2023 Rocket Mortgage Classic
Detroit Golf Club
Welcome back, DFS Army! It’s your trusted guide, Josh Thomas, aka DFSUpNorth, here once again to provide you with in-depth insights and analysis. This time, we’re preparing for the 2023 Rocket Mortgage Classic, hosted at the historic Detroit Golf Club.
The Rocket Mortgage Classic has brought us a variety of winners over the years and it has been a contest of mental toughness, precise shot-making, and adaptability, against the backdrop of a course steeped in golfing history and tradition. The brainchild of renowned course architect, Donald Ross, Detroit Golf Club presents a unique challenge to every golfer who walks its fairways.
In this comprehensive preview, we will journey through the key strokes gained statistics that could determine success, and explore the architectural idiosyncrasies of the course that come into play. We will also dig into the rich tapestry of the tournament’s brief yet impactful history, illuminating how past events may inform the outcomes this year.
So strap in, DFS Army, and join me on this fascinating exploration of the 2023 Rocket Mortgage Classic. It’s time to use the past to unlock the future, as we create winning strategies for this highly anticipated event on the PGA Tour.
The Course:
Detroit Golf Club is steeped in history. Founded in 1899, it features two 18-hole courses, both designed by the renowned architect Donald Ross. For the Rocket Mortgage Classic, the tournament is played on a composite layout that includes holes from both the North and South courses, culminating in a par-72, 7,300-yard challenge.
The Rocket Mortgage Classic, which debuted in 2019, represents the city of Detroit’s first-ever regular PGA Tour event. The inaugural tournament was won by Nate Lashley (a Monday Qualifier). An inspiring story given his journey through personal tragedy.
Detroit Golf Club is no stranger to hosting major golf events. While its tenure as host of the Rocket Mortgage Classic since 2019 is relatively new, it has a storied history of hosting numerous professional and amateur golf tournaments.
One of the most prestigious tournaments to have graced the Detroit Golf Club is the Motor City Open. This tournament ran intermittently between 1948 and 1962, with winners including some of the most respected names in golf. The most famous of these was the legendary Arnold Palmer, who secured his first professional victory at the Motor City Open in 1954, heralding the arrival of one of golf’s greatest ever players.
In 1992, the Detroit Golf Club also played host to the U.S. Mid-Amateur Championship, one of the leading amateur events on the calendar. The event was won by Danny Yates, who triumphed in a tightly contested final match. This further solidified the club’s reputation as a venue capable of testing the very best in the game.
Last year, Tony Finau went back to back here, after winning the 3M open the week prior. His winning score of -26 was in line with previous winners as this is a noted birdie fest.
A standout feature of Detroit Golf Club is the sequence of holes from 7 to 9 on the North Course. It’s a three-hole stretch dubbed “Area 313,” in honor of Detroit’s area code. It comprises a reachable par-5 seventh, a potentially drivable par-4 eighth, and the par-3 ninth. Golfers who successfully navigate this area can make a significant move up the leaderboard.
Key Holes to Watch
- The 7th hole, a par-5, is a perfect eagle opportunity for the longer hitters, especially if they can find the fairway off the tee. The green is reachable in two for most, but any miss to the left will likely result in a challenging up-and-down for birdie.
- The 8th hole is a fascinating short par-4. It’s a risk-reward hole where golfers will decide to lay up for a full wedge into the green or get aggressive and go for the green off the tee.
- The 9th hole is a picturesque par-3. Despite its beauty, it’s a demanding hole that requires a well-struck shot to hit the green and avoid the bunkers surrounding it.
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Tournament Set-up:
Detroit Golf Club
Par: 36-36—72
Yardage: 7,370 (unofficial)
Architect (year): Donald Ross (1916)
Renovation Architect (year): Robert Trent Jones, Arthur Hills, Bruce Hepner
Average Green Size: 5,150 sq. ft.
Total Property Acres: 200 managed
Acres of Fairway: 30
Acres of Rough: 75
Number of Sand Bunkers: 87
Number of Water Hazards: 1
Number of Holes Water is in Play: 1
Greens: Bentgrass / Poa annua .100”
Collars: Bentgrass / Poa annua .350”
Approaches: Bentgrass / Poa annua .350”
Tees: Bentgrass / Poa annua .375”
Fairways: Bentgrass / Poa annua .375”
Rough: Bluegrass mix 4’
• Routing for the tournament: Tournament No. 1 and No. 2 are member’s No. 8 and No. 9 respectively. Tournament No. 3 will be played from North No. 1 tee box to South No. 1 green.
