The best betting props for the Rocket Mortgage Classic

We are heading to Detroit on the PGA Tour for the Rocket Mortgage Classic, and although this event has only had two previous editions, those two winners shot a combined 48-under-par so we can immediately give it the tag: BIRDIE FEST.

This is great news for players with a red-hot putter, although some of the other statistics are a little muddy. Bryson De Chambeau beat Matthew Wolff in 2020 and both players bomb it off the tee, while 12 months earlier Nate Lashley beat Doc Redman despite both players ranking outside the top 125 for driving distance. Greens in regulation and scrambling were strong stats one year and non-existent the other – but a good week with the putter is key.

The other way in would be looking at other courses designed by Donald Ross, including the Wyndham Championship at Sedgefield, which in the last few years has been bang-full of birdies.

Top 30 Finish: Jason Kokrak (-137)

Kokrak fits the mould set by BDC and Wolff last year as a big-hitter off the tee who sinks putts, and that could be the recipe for success in Detroit. He ranks just outside the top 20 on Tour for driving distance this year with an average of 307 yards, while he is ranked second for shots gained putting. He’s in the top 12 on Tour for birdie average, and has course form to boot.

Kokrak shot 12-under-par to finish 29th here in his only appearance in 2019, and that look around the course should help him this week. At the other Donald Ross designed course, Sedgefield, Kokrak has three top 16 finishes in the last four years.

He won the Charles Schwab Challenge on his penultimate start and if you can forgive him a missed cut in the U.S. Open last time out, Kokrak looks poised for a strong weekend.

To Make the Cut: Doc Redman (-167)

Doc Redman certainly has a love for this place having finished as the runner-up in 2019 before taking the lead after the first round 12 months ago, eventually finishing 21st. Although his birdie numbers do not stack up particularly well, he still seems a solid bet to make the cut.

Redman finished second in the Palmetto Championship on his penultimate start, carding 19 birdies in that tournament, which was the seventh most of any player.

He’s only missed one cut in his last eight tournaments and was third in last year’s Wyndham Classic at Sedgefield in which he shot a round of 63 on Saturday. That kind of form suggests he will be right at home here.

Top Asia Player (1-2): An Byeong-hun (+300)

There are lots of risks putting up An Byeong-hun, so bear with me. He’s missed eight of the last 12 cuts and only has one top 25 finish all year. It won’t fill many bettors with confidence.

However, he is driving the ball better in recent weeks than he has all year, and it was his long game that he relied on when he finished 13th in this event two years ago. He also finished 18th at Sedgefield in 2015 and third there in 2019 when he shot 20-under-par.

It’s those flickers of course form and some improvements in his game which give me enough confidence that he’ll finish as one of the top two Asian players.

Matchbet: Maverick McNealy to beat Gary Woodland (-110)

I'm a sucker for a golfer playing on home soil, and when you combine that with some solid form it's all the sweeter. Step forward Maverick McNealy. The links to Detroit are fantastic – his grandpa worked for American Motors and his dad grew up in Detroit. He’s even named after the Ford Maverick because of that Detroit connection.

McNealy bounced back from a string of missed cuts to finish 20th in the Charles Schwab Challenge and then 30th in the Travelers Championship last week after a fantastic opening round of 65. He’s shown he can contend at the top as well, finishing second in the Pebble Beach Pro-Am and fourth in the RBC Heritage this year.

He ranks 17th on Tour for his overall putting average and is in the top 40 for birdie average. He shot 15-under-par last year in this event to finish eighth and everything points to another good week for McNealy. Back him to beat Woodland and possibly challenge for a top 20 finish.