Rocket Mortgage Classic

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Developing Stories 📰

Detroit Golf Club, situated just 20 minutes outside of downtown Detroit, is a traditional parklands-style golf course with fairways lined by trees and thick rough. Over the years, winners have showcased varying skill sets due to the course's multiple challenges, allowing different approaches to succeed. While the course is relatively straightforward, it has specific elements that certain players can exploit based on how it's traditionally set up for the tournament week.

Since the tournament's inception in 2019, winning scores have been impressively low, with Nate Lashley winning at 25 under in 2019, Bryson DeChambeau at 23 under in 2020, Cameron Davis at 18 under in 2021, Tony Finau at 26 under in 2022, and Rickie Fowler at 24 under in 2023. This trend suggests a birdie-fest akin to last week's event in Cromwell, Connecticut. Detroit Golf Club, founded in 1899 during an economic boom in the region, was initially a modest six-hole course before Donald Ross was commissioned to design two 18-hole courses, the North and the South, completed in 1916. The North Course, known for its challenging layout and traditional tiered, undulating greens, is revered by locals.

In 2019, the club began hosting the Rocket Mortgage Classic, producing notable winners like Rickie Fowler, Tony Finau, and Bryson DeChambeau. The pros play a composite course mainly from the North Course, with one hole from the South Course. The design is classical, lacking extravagant features but still challenging. Scoring has been consistently low, with the winning score surpassing 23 under-par in four out of five years. The Detroit Golf Club course is a 7,370-yard par 72 layout, short by PGA Tour standards. Although it's longer than TPC River Highlands, it plays shorter because it allows frequent driver use off the tee, leading to numerous wedge shots into greens. In 2023, 58% of all approaches were from within 175 yards, and over 25% were from inside 125 yards.

The greens, medium in size, present the primary defense with their tiers and undulations, though they are less severe than those at Pinehurst No. 2. The greens are a blend of POA and Bentgrass, typical on the PGA Tour. Fairways are wide, averaging over 35 yards at the 300-yard mark, encouraging a bomb-and-gouge approach. This strategy has been successful for past winners like DeChambeau, Cameron Davis, and Tony Finau. The rough, at 4" of bluegrass, is less thick and penal than at other tour events, so players are often content to hit as far as possible and deal with the rough if necessary, provided they avoid the one water hazard and trees.

As long as weather and wind don't significantly impact play, the course is a "point and shoot" for pros, consistently ranking as one of the easiest on tour. It demands constant aggression and doesn't reward patience and precision as seen in recent weeks. The event is characterized by a relentless, aggressive style of golf, with players pushing the limits to achieve low scores all week in Detroit.

Headlines 🚨

On This Day in Sport History: 1993 Eddie Murray is 20^th to get 1600 RBI’s

1996 Georgetown guard Allen Iverson is drafted first by the Philadelphia 76ers

2003 Lebron James is drafted 1^st pick by the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Miami Heat’s Bam Adebayo expected to sign an extension with the team worth $166 million.

Jacksonville approves $1.4 billion renovation to Everbank stadium, making them closer to a long-term stability for the franchise.

The New York Knicks trade for Mikhael Bridges loading up the Nets giving them 16 first round picks until 2031.

Novak Djokovic is still undecided on if he’ll play in this year’s Wimbledon after having a knee injury.

Trends 📈📉 via Oddsshark

⚾️ Blue Jays at Red Sox

• The total has gone OVER in 6 of Boston's last 7 games at home

⚾️ Yankees at Mets

• The total has gone OVER in 5 of NY Yankees's last 6 games

• The total has gone OVER in 7 of NY Yankees's last 9 games when playing on the road against NY Mets

• NY Mets is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home

• NY Mets is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games when playing at home against NY Yankees

⚾️ Dodgers at White Sox

• LA Dodgers is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games when playing Chi White Sox

• LA Dodgers is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games when playing on the road against Chi White Sox

• The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Chi White Sox's last 5 games at home

• The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Chi White Sox's last 8 games

⚾️ Twins at Diamondbacks

• The total has gone OVER in 4 of Minnesota's last 5 games

• The total has gone OVER in 4 of Minnesota's last 5 games on the road

• The total has gone OVER in 8 of Arizona's last 9 games at home

• Arizona is 7-1 SU in its last 8 games when playing at home against Minnesota

⚾️ Cubs at Giants

• San Francisco is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Chi Cubs

Public Money 🤑 via VSiN at 9AMCT

⚾️ MLB

47% of bets and 76% of money is on OVER 9.5 TOR at BOS

7% of bets and 43% of money is on CWS +140

65% of bets and 80% of money is on MIN -125

42% of bets and 58% of money is on CHC +105

⛹️‍♀️ WNBA

69% of bets and 89% of money is on MIN -9.5

57% of bets and 81% of money is on LVA -10.5

58% of bets and 91% of money is on OVER 171 LVA at CHI

55% of bets and 92% of money is on UNDER 153 CONN at WSH

Future Odds 🔮 via Bovada Sportsbook

Picks 🔒

Twins -116 | Ryne Nelson has pitched well in his last two starts against the Nationals and White Sox, but the Twins are a stronger offensive team. The Twins have a good track record against Nelson, who has a 5.74 ERA and 1.63 WHIP at home this season. Simeon Woods Richardson, whom the Diamondbacks have never faced, has a solid 3.12 ERA and 1.15 WHIP on the road. While the Diamondbacks have been hitting right-handed pitchers well recently, the Twins have been even better.

Rocket Mortgage Classic

Maverick McNealy +2800 (.5U)

Taylor Pendrith +3000 (.35U)

Alejandro Tosti +10000 (.15 U)