Rocket Mortgage Classic: PGA Tour Golf Picks, Predictions, and Tee Times

The PGA Tour moves to the Motor City for this weekend’s Rocket Mortgage Classic at the Detroit Golf Club. Tony Finau returns to Detroit as the defending champion at this event but has seen Rickie Fowler overtake him as the betting favourite after topping the PGA Tour odds earlier in the week.

Both Fowler and Finau are fan favourites. But with Finau struggling to stay in contention in recent Tour appearances and Fowler failing to close the deal and claim a win during what has otherwise been a renaissance campaign for the popular 34-year-old, golf betting fans may want to look further down the odds for value ahead of Thursday morning’s first round tee-off.

Here’s a look at some of the best bets to consider on the 2023 Rocket Mortgage Classic odds.

PGA Rocket Mortgage Classic Odds

Ludvig Aberg Enjoying Sensational Debut

Just 23 years old, Ludvig Aberg has turned heads during his PGA Tour debut, cracking the top 25 in three of his first four career outings, capped by last week’s impressive -13 performance at the Travelers Championship that featured a pair of 65s. The two-time defending Ben Hogan Award winner as the nation’s top college player is well positioned to take advantage of the North Course at Detroit Golf Club, where big hitters like Finau and Bryson Dechambeau have enjoyed success.

In addition to offering excellent value as +600 chalk to emerge as the top European at this event, Aberg is worth a one-unit wager as a +5000 bet lead after the opening round, and as an +1100 to claim his first career top-10 finish among a diminished field missing some of the game’s biggest stars.

Justin Thomas on the Rebound

Justin Thomas finally snapped out of a three-tournament funk that featured missed cuts at both the Memorial Tournament and the US Open, storming to a ninth-place finish on the strength of spectacular second and third-round performances last weekend at the Travelers.

That has helped lift Thomas among the favourites as a +1400 bet on the PGA Tour odds this weekend. However, this also marks Thomas’ first-ever appearance at the Detroit Golf Club. And given his inconsistent play during a hectic June schedule, golf betting fans will want to back Thomas with caution at the sportsbook.

However, Thomas still offers value as a +108 underdog in head-to-head matchup betting against Fowler, and should be included on all tickets as a +221 wager to return to the top 10 once again.

Fade Tony Finau

The move to TPC River Headlands for the Travelers Championship provided little relief for Tony Finau from his recent struggles. After failing to break par in each of his previous three outings, Finau managed to shoot -9 and finish with a share of 45th on a course that Rory McIlroy subsequently described as obsolete.

Things get no easier this week at Detroit Golf Club, where both power and precision are required. Finau has tasted success at this event, and is due for a breakthrough. However, given his recent form, it is tough to but into Finau’s position among the leaders. Indeed, Collin Morikawa is the better bet to bust out in Detroit and to pay out as a -112 wager in head-to-head matchup betting versus Finau.

PGA Betting Picks

Picks: Ludvig Aberg top European (+600); Justin Thomas (+1-08) vs Rickie Fowler; Collin Morikawa (-112) vs Tony Finau

Rocket Mortgage Classic Round 1 Tee Times and Groups

1st tee

6:45 AM Martin Trainer, James Hahn, Doug Ghim

6:56 AM Alex Noren, Sam Ryder, Paul Haley II

7:07 AM Robby Shelton, Matthias Schwab, Vincent Norrman

7:18 AM J.J. Spaun, Cameron Champ, Tyler Duncan

7:29 AM Chad Ramey, Robert Streb, Brandt Snedeker

7:40 AM Nico Echavarria, Trey Mullinax, Lanto Griffin

7:51 AM Luke List, Richy Werenski, Adam Long

8:02 AM C.T. Pan, Chad Collins, Callum Tarren

8:13 AM Scott Piercy, Sean O’Hair, Taylor Pendrith

8:24 AM Dylan Frittelli, Aaron Baddeley, Brandon Wu

8:35 AM Kyle Stanley, Nick Watney, Zecheng Dou

8:46 AM Carl Yuan, Peter Kuest, Aldrich Potgieter

8:57 AM Trevor Cone, Nicolai Hojgaard, Andy Spencer

12:10 PM Vince Whaley, Carson Young, Max McGreevy

12:21 PM Ben Martin, Lee Hodges, Andrew Novak

12:32 PM Austin Cook, Adam Schenk, Doc Redman

12:43 PM Sepp Straka, Cam Davis, Adam Hadwin

12:54 PM Taylor Moore, Max Homa, Brian Harman

1:05 PM Justin Thomas, Hideki Matsuyama, Sungjae Im

1:16 PM Tom Hoge, Erik van Rooyen, Zach Johnson

1:27 PM Ryan Moore, Jimmy Walker, Peter Malnati

1:38 PM Mark Hubbard, Kramer Hickok, Ben Taylor

1:49 PM Chesson Hadley, Ben Griffin, Justin Lower

2:00 PM Ryan Armour, Zac Blair, Thomas Detry

2:11 PM Matti Schmid, Brandon Matthews, Gordon Sargent

2:22 PM Kevin Roy, Ryan Gerard, Kyle Martin

10th tee
6:45 AM Kevin Tway, Sam Stevens, Kyle Reifers

6:56 AM Brian Stuard, Aaron Rai, David Lipsky

7:07 AM Russell Knox, Byeong Hun An, Harry Hall

7:18 AM Nick Hardy, Chris Kirk, Webb Simpson

7:29 AM Keegan Bradley, Tom Kim, Collin Morikawa

7:40 AM Tony Finau, Joel Dahmen, Rickie Fowler

7:51 AM Davis Riley, Ryan Brehm, Lucas Glover

8:02 AM Nate Lashley, Stephan Jaeger, Austin Smotherman

8:13 AM Danny Willett, Luke Donald, Ludvig Aberg

8:24 AM Christiaan Bezuidenhout, Joseph Bramlett, Davis Thompson

8:35 AM Charley Hoffman, Kelly Kraft, Tyson Alexander

8:46 AM Trevor Werbylo, Kyle Westmoreland, Sam Bennett

8:57 AM Brent Grant, Akshay Bhatia, Ross Steelman

12:10 PM Austin Eckroat, Dylan Wu, Kevin Yu

12:21 PM Harry Higgs, Justin Suh, Harrison Endycott

12:32 PM Satoshi Kodaira, David Lingmerth, Hank Lebioda

12:43 PM Martin Laird, Andrew Landry, Scott Stallings

12:54 PM Matt Wallace, Chez Reavie, Brendon Todd

1:05 PM Adam Svensson, Garrick Higgo, Troy Merritt

1:16 PM Cody Gribble, Matt NeSmith, Will Gordon

1:27 PM Jonathan Byrd, Alex Smalley, Greyson Sigg

1:38 PM Ryan Palmer, Patton Kizzire, Henrik Norlander

1:49 PM Brice Garnett, Beau Hossler, S.H. Kim

2:00 PM Jason Dufner, Cameron Percy, MJ Daffue

2:11 PM Scott Harrington, Augusto Núñez, Brett Stegmaier

2:22 PM Michael Gligic, Tano Goya, Chase Johnson