You can read Liam Williams’ Power Rankings for the Rocket Classic at bet365 News.
Course Guide: Detroit Golf Club is 10 miles north-west of central Detroit. An historic club established in 1899, Detroit Golf Club has just completed a significant renovation led by architect Tyler Rae. The project modernised Donald Ross’s original design by rebuilding greens to USGA specifications, improving drainage and irrigation, reshaping bunkers, expanding fairway options, and restoring strategic features that had been lost over time.
As per Donald Ross design classics, Detroit features uneven fairway lies and plenty of front-to-back contoured and multi-layered undulations within green complexes. Scoring-wise the speed of the greens dictate scoring, so it will be interesting with a hot weather forecast plus 18 new greens for players to decipher.
Detroit Golf Club, Detroit, Michigan: Designer: Donald Ross 1916 with Andrew Green renovation; Course Type: Classical, Mid-Score, Medium Length; Par: 70; Length: 7,328 yards; Holes with Water In-Play: 0; Number of Sand Bunkers: 103; Acres of Fairway: 32; Fairways: Bentgrass; Rough: Tall Fescue with Bluegrass mix 4″; Greens: 6,703 sq.ft average featuring Bentgrass; Tournament Stimp: 11ft.
Fairway Widths (yards): Below are the fairway widths for Detroit Golf Club and how they compare to recent courses that we’ve seen on Tour:
- Detroit Golf Club: 26 yards at 300 yards.
- TPC Twin Cities: 36 yards at 300 yards.
- Corales GC: 75 yards at 300 yards.
- Hurstbourne CC: 25-30 yards at 300 yards
- TPC Deere Run: 36 yards at 300 yards.
- TPC River Highlands: 29 yards at 300 yards.
- Shinnecock Hills: 45 yards at 300 yards.
- TPC Toronto: 35-37 yards at 300 yards.
- Muirfield Village: 24 yards at 300 yards.
- Colonial: 25-30 yards at 300 yards.
- TPC Craig Ranch: 25-28 yards.
- Aronimink: 30 yards.
- Quail Hollow: 28 yards.
- Blue Monster, Doral: 25-40 yards.
- Harbour Town: 22-25 yards.
- Augusta National: Average 50 yards.
- Oaks Course: 25-30 yards.
- Memorial Park: 30–40 yards.
- Copperhead: Average 20 yards.
- TPC Sawgrass: Average 28 yards.
- Bay Hill: Average 30 yards.
- PGA National: Average 28 yards.
- Riviera: Average 27 yards.
- Pebble Beach: Average 30-33 yards. Spyglass Hill: 25-30 yards.
- TPC Scottsdale: Average 38 yards.
- Torrey Pines South: Average 24-27 yards. Torrey Pines North: Average 24-27 yards.
- Pete Dye Stadium: Average 33 yards.
Course Scoring Average + PGA Tour Difficulty Rank:
- 2025: 69.59 (-2.41), Rank 45 of 50 courses
- 2024: 70.54 (-1.46), Rank 32 of 51 courses
- 2023: 69.92 (-2.08), Rank 43 of 49 courses
- 2022: 70.40 (-1.60), Rank 38 of 50 courses
- 2021: 70.55 (-1.45), Rank 40 of 51 courses
- 2020: 70.05 (-1.95), Rank 38 of 41 courses
- 2019: 70.11 (-1.89), Rank 42 of 49 courses
Course Designer Links: For research purposes other Donald Ross designs include:
- Aronimink Golf Club – 2018 BMW Championship + 2026 PGA Championship
- East Course at Oak Hill – 2013 + 2023 PGA Championship
- East Lake Country Club – Tour Championship
- Pinehurst Number 2 – 2014 & 2024 U.S. Open
- Plainfield – 2011 & 2015 Barclays
- Sedgefield Country Club – Wyndham Championship
Course Overview: Detroit Golf Club is a Donald Ross 1916 original which has received a 2025/2026 Tyler Rae renovation. Key take outs are that the course has a new format, whereby a 7,370 yard Par 72 has become a 7,328 yard Par 70. Holes 4 (592 yards) and 14 (561 yards) are the only looks now at a par-5, where there used to be 4 per round. This is bound to see a slightly higher tide mark in terms of scoring as the 7th and 17th are now long par-4s measuring 505 and 537 yards respectively.
