DraftKings preview: Rocket Mortgage Classic

The PGA TOUR heads to Detroit, Michigan, this week for the Rocket Mortgage Classic. Detroit Golf Club will be the host and measures as a 7,370-yard par 72 with Bentgrass/Poa annua greens.

The TOUR returns to a more traditional Full-Field, 156-man event after a three-week stretch that included two Signature Events and a major. The field features the likes of Cameron Young, Tom Kim and defending champion Rickie Fowler.

Below, I have outlined three of my favorite DraftKings plays for the week.

Set your DraftKings fantasy golf lineups here: PGA TOUR $800K Summer Sand Trap [$200K to 1st]

Taylor Pendrith ($9,600)

It’s kind of strange to see Pendrith at this price tag, but he absolutely deserves to be. The Canadian loves Detroit Golf Club, having finished T2 and T14 in each of his first two starts in the Motor City. This is technically a home game for Pendrith, as it’s just four hours outside of where he grew up in Ontario.

Pendrith is having the best season of his career in 2024, having picked up his first-career win at THE CJ CUP Byron Nelson back in May, while posting six additional top-11 finishes since the FedExCup Fall.

As a matter of fact, Pendrith ranks No. 1 in this field in Strokes Gained: Total over the past 24 rounds, thanks to his incredibly well-rounded game. He sits 26th in SG: Ball-Striking and fourth in SG: Putting in that time frame as well.

In the past, it always made sense to target Pendrith at longer, birdie-fest-type tracks, and his results at Detroit Golf Club through two starts have bared that out. He’s checking a lot of boxes this week when you account for recent form, course history and rolling stats, and even at this somewhat elevated price tag, he’s a great play.

Chris Kirk ($8,100)

Kirk has not been playing particularly good golf of late, having missed three of his past six cuts, but for some reason he always gets up for Rocket Mortgage. He’s played this event four of the five times it’s been held and has made the cut each time with four top-21 finishes, including three inside the top 17.

The recent drop-off in his play has gotten his price to a very palatable $8,100. Despite Kirk’s recent poor form, I will take a long-term view when looking at his numbers, which if you do that, you’ll see he ranks 18th in the field in SG: Ball-Striking and 14th in SG: Tee-to-Green.

It feels like forever ago, but Kirk already won on the PGA TOUR this season, all the way back in the opening event of 2024 at Kapalua. I am not ready to give up on him quite yet, and recent history would suggest a bounce-back performance is coming this week at a course that clearly suits his eye.

J.J. Spaun ($6,400)

Sticking with the theme of golfers who get up for the Rocket Mortgage Classic, look no further than Spaun. The Californian is just one of 11 golfers in this field to have played this event each of the first five years it’s been held, and he’s the only one of that cohort who’s made the cut in all five. Not only has he made the cut each time, but he’s yet to finish worse than T33 in that stretch while posting a T13 and T8 in two of those starts.

This is a hold your nose and bet on course history type of play, because Spaun has missed four of his previous five cuts overall. However, it’s largely been the short game that’s given him fits during this stretch because his approach numbers look quite strong.

It’s certainly not for the faint of heart, but at this $6,400 price tag, Spaun helps you do a ton when building lineups this week, without sacrificing upside.

Set your DraftKings fantasy golf lineups here: PGA TOUR $800K Summer Sand Trap [$200K to 1st]

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I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and customer (my username is Lan1228) and may sometimes play on my personal account in the games that I offer advice on. Although I have expressed my personal view on the games and strategies above, they do not necessarily reflect the view(s) of DraftKings and do not constitute a representation that any particular strategy will guarantee success. All customers should use their own skill and judgment in building lineups. I may also deploy different players and strategies than what I recommend above. I am not an employee of DraftKings and do not have access to any non-public information.