Bob Weeks Picks Six – Rocket Mortgage Classic
Published
The end of the PGA Tour’s regular season is just two events away and that means plenty of intrigue for players trying to stay inside the top 125 on the FedEx Cup standings. Of course there is also a hunt to move up as high as possible on that same list, trying to advance as far as possible, hopefully into the Tour Championship.
In other words, there’s still lots to play for at the historic Detroit Golf Club. While it’s not a stacked field, there are 28 of the top 100 and 11 of the top 50 entered.
*Odds via FanDuel*
To win
Patrick Cantlay +1000
OK, I know. He’s the favourite so this is a pretty easy pick to make. Of course there’s good reason for that. Cantlay sits fourth in the world ranking and sixth on the FedEx Cup list. While his only win this year came as part of a duo with Xander Schauffele in New Orleans, since the Memorial, he’s been on a run with finishes of third, 14th, 13th, fourth and eighth. He’s also been good at making birdies this season with 233 in 52 rounds, which puts him fourth in birdie average. Like I said, there’s a good reason to consider him.
Cameron Young +1600
A good case can be made for Young as the best player this year without a win. He’s had four seconds and two thirds this year and finished second at the Open Championship in his last start. He’s currently ranked second in Strokes Gained: Off the Tee and 17th in Strokes Gained: Total. It’s definitely been a good year for Young. Consider, too, that last year at this time he was playing the Price Cutter Charity Championship presented by Dr. Pepper on the Korn Ferry Tour. He missed the cut in that one.
Top 10 finish
Keegan Bradley +360
Yup, I know his recent form isn’t that great with missed cuts at both the Scottish and Open championships, but I look at Keegan as a Motown kinda guy, rather than a linksy fellow. His game has been solid this year and he sits 14th Strokes Gained: Tee to Green and 15th Strokes Gained: Total. And earlier this year he went 240 holes without a three-putt, so there’s that. He also tied for 14th here a year ago.
Kevin Kisner +370
Ended a streak of four missed cuts with a tie for sixth at the Travelers Championship and a tie for 21st at the Open. Earlier this season he had solid finishes with a second at the Match Play (losing the final to Scottie Scheffler) and a fourth place at the Players. His great putting – he’s 13th Strokes Gained: Putting – will come in handy on the tricky greens in Detroit.
Top 20 Finishes
Michael Gligic +500
No one plays better than a guy just outside the top 125 and that’s where Gligic is, sitting 140th on the FedEx Cup list. His recent form shows that he knows what he needs to do and has found a bit of a groove. He’s made the cut in his last five starts, three of which were inside the top 21. While all parts of his game seem to be hitting stride, his putter is working especially well, being on the positive side of Strokes Gained: Putting in those last five starts.
Callum Tarren +360
Tarren is the Bubble Boy this week, sitting in 126th position on the FedEx Cup standings. So essentially, he needs a good week to avoid having it come down to the wire next week at the Wyndham Championship. In his last four starts, he’s had three finishes inside the top 22 with a tie for seventh at last week’s 3M Championship. The British golfer is 10th in Driving Distance and can use that to his advantage this week on the 7,300-yard layout.