There are some routing changes, but the main changes are to the green complexes. All 18 have been rebuilt featuring fresh Bentgrass surfaces – no Poa Annua at this stage. The renovation has restored green edges and original Ross contours, recovering pin positions lost over decades. Green sizes are up significantly from 5,170 sq.ft. average to 6,703 sq. ft. They’ll be heavily watered but new greens tend to repel approach shots for the first year at least, so this may subdue scoring in 2026.
The course now features larger fairway areas – up 2 acres in total – Tyler Rae widened selected strategic landing areas to restore Donald Ross’s original playing corridors while also narrowing other areas to improve strategy. Overall fairway width is down from 30 yards to 26 yards. Bunker work has also been substantial, especially around greens. The number of bunkers on the course has increased from 83 to 103.
The project modernised Donald Ross’s original design by rebuilding greens to USGA specifications, improving drainage and irrigation, reshaping bunkers, expanding fairway options and restoring strategic features that had been lost over time. Several tees were adjusted to better match modern driving distances, while trees were selectively removed to enhance turf health and reintroduce Ross’s intended sightlines. Although the course remains a low-scoring venue, the renovation aims to reward more thoughtful shot-making and strategic course management.
All-in-all, with new greens and 8 less looks at par-5s across the 4 days, I’d expect the winning score to be to be around the -20/260 mark.
Rocket Classic Winners: 2025: Aldrich Potgieter (-22); 2024: Cam Davis (-18); 2023: Rickie Fowler (-24); 2022: Tony Finau (-26); 2021: Cam Davis (-18); 2020: Bryson DeChambeau (-23); 2019: Nate Lashley (-25).
- 2025: Aldrich Potgieter 62-70-65-69 -22/266 PM/AM Wave
- 2024: Cam Davis 68-66-66-69 -18/270 PM/AM Wave
- 2023: Rickie Fowler 67-65-64-68 -24/264 AM/PM Wave
- 2022: Tony Finau 64-66-65-67 -26/262 AM/PM Wave
- 2021: Cam Davis 68-68-67-67 -18/270 AM/PM Wave
- 2020: Bryson DeChambeau 66-67-67-65 -23/265 PM/AM Wave
- 2019: Nate Lashley 63-67-63-70 -25/263 AM/PM Wave
OWGR of Rocket Classic Winners: 2025: Potgieter 123; 2024: Davis 67; 2023: Fowler 35; 2022: Finau 16; 2021: Davis 134; 2020: DeChambeau 10; 2019: Lashley 353.
Datagolf Ranking Rocket Classic Winners: 2025: Potgieter 253; 2024: Davis 147; 2023: Fowler 9; 2022: Finau 10; 2021: Davis 89.
Rocket Classic Cut Line: 2025: -6; 2024: -4; 2023: -4; 2022: -3; 2021: -3; 2020: -5; 2019: -5.
Lead Score Progression:
- 2025: Round 1 -10; Round 2 -14; Round 3 -19; Round 4 -22.
- 2024: Round 1 -8; Round 2 -13; Round 3 -17; Round 4 -18.
- 2023: Round 1 -8; Round 2 -13; Round 3 -20; Round 4 -24.
- 2022: Round 1 -8; Round 2 -15; Round 3 -21; Round 4 -26.
- 2021: Round 1 -9; Round 2 -10; Round 3 -14; Round 4 -18.
- 2020: Round 1 -7; Round 2 -12; Round 3 -19; Round 4 -23.
- 2019: Round 1 -9; Round 2 -14; Round 3 -23; Round 4 -25.
to Victory: Below are the round positions for the winners of the Rocket Classic since 2019:
- 2025 – Aldrich Potgieter: Round 1: 1st, Round 2: 5th, Round 3: 1st.
- 2024 – Cam Davis: Round 1: 17th, Round 2: 7th, Round 3: 3rd.
