2026 Rocket Classic odds, picks and PGA Tour predictions

With just 2 more events until the FedExCup playoffs begin, players are making their final pushes up the standings to secure a berth in the postseason. This week marks the final iteration of the 2026 Rocket Classic, which is being hosted by the Detroit Golf Club on the recently restored North Course.

What is the story about?

With just 2 more events until the FedExCup playoffs begin, players are making their final pushes up the standings to secure a berth in the postseason. This week marks the final iteration of the 2026 Rocket Classic, which is being hosted by the Detroit Golf Club on the recently restored North Course. The event will not return to the schedule in 2027.

Below, we look at Rocket Classic odds and make our PGA Tour picks and predictions before the first round begins Thursday in Detroit, Michigan.

This tournament typically features a fairly weak field, but it's strong this week. Cameron Young is the favorite at +1100, with Chris Gotterup not far behind at +1800. The Tour's most recent winner, 21-year-old star Jackson Koivun, has the third-best odds to win at +2000,

tied with Xander Schauffele. Defending champion Aldrich Potgeiter comes in with pre-tournament odds of +8000.

The North Course at Detroit Golf Golf underwent a $16 million restoration project that was completed in time for this week's event, playing as a par 70 at 7,328 yards after being a par 72 in the past. The project was headed by architect Tyler Rae, who restored the course to resemble Donald Ross' original design. Green complexes were redone, bunkers were added throughout the course and deepened, making wayward shots more penalizing. Notably, 2 of the 5 par 5s on the course, Nos. 7 and 17, were changed to long par 4s, and the only water hazard on the property was removed and turned into a native grass area in front of the 14th green. It will no longer be a bomb-and-gouge course where long hitters have a significant advantage.

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Rocket Classic – Expert picks

Odds provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated Monday at 4:53 p.m. ET.

Ben Griffin (+2800)

Griffin is by no means a short hitter anymore, working to improve his clubhead speed in recent years. He's finished 33rd, 31st and 13th in the last 3 years at this event, and his play from tee-to-green in the last 3 months should put him in position to contend again at the Rocket Classic.

Chris Gotterup (+1800)

Gotterup is excellent off the tee, ranking fourth among players in this week's field in SG: off the tee in the last 3 months. He finished T-26 at the Rocket Classic last year and has made the cut in all 3 starts at this event. With how important play off the tee will be this week, Gotterup is a good choice.

Akshay Bhatia (+3500)

Bhatia's best asset has been his putter this year, but he's still gaining strokes off the tee, which is encouraging. He finished second here in 2023 and tied for 26th last year, showing good course history in Detroit. He missed the cut at The Open Championship, but before that, he finished 17th and 5th at the U.S. Open and Travelers Championship, respectively.

Rocket Classic picks – Contenders

Eric Cole (+6600)

Cole ranks 34th in par-4 scoring average this season, which is an important stat with only 2 par 5s on the course. He finished T-6 in his lone Rocket Classic start in 2024 and though he's cooled off since his hot run in June, he's still gained 0.50 strokes from tee to green in the last 3 months.

Michael Thorbjornsen (+4500)

Thorbjornsen is gaining strokes in all areas except putting in the last 3 months, which helped him finish T-7 at the Genesis Scottish Open earlier this month. After missing the cut in 2022 and 2024, Thorbjornsen tied for fourth here last year.

Davis Thompson (+5500)

Thompson excels on par 4s, ranking 12th in scoring average this season. He's 33rd in SG: tee-to-green among players in the field over the last 3 months and he's coming off a T-7 at the 3M Open last week where he gained 1.5 strokes on approach and 1.19 off the tee.

Rocket Classic picks – Long shots

Zecheng Dou (+10000)

Dou has played here once in his career, tying for 17th in 2023. Since the end of March, he's either missed the cut or finished in the top 21, missing 7 cuts in that span out of 10 tournaments. He's another guy who does well on par 4s, ranking 34th in scoring average this season.

Jordan Smith (+8000)

Smith has never played this event, but he's riding some momentum into the week, finishing 21st or better in 3 of his last 5 starts, including the Scottish Open and Open Championship. His ball striking has been good in his last 3 starts, gaining strokes from tee-to-green in all 3 tournaments.

For more sports betting picks and tips, check out SportsbookWire.com and BetFTW.

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