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2023 Rocket Mortgage Classic: Head-to-Head Matchups Odds, Picks & Predictions

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With the lone New England Tour stop in the books and Massachusetts native Keegan Bradley punching his ticket to next year’s Sentry Tournament of Champions, the Tour moves to Michigan for the Rocket Mortgage Classic.

Detroit Golf Club will again host the fifth edition of this event. The Donald Ross design is a 7,370-yard, par-72 layout that is the flattest on the PGA Tour. Some rain earlier in the week has softened up the course, so tee shots won’t get a lot of roll. The greens, while small compared to other Tour courses, should hold approach shots extremely well. In the four previous events held at DGC, the winner was no less than 16 under par, so expect to see a lot of birdies and some eagles.

With those conditions in mind, we’ll be targeting golfers who are near the top of the rankings in Proximity to the Hole, Driving Distance and Accuracy, plus Birdie Average.

While this Tour stop doesn’t always attract the most talented golfers in the world - some opt to skip the next couple of weeks in preparation for the season’s final Major at Royal Liverpool Golf Club - we do have 14 of the top 40 in the Official World Golf Rankings (OWGR) in attendance, which is the deepest field they have ever had here.

Let’s get to the picks!

2023 Rocket Mortgage Classic: Head-to-Head Matchups Odds, Picks & Predictions

(Odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook)

Brandon Wu (-110) over Beau Hossler (-110)

Brandon Wu, not Dylan (who has the same last name but is unrelated), is enjoying a solid sophomore season on Tour. The Stanford alum has three top-10 finishes to his credit already and ranks 43rd in the FedEx Cup standings. Wu is ninth in Total Birdies and 24th in Birdie Average. Beau Hossler, on the other hand, is way down at 100th in Birdie Average and 130th in Driving Accuracy. Wu is a solid choice to finish ahead of Hossler this week.

Austin Eckroat (-110) over Brian Harman (-110)

After a bumpy start to the season, third-year pro Austin Eckroat has found his groove. The 24-year-old has made his last seven cuts, finished T2 at the Byron Nelson Classic and posted a T10 at the U.S. Open - a huge accomplishment for a young golfer. The Oklahoma State grad is 16th in Total Driving and 58th in Proximity. Those are good numbers considering he had such a tough start to the year. Harman, a 14-year veteran of the Tour, finished T2 last week at the Travelers Championship but has had an up-and-down season. The Georgia native has played here twice and missed the cut both times. The 112th-ranked golfer in SG: Approach to the Green should have another tough week, so backing Eckroat is the play.

Byeong Hun An (-120) over Mark Hubbard (+100)

Mark Hubbard is a name that pops up on leaderboards occasionally. The 34-year-old has three top-10 finishes this season. When his iron play is on, he contends. When it isn’t, he simply does not. The Denver native is ranked 123rd in SG: Off the Tee and 106th in SG: Putting. Not exactly a ringing endorsement of someone you want to back. “Ben” An, as he’s affectionately known, is a 12-year veteran of the Tour and can bomb it. An is fifth in Driving Distance and 17th in Putting Average. Backing An with confidence is the right play here.

Best of luck if you’re tailing! Let’s cash some tickets!

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