- 2023 – Rickie Fowler: Round 1: 14th, Round 2: 3rd, Round 3: 1st.
- 2022 – Tony Finau: Round 1: 1st, Round 2: 2nd, Round 3: 1st.
- 2021 – Cam Davis: Round 1: 21st, Round 2: 6th, Round 3: 3rd.
- 2020 – Bryson DeChambeau: Round 1: 4th, Round 2: 3rd, Round 3: 2nd.
- 2019 – Nate Lashley: Round 1: 1st, Round 2: 1st, Round 3: 1st.
Shots From the Lead: Below are the Rocket Classic winners since 2019 and where they were positioned in terms of shots from the lead during the tournament:
- 2025 – Aldrich Potgieter: Round 1: level, Round 2: 2 back, Round 3: 2 ahead.
- 2024 – Cam Davis: Round 1: 4 back, Round 2: 3 back, Round 3: 1 back.
- 2023 – Rickie Fowler: Round 1: 3 back, Round 2: 1 back, Round 3: 1 ahead.
- 2022 – Tony Finau: Round 1: level, Round 2: 1 back Round 3: level.
- 2021 – Cam Davis: Round 1: 5 back, Round 2: 2 back, Round 3: 1 back.
- 2020 – Bryson DeChambeau: Round 1: 1 back, Round 2: 1 back, Round 3: 3 back.
- 2019 – Nate Lashley: Round 1: 1 ahead, Round 2: 1 ahead, Round 3: 6 ahead.
Incoming Form of Rocket Classic winners since 2019:
- Aldrich Potgieter: 6th Colonial/MC Myrtle/MC Craig Ranch/MC Corales.
- Cam Davis: 48th Travelers/MC US Open/50th Memorial/56th Colonial.
- Rickie Fowler: 13th Travelers/5th US Open/9th Memorial/6th Colonial.
- Tony Finau: 1st 3M Open/28th Open/13th River Highlands/MC US Open.
- Cam Davis: MC Memorial/45th Colonial/59th PGA/26th Quail Hollow.
- Bryson DeChambeau: 6th River Highlands/8th Harbour/3rd Colonial/4th Bay Hill.
- Nate Lashley: 28th US Open/MC Hamilton/69th Colonial/29th Trinity Forest.
Tournament Stats: We’ve published some key player statistics for this week’s event that are well worth a look. Naturally they’ll help to shape a view on players who could go well this week: Current Form | Tournament Form | First Round Leader | Combined Stats.
My published predictor is available here. Top 10 of my published predictor are: 1) Chris Gotterup; 2) Xander Schauffele; 3) Patrick Cantlay; 4) Cameron Young, 5) Wyndham Clark; 6) Si Woo Kim; 7) Russell Henley; 8) Hideki Matsuyama; 9) J.J. Spaun; 10) Brooks Koepka.
Our brand new predictor model is running alongside, where you can build your own rankings in live time, using the variables listed on the left hand side.
Rocket Classic Winning Prices: 2025: Potgieter 125/1; 2024: Davis 75/1; 2023: Fowler 14/1; 2022: Finau 14/1; 2021: Davis 150/1; 2020: DeChambeau 7/1F; 2019: Lashley 250/1. Past 5 Renewals Average: 76/1; Average: 91/1.
Historical Weather:
- 2025: Thursday: Mostly cloudy. High of 87. SSW wind 4-10 mph. Friday: Partly cloudy. High of 90. SW wind 6-20 mph, gusts up to 24 mph. Saturday: Partly cloudy. High of 83. Wind WNW 10-18 mph. Sunday: Mostly sunny. High of 90. Wind S 5-12 mph.
- 2024: Thursday: Mostly sunny. High of 75. Wind N 6-12 mph. Friday: Mostly cloudy, with light rain in the afternoon. High of 78. Wind S 6-12 mph. Saturday: Mostly cloudy with thunderstorms in the morning. High of 85. Wind WSW 12-15 mph, with gusts to 25 mph. The start of the third round was delayed 2 hours due to inclement weather and wet course conditions. Sunday: Mostly cloudy and breezy. High of 70. Wind NW 10-15 mph, with gusts to 25 mph.
