Steve Palmer's Rocket Mortgage Classic predictions & free golf betting tips

Golf tips, best bets and player analysis for the Rocket Mortgage Classic at Detroit GC on the PGA Tour.

Where to watch

Live on Sky Sports Golf red button from 12pm on Thursday

Best bets

Kevin Kisner
3pts each-way 35-1 Hills

Cam Davis
2.5pts each-way 30-1 Hills

Cameron Champ
1.5pts each-way 60-1 bet365

Rickie Fowler
1pt each-way 90-1 bet365

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Tony Finau completed a PGA Tour hat-trick on Sunday and is chasing back-to-back victories in this week's Rocket Mortgage Classic. The giant Utah man will be popular as he bids to follow 3M Open glory in Minnesota with another trophy in Detroit.

Finau faces stronger opposition this week - Patrick Cantlay, Will Zalatoris, Cameron Young and Max Homa are rejoining the fray - and the 3M Open champion does not have the same course credentials. Finau was third in the 2020 3M Open, dropping a huge hint, but he was 53rd in his only previous visit to Detroit GC.

Finau, available at 14-1 last week, is 16-1 for this more difficult mission, and can be left alone. Cantlay, winless this year as an individual, is making his Detroit debut, while Zalatoris finished last of the weekend qualifiers in his first Rocket Mortgage last year.

Steve Palmer's top tip

Kevin Kisner 35-1

Glide through the market leaders and you reach Kevin Kisner, who appeals as the best golf bet of the week. Kisner appears to be getting back to his best - and his A-game is extremely good.

This is a four-time PGA Tour champion who won the WGC-Match Play in 2019. His most recent victory was last summer in the Wyndham Championship on a Donald Ross-designed course. He tackles another Ross creation this week.

Detroit GC is playing firm and fast, which is ideal for Kisner, who loves it when there is plenty of run on the ball. And he has shown a liking to this layout in previous visits, finishing third and eighth in the last two Rocket Mortgage Classics.

The 38-year-old has clicked into gear at the perfect time to rocket up the Detroit leaderboard. Kisner started 2022 in fine fashion, playing well on the Hawaii Swing before fourth place at Sawgrass and a runner-up effort in the WGC-Match Play, then struggled for three months. Sixth place in the Travelers Championship showed he was back in business, though, then he followed up with 21st spot in the Open Championship at St Andrews last time out.

Next best bet

Cam Davis 30-1

Sweet-swinging Australian youngster Cam Davis has been a staking-plan regular in recent weeks and the advice is to keep the faith. From the Masters onwards, he has produced some fantastic golf, finishing third in the Heritage, seventh at Colonial, eighth in the John Deere Classic, sixth in the Barracuda, then 16th last week in the 3M Open.

This week Davis has returned to the scene of his greatest triumph - he is the defending champion - and the Sydney man will be confident of producing a stout title defence.

Other selections

Cameron Champ 60-1

Rickie Fowler 90-1

Cameron Champ got off to an awful start in the 3M Open last week, struggling to six over par through seven holes in strong winds. An eagle at the 18th hole ignited this powerhouse, though, and he covered his final 55 holes in 13 under par for 16th place.

Champ, who finished 12th in the 2020 Rocket Mortgage, should take huge encouragement from those closing rounds of 68, 67, 67 in the 3M Open, and the three-time PGA Tour champion seems a Detroit dangerman.

Complete a four-pronged attack with Rickie Fowler, who only needs to get somewhere close to his best to be a factor in this grade. The six-time PGA Tour champion, a former world number one amateur and former world number four professional, has been showing signs of life lately. A share of 23rd in the US PGA was particularly encouraging. Fowler tied with Champ for 12th spot in the 2020 Rocket Mortgage.

Players to note

Nick Hardy
The PGA Tour rookie has been buzzing for two months and could make waves on his Rocket Mortgage Classic debut.

Maverick McNealy
Course form of 8-21, along with current form of 8-16-9-49, makes the former world number one amateur of interest, but this is his sixth consecutive week of competition.

Adam Hadwin
The Canadian, fourth in the 2020 Rocket Mortgage and seventh in the US Open last month, is entitled to respect in this grade.

Davis Riley
A 3M Open debut turned into a missed cut by a shot, but the PGA Tour Rookie of the Year contender could easily bounce back in Detroit.

Detroit GC course guide

Course Detroit Golf Club, Detroit, Michigan
Prize money $8.4m ($1.35m to the winner)
Length 7,370 yards
Par 72 - four par-fives; ten par-fours; four par-threes
Field 156 The cut Top 65 and ties qualify for round three
Highest-ranked players in field (world ranking in brackets) Patrick Cantlay (4), Will Zalatoris (13), Tony Finau (16), Cameron Young (19), Max Homa (20)

Course records - 72 holes 263 Nate Lashley (2019) 18 holes 63 Nate Lashley (2019, twice), JT Poston (2019)

Course winners taking part Nate Lashley, Cam Davis

When to bet By 11.45am on Thursday

When to watch Live on Sky Sports Golf red button from 12pm on Thursday

Time difference Michigan is five hours behind the UK and Ireland

Last week - 3M Open 1 T Finau (14-1), T2 S Im (20-1), E Grillo (55-1), T4 J Hahn (150-1), T Hoge (80-1), S Piercy (150-1), T7 D Willett (100-1), C Tarren (125-1), G Sigg (100-1)

Course type Parkland

Course overview The inaugural Rocket Mortgage Classic took place in 2019 on a mixture of holes from the two Donald Ross designs at Detroit Golf Club – the North Course (17 of the holes) and the South (the third hole). As well as DGC, famous designer Ross has crafted many other PGA Tour venues, including East Lake, home of the Tour Championship, Plainfield Country Club, which hosted the 2011 Barclays and the 2015 Northern Trust, Oak Hill Country Club, which staged the 2003 and 2013 US PGAs, Oakland Hills, which hosted the 2008 US PGA, Sedgefield CC, home of the Wyndham, Aronimink, which staged the 2010 and 2011 AT&T National and the 2018 BMW Championship, and Pinehurst, which hosted the 1999, 2005 and 2014 US Opens. Despite tree-lined fairways, heavy bunkering and small, poa annua greens at DGC, the course has proved a doddle for the PGA Tour stars, with winning scores of 25, 23 and 18 under par. There are water hazards on the seventh and 14th, but four par-fives create excellent scoring chances on a flat, easy layout

Story of last year Cam Davis won a three-man playoff against Troy Merritt and Joaquin Niemann, winning with a par at the fifth extra hole

Weather forecast Set fair, with sunshine throughout, temperatures in the high 20s, and no wind

Type of player suited to the challenge This classic, typically firm, fast Donald Ross design traditionally demands accuracy from tee to green, especially on approach to small, undulating greens, and the first two home in 2019 were precision operators. Powerhouses Bryson DeChambeau and Matt Wolff made merry when the track was soft in 2020. Dry weather this week suggests more control will be needed

Key attribute Accuracy

Spotlight insight Two of the three Rocket Mortgage Classic winners were PGA Tour maidens

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