The PGA Tour heads to Detroit Golf Club this week for the Rocket Classic, a tournament that has built a reputation as one of the biggest birdie fests of the season. The course is a par 70 measuring around 7,328 yards, and with generous fairways, receptive greens and plenty of scoring opportunities, players know they will need to go low if they want to contend. In recent years, winning scores have regularly pushed beyond the 20 under par mark, so this is very much a week for aggressive golf.
With some of the game’s biggest names taking a rest ahead of the FedEx Cup Playoffs, Cameron Young arrives as the highest ranked player in the field. He headlines a competitive lineup, but as we’ve seen many times at Detroit Golf Club, this is a venue where players can catch fire and make a huge number of birdies in a short space of time.
For this week’s event, I’ve put together a four-man squad that offers a nice mixture of profiles. I have an aggressive player who should relish the shootout conditions, an in-form contender arriving with confidence, a player whose game is trending in the right direction, and another who looks an excellent fit for Detroit Golf Club based on his skill set and course characteristics. So, let’s get straight into this week’s squad!
1. Chris Gotterup (+1800)
I am a big fan of Chris Gotterup’s credentials this week, and he is undoubtedly going to be a popular pick among tipsters. His rise through the game has been incredibly rapid. Despite only joining the PGA Tour in 2024, he already has five professional victories to his name, including three wins this season alone.
He announced himself with a dominant six-shot victory at the Myrtle Beach Classic, and since then he has continued to go from strength to strength. His three victories this season have come at the Sony Open, the WM Phoenix Open and the John Deere Classic.
Add in last year’s Genesis Scottish Open success, which has become one of the most prestigious events outside of the majors, and you can see why he is now regarded as one of the most dangerous players on tour. What made that Scottish Open win particularly impressive was that it came on a links course, despite him having very little experience of that style of golf.
Those victories highlight the quality he possesses, but it is the way he plays that makes him so appealing this week. Gotterup is naturally aggressive and loves to attack golf courses, which is exactly the type of mindset that tends to be rewarded at Detroit Golf Club.
With soft, receptive greens expected, he can fire at flags all week and take full advantage of the scoring opportunities on offer. This is a course where birdies are essential, and few players in the field look better equipped to make plenty of them. He has a huge chance this week and rates as one of my stronger selections of recent weeks. He is world number 7 for a reason.
2. Jackson Suber (+7000)
Jackson Suber is a player that has caught my attention quite often this season, and this week he makes the squad for the Rocket Classic. His aggressive nature has been a really good asset this season, especially at these low-scoring events, and that is pretty much the main factor I like about his chances this week.
His approach play has been really consistent, and if you look at his scoring this season, his three best finishes have come in low-scoring events where he can pick out his irons, and fire straight at the pins. As mentioned, this week the greens are soft and receptive and I would be highly surprised if Jackson Suber wasn’t able to post a deep number around here.
He has finished tied-4th at both the Byron Nelson and the RBC Canadian Open, but also more recently finished in a tie for 6th at the John Deere Classic. Those three events are seriously good correlating courses for this tournament, and he has to come under consideration.
This is a maiden on the PGA Tour, but one who is surely going to pick up his first PGA Tour title in the very near future. Don’t be surprised if this is the week.
3. Max Greyserman (+7500)
World number 83 Max Greyserman’s game hasn’t really clicked into place this season, but his one top 10 came at the most correlating course to this week. He finished tied-9th in the Byron Nelson at TPC Craig Ranch.
His game is a good course fit this week too when you match his attributes to the course. Rock solid off the tee, but aggressive with his irons, and even though they haven’t always been in prime condition this season, he has played well at the right courses. His performance last week in the 3m Open was very encouraging having closed out with a round of 64.
When you look at his game on just this season, his approach play hasn’t been at its best, but on these big flat greens, he will be able to go straight at the targets. If he gets on a roll, he could go very low here. So, Max Greyserman isn’t a player in all season form, but he played well at the right correlating courses, and his final round of 64 last week will bring him into this with confidence.
4. Seamus Power (+10000)
Seamus Power is the player trending in the right direction for this event, and his most recent efforts suggest his game is back in good shape. He is a two time winner on the PGA Tour having won the Barbasol and the Bermuda Championship back in 2023, and there is surely another victory waiting for him somewhere.
On tough demanding courses off the tee, I wouldn’t be a fan of Seamus Power, but on wide open courses like this that will ultimately come down to an approach shoot out test, he can definitely get involved.
There are a lot more players with flashier credentials and more recent wins on their resume, but Seamus has had four top 11’s this season, and in his last two starts, he was tied 11th at the Corales Puntacana, and then tied 10th last week in the 3M Open. So right now, there is a lot to like about his game, and he gets the vote as a player likely to go under the radar.
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