Getty Min Woo Lee hits an iron in the second round of the U.S. Open.
The Rocket Mortgage Classic at Detroit Golf Club is one of the newest tournaments on the PGA Tour schedule. It’s the first PGA Tour event to be held fully in Detroit city limits and is hosted at a famous Donald Ross design. We’ll look at the top Rocket Mortgage Classic DFS plays to give you the value pick in each salary range.
Detroit Golf Club was designed by the incredible Ross back in 1899 and is a classic American golf course. It’s a fairly simple layout that allows players to be aggressive off the tee and isn’t overly penalizing. The Ross green complexes are the only challenge here if players struggle with their ball striking. It’s one of the easiest tracks on the PGA Tour.
Our model this week is looking at SG: Approach, Opportunities Gained, SG: Putting (Bent), Driving Distance, SG: Par 5, and Proximity: 75-150 Yards.
Top Value: $9,000+: Min Woo Lee – $10,500
I like the steadiness of Min Woo Lee this week in a poor overall field. He’s got five straight finishes between 21st and 26th dating back to the Masters. While that lacks a bit of upside, you have to realize three of those events were major championships. If he can bring a similar level of play to terrible field in Detroit, he should be right in contention.
The Aussie is elite off the tee and will love this course that allows him to bomb drivers without much of a penalty. The requirements with his irons won’t be too much, which is where he struggles. Lee is a fantastic putter and should be able to keep up with the birdie fest here. He ranks 5th in my model and is an appropriate price while not being too highly owned.
Memorial Tournament DFS Top Value: $8,000-$8,900: Maverick McNealy – $8,900
GettyMaverick McNealy hits a driver at the RBC Canadian Open.
Maverick McNealy has had a nice year, as he’s moved up more than 100 spots in the world rankings since the Farmers in January. That’s happened despite not even having his best stuff with the putter — generally the best club in his bag. McNealy’s ball striking has been very good, and he’s continued his elite level of scrambling as well.
Everything clicks here this week. He prefers easier courses and has plenty of length to contend here while also having what it takes to putt and make enough birdies to keep up. The overall form is very strong, and he also finished 8th here in 2020 and 21st in 2021. McNealy ranks 2nd in my model and is my favorite pick this week.
Top Value: $7,000-$7,900: Nicolai Hojgaard – $7,300
This feels like a great spot for Hojgaard to get back on track. He at least made the cut at the U.S. Open after really struggling since contending in the Masters in April. The scrambling and putting have been a real issue, but he did gain 6.1 strokes on the greens a few weeks ago in Canada.
Hojgaard’s irons still look strong, but he’s really failed to do anything well off the tee for a while now. He’s one of the longest players on Tour, so this open course that promotes bombing off the tee should make him feel more comfortable there. This should be a great course fit for him to get back in contention. He ranks 11th in my model.
Rocket Mortgage Classic DFS Top Value: $6,000-$6,900: Thorbjorn Olesen – $6,900
GettyThorbjorn Olesen looks on during the first round of the PGA Championship.
It’s taken a while, but Thorbjorn Olesen seems to be getting more comfortable this season on the PGA Tour. The driver has been a real issue for him, but again, that can be negated this week a bit as you really don’t have to do much off the tee here. Instead, Olesen can let his trending irons do the work for him.
He’s also very good on the greens and doesn’t mind going low for a birdie fest. We saw that earlier this year when Olesen won on the European Tour. He should enjoy Detroit’s layout and these Ross green complexes. I find this to be a very strong price and a great core play in your lineups. He ranks 12th in my model.
Rocket Mortgage Classic DFS Top Value: $5,000-$5,900: Kelly Kraft – $5,700
If you need to go super low in price this week for a play, Kelly Kraft has to be your guy. Kraft rarely gets starts these days since he has no status on the Tour, but it’s a real shame when you consider his form. Dating back to late last season, Kraft has been incredible with his approach numbers. He’s made 10 of his last 11 cuts and is one of the best iron players in this field if you believe in the long-term form there.
Kraft finished 42nd in Canada a few weeks ago despite losing more than four shots around the greens. If he can bring that similar level of ball striking to this poor field and putt well again, I don’t see why he can’t manage a very strong finish. He ranks 3rd in my model.