Rocket Mortgage Classic: Daily Fantasy Picks and Helper

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Rocket Mortgage Classic: Daily Fantasy Picks and Helper

Another week, another Scottie Scheffler win, this time in dramatic fashion in a playoff against Tom Kim at the Travelers Championship.

With the final signature event of the season now in the rearview mirror, the PGA Tour heads to Michigan for the Rocket Mortgage Classic at Detroit Golf Club.

Here's all you need to know for PGA DFS on FanDuel for the Rocket Mortgage Classic.

PGA Daily Fantasy

Rocket Mortgage Classic Info

Recent Winning Scores: -24, -26, -18, -23, -25
Recent Cut Lines: -4, -3, -3, -5, -5

Detroit Golf Club Course Info

All course data from GCSAA unless otherwise noted.

Par: 72
Distance: 7,370 yards (70 yards longer than an average Par 72)
Average Fairway Width: 35.7 yards (64th of 86 courses)*
Average Green Size: 5,150 (small)
Green Type: Bentgrass/Poa Mix
Stimpmeter: N/A

*GCSAA Course Notes list average fairway widths at 30 yards

Detroit Golf Club Key Stats

Rocket Mortgage Classic DFS Top Plays

These picks stand out relative to their FanDuel daily fantasy golf salary. All stats cited below originate at datagolf and reference ranks relative to the field over the past 50 rounds unless otherwise noted. All betting odds come from the golf betting odds at FanDuel Sportsbook.

Rocket Mortgage Classic Daily Fantasy Studs

Tom Kim ($12,000 | +1200)

Coming off a second-place finish at the Travelers Championship, Tom Kim enters this week as the favorite to win the Rocket Mortgage Classic, according to the golf betting odds at FanDuel Sportsbook.

Though his first 14 events of 2024, Kim has finished T24 or better only four times, with his best finish -- a T17 at the WM Phoenix Open -- coming in February. Over the last four weeks, he has finishes of T4 (RBC Canadian Open), T43 (the Memorial Tournament), T26 (U.S. Open), and second (Travelers Championship).

Kim's turnaround started with an improvement in his play off the tee at the PGA Championship, and he has gained strokes off the tee in each of his six events since. Starting four weeks ago, he paired that with an improvement in his approach play, gaining at least +1.05 strokes on approach in three of his four events since then.

Kim is 23rd on tour this season in Birdie or Better Rate and 34th in Par 5 Birdie or Better Rate. His approach play is best from over 200 yards, where he is in the 87th percentile in proximity, per data golf's approach skill tool. Kim is in the middle of the worst season of his career with the flat stick (+0.02 strokes gained: putting), but he is a plus putter for his career and his performance with the flat stick has been trending in the right direction since the RBC Heritage in April.

Akshay Bhatia ($11,400 | +2200)

Akshay Bhatia's play fell off on the back nine at the Travelers Championship on Sunday, resulting in a T5 finish, but outside of that stretch, he had a fantastic week.

Bhatia has now finished T22 (the Memorial Tournament), T16 (U.S. Open), and T5 (Travelers Championship) in his last three events. Over the last three months, he is first in the field in total strokes gained, 14th in strokes gained: approach, and 16th in strokes gained: putting. On approach shots from more than 200 yards, he is in the 74th percentile in proximity and strokes gained per shot. He is 39th on tour in Birdie or Better rate and 52nd in Par 5 Birdie or Better Rate.

Just like at the Travelers Championship, a very low score will likely be required to win in Detroit. Bhatia has had multiple spike weeks this season with both his approach play (four weeks with at least +1.7 strokes gained: approach) and his putting (four weeks with at least +1.32 strokes gained: putting). He has gained at least +0.89 strokes off the tee in four of his last five events.

If he can piece it all together, Bhatia has the game to go low enough to win this week.

