Rocket Mortgage Classic 2024: Course and current form stats

• Low-scoring parkland course in Michigan

• Time for Rai 33/134.00 to take next step

• Recovering Berger 66/167.00 an interesting e/w option

Tournament and Course Notes

• This will be the sixth staging of the Rocket Mortgage Classic, with all five previous instalments hosted by Detroit Golf Club. With no more Signature Events on this season's PGA Tour calendar, professional golf on American soil takes a back seat until the FedEx Cup Play-Offs begin in mid-August;

• 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. It is also located a few miles from the country's border with Canada. The club was chosen to host the 1941 Ryder Cup, but the outbreak of World War II scuppered that;

• This week's layout uses 17 holes from the club's North Course and one from the South. The average-winning under-par score for the Rocket Mortgage Classic is 23.2;

• A traditional parkland venue with tree-lined fairways, the North Course has putting surfaces that are slightly smaller than the PGA Tour average and are also reasonably undulating;

• Water is only an issue on one hole (14th), while the course is one of the flattest in top level professional golf. Fairways and greens are sown with Bentgrass, over-seeded with Poa annua.

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Good Current Form

Sunday's runner-up in Connecticut, Tom Kim 12/113.00, tees-it-up again and is one of only two members of the world's top 25 taking part in Michigan.

The other T25 pro is Cameron Young 14/115.00 who carded a 59 at TPC River Highlands en route to finishing tied-ninth at the weekend.

On his one and only previous start in Detroit two years ago, Young crossed the finishing line as joint-runner-up.

Englishman Aaron Rai 33/134.00 remains one of the Tour's better golfers yet to win at this level.

He sneaked into the top-10 here last year, on his Detroit debut, and has notched up plenty of top-20 finishes since moving from Europe to the United States.

On a course which requires accurate approach play, with its smaller-than-normal greens, Rai should feel at home.

The 29-year-old is currently seventh in this season's Strokes Gained: Approach the Green category on the PGA Tour.

And, the one-time world No 12 Daniel Berger 66/167.00 could also fit the bill this week.

A four-time winner on the PGA Tour, Berger is battling back from a serious injury which prevented him from playing for around 19 months.

Similar to Rai, he also has a high ranking in the table SG: Approach the Green and in his most recent start tied-21st at the US Open.

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Good Course Form

Among those with a strong course history are Stephan Jaeger 28/129.00, Chris Kirk 40/141.00, Troy Merritt 125/1126.00, Taylor Moore 50/151.00, Alexander Noren 20/121.00 and Taylor Pendrith 25/126.00.

Of this group, Jaeger, Kirk and Pendrith have already won on the PGA Tour this season, while Noren stood on a Texas podium in early May.

The two Europeans among this six, Jaeger and Noren, certainly offer each-way potential.

The consistent Noren has a strong all-round game from tee-to-green, which should prove beneficial in this sub-standard field.

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Stroke Averages

Lowest Eight At Detroit Golf Club (2019-23)
Average .... (Rounds)
67.00: Taylor Moore (8)
67.25: Taylor Pendrith (8)
68.00: Stephan Jaeger (10)
68.25: Justin Lower (8)
68.38: Chris Kirk (16)
68.44: Troy Merritt (18)
68.60: Alexander Noren (10)
68.69: Cameron Davis (16)
Min. No. of Rounds = 8
Only those entered this week are included in table

Note: List Contains Leading Reserves