• Tournament was July 28-31 last year and course should play firmer this year due to very dry spring weather.
• No. 11 and 12 greens were vandalized in the spring with round up, but both greens were completely resodded May 16.
• Average widths of fairway landing areas are 30 yards
Links to DFS Army Tools
- PGA Research Station – Every single stat you could want for this week’s event!
- PGA Cheatsheets – Notes on all the viable players in the field
- PGA Domination Station – One-click Optimized Lineups in Seconds
Important Statistics
Strokes Gained: Key Statistics
To succeed at Detroit Golf Club, players need to excel in the following areas:
- Strokes Gained: Approach (SG:APP) – Ross’s designs are well-known for their challenging and complex green structures. A premium will be put on approach shots and controlling ball spin to navigate the undulating and segmented greens.
- Strokes Gained: Putting (SG:P) – With smaller than average green sizes, putting is going to be a significant factor. Players who are adept on the greens will have a considerable advantage.
- Strokes Gained: Off-the-Tee (SG:OTT) – While the course isn’t overly long, accurate drives will be important to position for the approach into these tough greens.
Key Factors Impacting Course Design
- Donald Ross Influence: Ross’s course designs typically put a premium on strategy and shot-making. His green complexes often feature challenging undulations and false fronts that penalize inaccurate shots.
- Tree-Lined Fairways: The fairways at Detroit Golf Club are lined with trees, emphasizing accuracy off the tee.
- Small Greens: The greens are smaller than average PGA Tour greens, and Ross’s designs usually involve complex green structures.
Understanding the layout of the course can also inform our DFS strategy. For instance, Detroit Golf Club features four Par-5s and four Par-3s, with the remainder being Par-4s. The Par-5s present strong birdie opportunities for the long hitters, while the Par-3s are varied in length, challenging players’ full range of iron shots.
Also, the closing stretch from holes 14-18 provides some of the most exciting golf of the week, with scoring opportunities on the par-5 14th and 17th holes and the risk/reward short par-4 15th.
Golfers coming in 🔥🔥🔥
Austin Eckroat: 32.35 SGT
Rickie Fowler: 29.22 SGT
C.T. Pan: 25.75 SGT
Sepp Straka: 21.04 SGT
Hideki Matsuyama: 20.63 SGT
NOTE: Does not account for SG this past week, will update when those numbers come in.
Golfers with 🔥🔥🔥 Rocket Mortgage History
JJ Spaun: 24.46 SGT
Troy Merritt: 22.43 SGT
Tony Finau: 19.71 SGT
Chris Kirk: 19.26 SGT
Nate Lashley: 16.73 SGT
Some interesting names here, it should be noted that Lashley’s numbers are almost entirely from his win as he has missed the cut twice and then finished 57th last year.
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Weather:
It’s summer in the midwest. 80’s in the afternoon with chances of pop up showers every day. I would imagine that we see some sort of delay at some point, but I’m doubtful we will see any sort of wave advantage this week.
Final Thoughts:
Detroit Golf Club is a birdie fest, as demonstrated by the winning scores since the tournament’s inception. Finau won by fiver at -26, Cam Davis was the slouch at -18 in 2021, Lashley finished at a whopping -25 under par in 2019, and DeChambeau secured victory with -23 under par in 2020.
For DFS purposes, players who can go low and rack up birdies in bunches are at a premium here. Scoring is paramount, so targeting aggressive players who can capitalize on the par-5s and the shorter par-4s will be a key part of the strategy.
Additionally, current form plays a big role in this event. Winners in the past have come into the week off strong finishes at prior events. Keeping an eye on golfers trending upwards can provide a significant edge in building your DFS lineups.
As we gear up for the 2023 Rocket Mortgage Classic, it’s essential to stay flexible, keep an eye on the weather, and watch for those players who are primed to light up Detroit Golf Club with a flurry of birdies. I will break it all down for our VIPs with my weekly PGA Cheatsheets! This is DFSUpNorth, Josh Thomas, signing off. Best of luck to everyone in their DFS contests this week. Let’s get those green screens!
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