens in regulation while sinking putts on their first attempt is the specific skillset to target when competing at Detroit Golf Club.
Top Players To Bet For Outright Rocket Mortgage Classic Winner
Hideki Matsuyama (+1600) (Bet $100 to collect $1,700) Get the best Hideki Matsuyama odds at DraftKings
Any time we’ve seen Hideki Matsuyama at the RMC, he’s been solid, excluding his withdrawal after the first round in 2021. The Japanese native has been heating up lately, recording two T20 finishes in two of his previous three events played. Matsuyama is ranked 14th in strokes gained tee-to-green, 21st in approaching the green, eighth around the green, and eighth in scrambling. His putter has been a weak point in his game this season, but Matsuyama is rounding into form, returning to a course where he’s logged previous finishes of T13 and T21 in 2019 and 2020. At 16/1, let’s wager a healthy unit or two on one of the PGA Tour’s most proven players at a course that fits his skill set.
Cam Davis (+3000) (Bet $100 to collect $3,100) Head to DraftKings for the best Cam Davis odds
2021 RMC champion Cam Davis has climbed up to 30/1 for his outright odds after opening at 35/1 at DraftKings Sportsbook. The Aussie has only been on the PGA Tour for four seasons, with his lone win coming at Detroit Golf Club. When Davis is playing well, he can conquer any course, but his bad days can quickly erase him from atop the leaderboard. After missing the cut in 2019 and 2020, Davis won outright in a three-man playoff in 2021, then followed it up with a T14 finish in 2022. He went -12-under-par in his final two rounds at the 2022 RMC. Plus, he ranks ninth in strokes gained off-the-tee, 37th tee-to-green, and 12th in final-round scoring average. If he’s inside the top 20 once Sunday arrives, there’s a strong chance we cash his 30/1 outright odds, so let’s bet a unit or two for Davis to double-dip for his second career win at the same event, just like Corey Conners did at Valero earlier this year.
Brian Harman (+4000) (Bet $100 to collect $4,100) DraftKings has the best Brian Harman odds
Brian Harman has seen his outright odds climb from 40/1 to 35/1, so we need to get on this number ASAP before it gets even shorter. The 36-year-old Georgia native has two career wins, but he’s currently riding a six-year win drought. Harman has begun to find his rhythm lately, recording an impressive T2 finish at Travelers last week while recording a T7 at RBC Heritage a few months ago. Harman is either going to deliver a strong performance or miss the cut, but he’s only missed one cut in his last four events. Plus, he’s ranked 52nd in strokes gained putting, 46th off-the-tee, 32nd greens in regulation, and 30th in total driving. While he doesn’t completely dominate one metric, Harman’s constantly steady and positions himself nicely with sharp irons and tee shots, avoiding bad lies and navigating to pars and birdies. 35/1 is still good value; although Harman has been absent from the RMC the past two years after missing the cut in 2019 and 2020, but his current form overrides his course form for me, making him a solid prospect to bet a unit on for the 2023 RMC outright win.
Stephan Jaeger (+4500) (Bet $100 to collect $4,600) Go to DraftKings for the best Stephan Jaeger odds
German golfer Stephan Jaeger produced a T5 finish at the 2022 RMC, going -4-under-par or lower in each of his four rounds at Detroit GC. He has not had a strong year, logging one T25 finish in his last four events played, but he has made the cut in seven consecutive outings. The final round has been Jaeger’s Achilles heel, going 76-76-76-74 during this relative slump. I don’t expect that trend to continue at a course where Jaeger is comfortable playing, ranking 11th in strokes gained around the green, 31st tee-to-green, and finding greens in regulation over 68 percent of the time. Let’s sprinkle on the 34-year-old German’s 45/1 odds before he produces his signature low-scoring first round.
