Racing Post's Rocket Mortgage Classic first-round preview and free golf betting tips

Where to watch Rocket Mortgage Classic

Live on Sky Sports Golf from 5pm on Thursday

Best bets

Sungjae Im to win 6.05pm threeball
3pts 15-8 BoyleSports

Thomas Detry to win 7pm threeball
3pts 13-10 bet365

Callum Tarren top GB & Ireland
2pts 13-2 Hills

Rocket Mortgage Classic first-round preview

Another birdie-fest is expected for the second straight week on the PGA Tour as the action heads to Detroit Golf Club for the Rocket Mortgage Classic and a resurgent Sungjae Im should be backed to win his threeball against Justin Thomas and Hideki Matsuyama.

South Korean star Im has not been at his best since winning on the Korean Tour in May but a confidence-boosting tie for 29th at last week's Travelers Championship suggests he is heading in the right direction again. The 25-year-old is often a model of consistency when it comes to tee-to-green play and these facets of his game should see him go low in Detroit, where he finished eighth in 2021.

Thomas did manage a tied-ninth finish at the Travelers but he is still striving to find his best golf and will be making his tournament debut this week, so there is enough doubt to swerve him, while Hideki Matsuyama's struggles on the greens will cost him on a course where you need to be making plenty of birdies.

Belgian Thomas Detry's wait for a first PGA Tour title goes on and while he may not end up lifting the trophy on Sunday, he should have more than enough to get the better of Zac Blair and Ryan Armour in his 7pm (UK) threeball on Thursday.

Possessing that extra power has proven to be a beneficial attribute for previous winners of the Rocket Mortgage Classic and the 30-year-old Detry comfortably outmuscles his playing partners, with his average driving distance is almost 30 yards more than that of Blair and Armour.

Another big driver in the field is England's Callum Tarren and he is worth siding with to beat his eight other rivals in the Top GB & Ireland category. The Darlington swinger averages 308.6 yards in driving distance on the PGA Tour and he is unrivalled in this department when it comes to British players.

Tarren was 20th on debut here last year and he is full of confidence heading into his second stab in Detroit, having produced a couple of positive efforts at the Canadian Open and Travelers Championship on his last two outings. Expect him to let the big dog rip once again.

Compatriot Matt Wallace is a potential danger but his form has nosedived since his Corales Puntacana Championship victory in March and he's worth opposing, while market leader Aaron Rai has been hit-and-miss this season and it's hard to back him with any confidence.

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