Others to Consider:

Min Woo Lee ($11,600 | +2000)
Alex Noren ($10,900 | +3000)
Aaron Rai ($10,600 | +3300)
Taylor Pendrith ($10,400 | +3500)

Rocket Mortgage Classic Daily Fantasy Mid-Range Plays

Lee Hodges ($9,400 | +7500)

Lee Hodges finished T31 at the Travelers Championship due to some struggles on the greens (-0.26 strokes gained: putting). It was his first time losing strokes with the flat stick in his last five events. He has gained strokes on approach in each of his last five events, with an average of +1.03 strokes gained: approach per start.

Hodges is third in the field this week in strokes gained: approach, 15th in total strokes gained, and 37th in strokes gained: putting. On approach shots from over 200 yards, he is the 82nd percentile in both proximity and strokes gained per shot. Hodges' Birdie or Better Rate and Par 5 Birdie or Better Rate both being below the tour average is concerning, but he has multiple strong finishes in signature events this season -- T12s at the PGA Championship/Arnold Palmer Invitational and T24s at the Wells Fargo Championship/The Genesis Invitational.

Chandler Phillips ($9,100 | +9000)

Chandler Phillips has had a decent rookie season, with four top-20 finishes, including one top-five effort in 15 starts. He is eighth in the field in strokes gained: approach, 41st in strokes gained: putting, and 30th in total strokes gained. Looking at only the last three months, he is 15th in strokes gained: approach, 38th in strokes gained: putting, and 20th in total strokes gained.

The major weakness in Phillips game is his distance off the tee (104th). That lack of distance won't hurt him as much this week, and he is accurate (48th). On approach shots from over 200 yards, he is in the 82nd percentile in proximity and 91st in strokes gained per shot. He is 50th on tour in Birdie or Better Rate and above tour average on Par 5 Birdie or Better Rate.

Phillips enters this week in solid form, with finishes of T12 (Charles Schwab Challenge) and T10 (RBC Canadian Open) in his last two events. He has gained at least 0.50 strokes on approach in each of his last three events and at least 0.85 strokes putting in his last two.

Others to Consider:

Adam Svensson ($9,900 | +5000)
Erik van Rooyen ($9,700 | +6000)
Mark Hubbard ($9,000 | +10000)

Rocket Mortgage Classic Daily Fantasy Value Plays

Justin Lower ($8,600 | +12000)

Justin Lower ended a run of three consecutive missed cuts with a T50 finish at the U.S. Open, where he gained strokes in every category except off tee at a very difficult Pinehurst No. 2.

Lower is 23rd in the field in strokes gained: approach and has gained strokes on approach in six of his last seven events with shotlink data. His missed cut streak was due to troubles on and around the greens, but he bounced back in both stats at Pinehurst -- +0.82 strokes gained: putting and +0.35 strokes gained: around the greens. For his career, he is a plus with the flat stick and has putted well here in the past -- +1.76 strokes (2023) and +1.30 strokes (2022).

He is 55th on tour in Birdie or Better rate this season and only slightly below the tour average in Par 5 Birdie or Better rate. In his two appearances at this event, he finished T30 (2022) and eighth (2023).

Michael Kim ($8,500 | +12000)

Michael Kim has three top-20 finishes and two missed cuts in his last five individual events. His total strokes gained average this season (+0.26) is the second-best mark of his career and best since 2017 (+0.29). Over the last three months, Kim is 24th in the field in total strokes gained, 31st in strokes gained: approach, and 47th in strokes gained: putting.

Kim is sixth on tour this season -- and first in the field this week -- in Birdie or Better Rate. He is 32nd on tour in Par 5 Birdie or Better rate.

Others to Consider:

Ryo Hisatsune ($8,700 | +10000)
Andrew Novak ($8,300 | +15000)
Mac Meissner ($8,200 | +15000)

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Looking to use your knowledge to build some daily fantasy golf lineups? Check out all of this week's contests over at FanDuel and all golf betting odds and markets at FanDuel Sportsbook.

The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.

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