Rocket Classic 2025: Dave Tindall's each-way picks from 30/1 to 70/1

• 33/134.00 Hideki Matsuyama is showing signs of something big again

• 70/171.00 Ryo Hisatsune continues to enjoy an excellent 2025

• 30/131.00 Harry Hall is in great form, as were other winners here

• Read Steve Rawlings' preview of the tournament here

Introduction to the Rocket Classic

After dropping the least sexy of the three words in its title, the Rocket Mortgage Classic has become just the Rocket Classic this year.

That's by the by. The main thing to know is that the tournament once again takes place at Detroit Golf Club in Michigan.

It's a par 72 with the standard set of four par 4s and yields lots and lots of birdies.

Four Americans have won the six editions with scores from 23-under to 26-under inclusive.

The other two, in a nice piece of symmetry, were both won in 18-under by Aussie Cameron Davis.

The course is a Donald Ross design so it's legitimate to check out form from his other well-known venues: Sedgefield (Wyndham Championship), East Lake (Tour Championship) and Pinehurst No.2 (US Open).

Par is just under 7,400 yards while the tree-lined track has Poa Annua greens.

Simply wielding the hottest putter isn't the magic formula as the last four winners have ranked 19th, 12th, 15th and 22nd for SG: Putting. 

The Approach figures of that quartet of champions read 12th, 2nd, 6th and 9th while Around The Green is unusually prominent.

That makes sense give that a short game is always a good weapon around the turtleback greens of a Donald Ross design. ATG stats for the last four winners show 9th, 16th, 9th and 5th.

Bet 1: Back Hideki Matsuyama @ 33/134.00

Tipping Hideki Matsuyama in last week's Travelers Championship didn't do me much good as he never got in a blow.

But, in classic tease us style, the 2021 Masters champion signed off with a 65 to suggest maybe this is the week.

Drilling down, he ranked 1st for SG: Approach and 2nd Tee To Green on that Sunday which will be remembered for Keegan Bradley picking Tommy Fleetwood's pocket at the final hole.

Matsuyama has always been a great chipper so it's no surprise to find him 6th for Around The Green this season.

So if all that looks good and we note that he gained strokes on the greens for the fifth start out of sixth when 30th at the Travelers, the clues are there.

The 11-time PGA Tour winner (the most recent at January's Sentry) was sixth the last time he tackled a Donald Ross course and that was in last year's US Open at Pinehurst No.2

Go through Matsuyama's record and you'll also find him third at Sedgefield.

At this course, he was 13th on debut in 2019 and fired a 7-under 65 when 21st a year later.

WD (2021) and MC (2023) in the last two don't add to that although he did shoot a Friday 68 when making an early exit in 2023.

Matsuyama is 33/134.00 in the 6 Place market and it's easy to highlight as value if put up against 12/113.00 Collin Morikawa and 18/119.00 Patrick Cantlay.

That pair last won on American soil in 2021 and 2022 respectively. Matsuyama has three wins in the last 16 months (okay, one was in Hawaii) and with a couple of recent top 10s he'd be half the price in a field of this modest quality.

Bet 2: Back Ryo Hisatsune @ 70/171.00

By pure coincidence I'll pick another Japanese player for Bet 2.

Ryo Hisatsune really came to prominence when winning the Open de France at Le Golf National shortly after his 21st birthday in 2023.

Clearly destined for big things after scooping the DP World Tour's Sir Henry Cotton Rookie of the Year, he's really made a mark on the PGA Tour this season.

Hisatsune has reeled off four top 10s in his last 13 tournaments and the latest came just two starts ago at Colonial when I backed him in this column at 80s and he banked a full return when sixth.

All good so far but there are a few other things in his favour.

First, he ranks 25th for Around The Green this season so ticks the short game box (he's ranked 10th and 5th for ATG in his last two events).

Second, he has some Donald Ross form thanks to a third place in last year's Wyndham Championship at Sedgefield.

That has some extra meaning given that it came during a run of seven missed cuts and a 77th in nine starts either side.

He also shot middle rounds of 65-67 when playing this event for the first time 12 months ago. After an opening 75 he did well to make the cut and finish a decent 31st.

Hisatsune is definitely worth a punt at 70/171.00 in the 8 Places market.

Bet 3: Back Harry Hall @ 30/131.00

I'm definitely tempted by Americans Cameron Young and Davis Thompson.

Thompson was runner-up last year and top 25 in his last five starts on Donald Ross courses while Tommy Fleetwood's late demise last week perhaps swings me against Young, another player who can't quite get it done.

But talking of Fleetwood, fellow Englishman Harry Hall has got over the line in a PGA Tour event and I can't ignore him here.

That win came in last July's ISCO Championship.

Strong recent good form has been a good pointer in this event as highlighted by recent winners. 

Tony Finau (2022) was coming in off of a win, Rickie Fowler telegraphed his 2023 triumph with three top 10s and a 13th in his previous four starts while Bryson DeChambeau (2020) had posted 6-8-3 in the build-up after the schedule had resumed after Covid.

Hall is absolutely a man in form and ninth at last week's Travelers in a far better field than this secured a fifth straight top 25. That includes sixth at Colonial in late May.

Now look at some of his stats: 2nd in Scoring Average, 2nd SG: Putting, 4th Birdie Average, 17th Around The Green.

They seem ideal for the low-scoring test ahead at Detroit GC.

Hall has played this a couple of times and 31st last year (5-under on Saturday) shows promise.

In his current form, the man from Cornwall can enjoy another big week and hopefully get his second PGA Tour win.

He's 30/131.00 in the 8 Place market.

*You can follow me on Twitter @DaveTindallgolf

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