- 2023: Thursday: Partly cloudy and hazy with scattered showers. High of 84. Wind SSE 8-15 mph. Friday: Partly cloudy. High of 88. Wind SW 5-10 mph. Saturday: Mostly cloudy with thunderstorms. High of 84. Wind SW 5-10 mph. Play was suspended due to inclement weather at 2:48 p.m. ET and resumed at 4:30 p.m. (delay of 1 hour, 42 minutes). Sunday: Cloudy with showers. High of 77. Wind ENE 4-8 mph.
- 2022: Thursday: Partly cloudy. High of 83. Wind WSW 12-18 mph, with gusts to 30 mph. Friday: Mostly cloudy. High of 81. Wind W 10-15, with gusts to 20 mph. Saturday: Sunny. High of 84. Wind SW 5-10 mph. Sunday: Partly cloudy. High of 85. Wind S 7-14 mph.
- 2021: Thursday: Partly cloudy with showers. High of 80. Wind NNE 8-14 mph, with gusts to 20 mph. Due to inclement weather, play was suspended from 12:15 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. ET. Due to darkness, the first round was suspended at 9:02 p.m. with 27 players left on the golf course. Preferred lies were in effect during the first round. Friday: The first round resumed at 7:15 a.m. Friday and was completed at 8:15 a.m. The second round began as scheduled at 6:45 a.m. Partly cloudy. High of 76. Wind N 10-15, with gusts to 25 mph. Saturday: Partly cloudy. High of 83. Wind SW 8-14, gusting to 18 mph. Sunday: Mostly sunny. High of 90. Wind NW 4-8 mph, switching to SE 5-10 mph in the afternoon.
- 2020: Thursday: Sunny. High of 91. Wind N 4-8 mph. Friday: Partly cloudy. High of 90. Wind N 4-8 mph. Saturday: Sunny. High of 89. Wind ENE 6-12 mph. Sunday: Sunny. High of 90. Wind SSE 5-10 mph.
- 2019: Thursday: Partly cloudy. High of 89. Wind S 5-10 mph. Friday: Partly cloudy. High of 90. Wind WNW 5-10 mph. Saturday: Partly cloudy. High of 86. Wind NW 7-14 mph. Sunday: Mostly sunny. High of 85. Wind NNE 6-12 mph.
Weather Forecast: Latest weather forecast for Detroit, Michigan is here.
Hot, humid temperatures will greet the players in Michigan this week. 30-32 degrees Celsius – 86-90 Fahrenheit, will be in situ across the week. With that level of heat it’s almost automatic that the risk of thunderstorms is part of the forecast, particularly on Saturday. Wind looks light – lighter than 2025 – so the ball will travel this week.
Strokes Gained Rankings: These top 25 in the field rankings are based on an 8-tournament window that stretches back to the Memorial Tournament / KLM Open which includes both PGA Tour and DP World Tour events, where recorded. Player rankings are based on performance relative to the rest of the field:
- Top 25 SG Off The Tee: 1) Matthieu Pavon; 2) Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen; 3) Chris Gotterup; 4) Marco Penge; 5) Xander Schauffele; 6) Marcelo Rozo; 7) Andrew Novak; 8) Cameron Young; 9) Neal Shipley / Jesper Svensson; 11) Michael Brennan / Patrick Fishburn / Ryan Gerard; 14) Rickie Fowler; 15) Gordon Sargent; 16) Jason Day; 17) Lee Hodges; 18) Jackson Koivun / Jordan Smith / Kevin Yu; 21) Marty Dou; 22) Tony Finau / Steven Fisk / Alejandro Tosti / Kris Ventura.
- Top 25 SG Approach: 1) Billy Horschel; 2) Joel Dahmen; 3) William Mouw; 4) Lucas Glover / Si Woo Kim; 6) Cameron Young; 7) Christiaan Bezuidenhout / Davis Chatfield; 9) Keegan Bradley / Austin Smotherman / Matt Wallace; 12) Chris Gotterup / Tom Hoge; 14) Jackson Suber; 15) Ben Griffin; 16) A.J. Ewart / Chris Kirk; 18) Ryo Hisatsune; 19) J.J. Spaun; 20) Stephan Jaeger; 21) Jacob Bridgeman; 22) Russell Henley / John Parry; 24) Denny McCarthy; 25) Neal Shipley.
