Kim, Young Among Favorites at Rocket Mortgage
Rocket Mortgage Classic Expert Pick: Value Atop Leaderboard
Following Scottie Scheffler’s playoff victory at the Travelers Championship, the PGA Tour shifts to Detroit Golf Club, home of the Rocket Mortgage Classic.
Scheffler, the world’s No. 1, is not in the 156-player field. Nor is Rory McIlroy, who’s taking a much-needed respite after his U.S. Open collapse. This PGA Tour leaderboard lacks star power, with several big names opting for rest and recovery over the chance at another payday.
- Nevertheless, the Rocket Mortgage Classic still packs plenty of intrigue. With nobody shorter than 12/1 odds to win, the field is wide open. Tom Kim (+1200) is favored on the heels on his runner-up finish at TPC River Highlands, with Cameron Young next in line (+1600). Akshay Bhatia and Min Woo Lee are the only others at 20/1 or better.
- In addition to that quartet, much of the focus will be defending champion Rickie Fowler (+5000), who has missed the cut in two of his last three tournaments.
What can bettors expect? We break down the odds and give our Rocket Mortgage Classic expert pick.
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Expert Pick: Subscribe below to get our Premium Insights!🏌️♀️ Odds Leaderboard
- Tom Kim: +1200
- Cameron Young: +1600
- Akshay Bhatia: +2000
- Min Woo Lee: +2000
- Taylor Pendrith: +2500
- Stephan Jaeger: +2500
- Maverick McNealy: +2800
- Alex Noren: +3000
- Aaron Rai: +3000
- Keith Mitchell: +3000
⛳ THE FAVORITE
- Kim (+1200): Kim has three Top-25 finishes in his last five tournaments. He shot 22-under last weekend in Cromwell, Conn., throwing his best shot at the world’s best golfer. It wasn’t enough, of course, to beat Scheffler, who won for the sixth time this year, but it was pretty close. The 22-year-old Tom Kim showed some gusto not backing down, even as Scheffler asserted his dominance down the stretch.
The favorite rarely, if ever, offers the best value. Still, Kim — already a three-time Tour winner — figures to be a popular pick.
🏌️♂️ TOP CONTENDER
- Young (+1600): Young went on a heater last Saturday at the Travelers Championship, carding an 11-under 59. It marked the first sub-60 round on the PGA Tour in almost four years.
Ultimately, it wasn’t enough. He was 4-under through the first four holes of the final round before fizzling out down the back nine. The world No. 23 finished 17-under, good for ninth place. It was his first top-10 finish since the Masters.
Ranking 31st in driving distance, Young will have plenty of ammunition to attack Detroit Golf Club’s friendly fairways. Oddsmakers are clearly bullish of him despite struggling earlier this month on the golf schedule.
🏌️♀️ NEXT IN LINE
- Maverick McNealy (+2800): McNealy is still chasing his first Tour win. Despite that, the 28-year-old Californian appears to be getting closer to finally breaking through.
He placed seventh at the RBC Canadian Open earlier this month, already his third Top-10 finish of the season. That followed strong showings at the PGA Championship (T-23) and Charles Schwab Challenge (T-17).
McNealy’s been inconsistent with his driver, but at 28/1 he boasts strong value for our Rocket Mortgage Classic expert pick.
⛳ LONGSHOT
- Fowler (+5000): Fowler tore up this course last summer, outlasting Adam Hadwin and Collin Morikawa in a three-way playoff at 24-under.
That success may give him the confidence to bounce back from his recent struggles. He’s finished no higher than 18th this season (RBC Heritage) while missing five cuts.
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