The Rocket Mortgage Classic takes centre stage this week. It’s a low-key event with just Tom Kim representing the world’s top 20 players. Despite having heavily tree-lined fairways, plentiful bunkers and small Poa Annua greens, the Par-72 Donald Ross-designed course is easy meat for the Tour professionals, with an average winning total of around 23 under-par. Driving distance and strokes-gained putting are the key stats.With all this in mind, here are my MAGNIFICENT SEVEN (Name and Current Price) selections for the Rocket Mortgage Classic. Bets should be placed by 11.30am on Thursday.
DAVIS THOMPSON 35/1: The 24-year-old Tour maiden is a former World#1 Amateur champion. Davis has been playing solid golf all season His T9 at the U.S. Open (played on another Donald Ross course) will have been a big confidence-booster and he finished T24 in this last year.
RYAN FOX 50/1: The Kiwi may look like a speculative choice but he’s been in sparkling form recently with 2 xT4s and a T7. He loves tree-lined set-ups so should be very much at home here.
TAYLOR PRENDRITH 28/1: The Canadian finished 16th in the U.S. Open and is another fan of Donald Ross courses. He ticks all the stats boxes and may benefit from an influx of fans from across the border, just a few miles from the course.
STEPHAN JAEGER 25/1: One of the few golfers to have finished ahead of the extraordinary Scottie Scheffler this year. That was in Houston in the spring and he hasn’t done much since but he’s got the right stats and has been top 10 in the last two renewals of this.
AKSHAY BATHIA 20/1: What’s not to like about the affable World #29? Given his incredible recent consistency, he must have an outstanding chance to land this third PGA title in Detroit.
AARON RAI 33/1: I know, I know, but the sweet-swinging Englishman has a game made for Detroit. He’s one of the world’s best ball-strikers and finished 9th here last year.
ROBERT MACINTYRE 40/1: We can’t desert him after he won for us at 80-1 in the Canadian Open last month. The Scottish lefty has secured 5 top 20s in the last two months and should be in the mix again.
Bet 1 point each way on all and after round 3, beware Tom Kim 12/1 (too short a price before the off) and the perennial defending champion, Rickie Fowler 66/1,
Good Luck – Sandy Lane
PS: The Captain shares his Betfair slip – which he sincerely hopes does not join his May Election Date Slip in the round bucket by the door!The Captain has dutched these to return approx 11/2 about his investment – but will look to “Green out” earlier.