-
One of pro golf's flattest layouts
-
[18/1] Tom ready to strike it rich again
-
[50/1] Alex heads to Detroit in search of maiden title
Tournament Notes
• The players have travelled over 650 miles west from Hartford, Connecticut, to tee-up in Detroit.
• This will be the fifth staging of the Rocket Mortgage Classic, with all four previous tournaments staged over Detroit Golf Club's North Course.
• Following last week's Travelers Championship, which offered a total prize fund of $20m, there are no more 'Elite Status' PGA Tour events on American soil, until the FedEx Cup Play-Offs begins in Tennessee mid-August.
• This week's prize pot is a more modest $8.8m.
Course Notes
• Opened in 1916, the North Course is situated approximately seven miles north of Downtown Detroit and has undergone a series of upgrades in recent years.
• The club was chosen to host the 1941 Ryder Cup, but the outbreak of World War II scuppered that.
• A traditional parkland venue with tree-lined fairways, the North Course has putting surfaces that are smaller than the Tour average and also reasonably undulating.
• Water is only an issue on one hole - the 14th - while the course is one of the flattest in top level professional golf.
• This week's layout uses 17 holes from the North Course and one from the South.
Latest betting for this week's Rocket Mortgage Classic
Stroke Averages
Lowest 12 At Detroit's North Course (2019-22)
Average .... (Rounds)
67.63: Tony Finau (8)
68.25: Matt Wallace (8)
68.57: Troy Merritt (14)
68.58: Chris Kirk (12)
68.63: JJ Spaun (16)
68.67: Hideki Matsuyama (9)
68.83: Nate Lashley (12)
68.92: Cameron Davis (12)
68.92: Sung Jae Im (12)
69.00: Lanto Griffin (8)
69.17: Henrik Norlander (12)
69.20: Brandt Snedeker (10)
Min. No. of Rounds = 8
Only those entered this week are included in table
Latest betting for July's Open Championship at Royal Liverpool
Five To Watch
Rickie Fowler 14/115.00: The American is certainly on a roll at present, having posted a dozen top-20 finishes during the first six months of 2023. Started the year outside of the top-100, but is now ranked 35 in the world.
Sung Jae Im 18/119.00: The world No 22 averages below 69 for his 12 rounds over Detroit's North Course.
Joo Hyung Kim 18/119.00: Better known as Tom Kim, the Korean is a two-time champion on the PGA Tour and is currently 18th in the FedEx Cup standings. He was seventh here 12 months ago.
Aaron Rai 50/151.00: The Englishman has certainly progressed upwards since joining the PGA Tour. At No 64 in the FedEx Cup standings, the Wolverhampton-born pro has a season-best finish of tied-third in Canada.
Alex Smalley [50/1]: The consistent 26-year-old, who was born in New York but lives in North Carolina, is chasing a first PGA Tour title. He tied-ninth at TPC River Highlands on Sunday, after recovering from a mediocre opening round.
Note: List Contains Leading Reserves