The 2023 Rocket Mortgage Classic is the next event on the PGA Tour schedule this week. Located at Detroit Golf Club in Detroit, Michigan, players will compete at one of the flattest terrain courses on the PGA Tour circuit, where we’ve seen course records and round records set several times since the inception of this event in 2019.
Designed by Donald Ross, Detroit GC runs just under 7,400 yards and plays as a stock par 72, featuring four par 3s and four par 5s. The Poa Annua bentgrass green mixture is expected to run up to 12.5 feet via the Stimpmeter, while the size of the greens tends to be on the smaller side of average at 5,150 square feet. Bluegrass rough stands over four inches, punishing errant lies, while the undulations in the fairways, combined with tiered putting surfaces, makes Detroit GC a bit more cumbersome than past winning scorecards indicate.
The RMC DFS slate still has plenty of big names that warrant attention, starting with defending champion Tony Finau, who went -26-under-par in 2022 to set the course record at Detroit GC. Finau already has an outright win at the Mexico Open a couple of months ago, but he’s riding a shaky slump right now, while Collin Morikawa, Rickie Fowler, Justin Thomas, and Max Homa comprise the most expensive blue-chip prospects available to roster in DraftKings and FanDuel DFS lineups this week.
Despite the absence of Scottie Scheffler, Jon Rahm, and Rory McIlroy at the 2023 RMC, there is plenty of talent to tap into, with a lot of players presenting terrific value, making them a great return on investment assets in our DFS lineups this week. Nate Lashley and Cam Davis are the other two previous outright winners in attendance in the field at Detroit GC, while plenty of other golfers have been heating up ahead of what could wind up being a birdie fest in the Midwest this weekend.
As always, good luck! Let’s cash some PGA DFS contests at RMC this weekend to start July off with money in our pockets!
Before we get into our Rocket Mortgage Classic DFS Picks and Targets, make sure to take a moment to check out these awesome sports betting offers for this week. You can use one of the HUGE first bet offers to wager with more confidence on your 2023 Rocket Mortgage Classic selections this week.
DraftKings $50,000 Maximum Salary
Rickie Fowler ($10,400)
California native Rickie Fowler has been in strong command of his entire golf bag lately. He has recorded four consecutive T15 finishes, including a T5 at the third major of the year at the U.S. Open, while going -10-under-par in his third round at Travelers Championship, yielding a T13 finish after starting off even par. Cashing DFS contests is all about birdies since they are so valuable based on the weighted scoring system. Fowler has been a birdie machine, recording 41 birdies in his past two events, generating 95.5 and 111 FPPG during this streak. Don’t hesitate to roster Fowler, who ranks 10th in total strokes gained, including 48th putting, 25th around the green, 12th tee-to-green, and seventh approaching the green.
Hideki Matsuyama ($9,600)
We’ve seen Hideki Matsuyama go T13 and T21 at Detroit GC back in 2019 and 2020 before withdrawing from play in 2021. A year off from this course should not worry you about the Japanese golfer’s production, as he’s recorded 15-18 birdies in each of his last three events. Matsuyama averages 70.3 FPPG across 19 events this season, making 17 of the cuts while still seeking his first outright win. At under $10,000, this is a solid value to acquire for a player ranking eighth in scrambling, eighth tee-to-green, and 14th tee-to-green. Let’s lock Matsuyama up in DraftKings lineups with extreme confidence.
Ludvig Aberg ($8,700)
Since March, Swedish amateur Ludvig Aberg has quickly made a name for himself on the PGA Tour. Aberg has made all five cuts thus far, averaging 70.3 FPPG, including 13-17 birdies in four of his five events. At just $8,700, this feels like a steal, especially since Aberg has three T25 finishes across his last four events played. There aren’t many flaws to Aberg’s game right now, so despite playing at a new course, his accuracy with irons, plus a hot putter, make him a prime buy-low candidate to target during roster construction on DraftKings.
FanDuel $60,000 Maximum Salary
Tom Kim ($10,900)
We watched Tom Kim go -9-under-par in the final round of the 2022 RMC, so expect the 21-year-old South Korean native to continue his greens in the regulation clinic. Kim ranks eighth in converting greens in regulation at nearly a 70 percent rate, 18th tee-to-green, eighth approaching the green, and 15th total driving. He’s left a lot of short birdie putts out of the hole, so his putting game needs to improve, but Kim has still managed to drain over 40 birdies in the last two events, which were against major and designated fields. I expect Kim to be a huge asset in FanDuel lineups this week, so pay up to roster this rising star.
Doug Ghim ($8,900)
Quietly, Doug Ghim has logged three consecutive T20 finishes across his last three events. The 27-year-old American has 17-20 birdies in each of his previous four outings, which makes him a screaming value at under $9,000 on FanDuel. A shaky start to Ghim’s PGA Tour season has evolved into strong T20 finishes, finding greens in regulation at over 68 percent while also ranking inside the top 40 for scrambling. Ghim tends to pop in the middle rounds, so don’t fret if he gets off to a sluggish start. I’m not concerned about him missing the cut at the 2022 RMC, as I value Ghim’s current form over his results from last season.
Harry Hall ($8,500)
Englishman Harry Hall nearly pulled off the outright win during the Charles Schwab Challenge last month, using a nice mixture of precise irons and red-hot putting to drain birdies and eagles with ease. Hall has regressed a bit since that happened, but it was not a fluke, as he managed a T10 finish during another birdie fest at the Mexico Open back in April. Hall has delivered 13-20 birdies in each of his last four events while playing better early to make five straight cuts. Any time I see a player ranked seventh in strokes gained putting, he warrants serious consideration in DFS. Such is the case for Hall, who also ranks 18th in strokes gained around the green while ranking inside the top 40 for a sand save percentage and 19th in birdie or better conversion percentage. Let’s scoop up Hall as a cheap commodity with a massive ceiling due to his play around and on the greens.