- Top 25 SG Around The Green: 1) Jason Day; 2) Matt Kuchar; 3) Vince Whaley; 4) Hideki Matsuyama; 5) Chandler Philips; 6) Wyndham Clark; 7) Gordon Sargent; 8) Ricky Castillo; 9) Adrien Dumont de Chassart / Ryan Gerard / Jackson Suber; 12) Stephan Jaeger; 13) Ben Griffin; 14) Akshay Bhatia; 15) Harris English; 16) Patrick Rodgers; 17) Mackenzie Hughes / Xander Schauffele; 19) Michael Thorbjornsen; 20) Takumi Kanaya / Taylor Pendrith / Cameron Young; 23) Keegan Bradley / Harry Hall / Sungjae Im.
- Top 25 SG Tee to Green: 1) Si Woo Kim / Cameron Young; 3) Chris Gotterup; 4) Ben Griffin; 5) Keegan Bradley; 6) Wyndham Clark / Joel Dahmen; 8) Hideki Matsuyama; 9) Matt Wallace; 10) Lucas Glover; 11) Ryan Gerard; 12) Jackson Koivun; 13) Billy Horschel; 14) Michael Thorbjornsen; 15) Corey Conners / Xander Schauffele/ Jackson Suber; 18) Jacob Bridgeman / Rickie Fowler / Marco Penge; 21) Christiaan Bezuidenhout / Michael Brennan / Patrick Cantlay / Tom Hoge / Kevin Yu.
- Top 25 SG Putting: 1) Webb Simpson; 2) Matt McCarty; 3) Emiliano Grillo; 4) Erik van Rooyen; 5) Matt Kuchar; 6) Wyndham Clark; 7) Nick Taylor; 8) Russell Henley / Garrick Higgo; 10) Jacob Bridgeman; 11) Davis Chatfield / Denny McCarthy; 13) Chandler Phillips; 14) Ryan Gerard / Doug Ghim / Max Greyserman; 17) Eric Cole / Chris Gotterup; 19) A.J. Ewart / Mac Meissner; 21) Ricky Castillo / Nico Echavarria / David Lipsky / Marco Penge / Gordon Sargent.
- Top 25 SG Total: 1) Emiliano Grillo; 2) Wyndham Clark; 3) Chris Gotterup; 4) Marco Penge; 5) Ryan Gerard; 6) Si Woo Kim; 7) Jacob Bridgeman; 8) Chandler Phillips; 9) Ben Griffin; 10) Davis Chatfield / Hideki Matsuyama / Cameron Young; 13) Russell Henley; 14) Patrick Cantlay / Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen; 16) Christiaan Bezuidenhout / Jackson Koivun / Jackson Suber; 19) Keegan Bradley / Ben James; 21) Rickie Fowler; 22) Corey Conners / Doug Ghim / Lee Hodges / Ryo Hisatsune / Lee Hodges / J.J. Spaun / Michael Thorbjornsen.
For a summary of the Strokes Gained Performances from this week’s field here at Detroit Golf Club click here.
Trends & Key Factors: Analysing the Strokes Gained Stats of the Rocket Classic winners here at Detroit Golf Club gives us a little more insight into the requirements for this north-eastern parkland test:
Strokes Gained Tournament Trends:
- 2025, Aldrich Potgieter (-22). SG Off the Tee: 7th, SG Approach: 6th, SG Around the Green: 31st, SG Tee to Green: 2nd, SG Putting: 35th.
- 2024, Cam Davis (-18). SG Off the Tee: 28th, SG Approach: 12th, SG Around the Green: 9th, SG Tee to Green: 5th, SG Putting: 19th.
- 2023, Rickie Fowler (-24). SG Off the Tee: 30th, SG Approach: 2nd, SG Around the Green: 14th, SG Tee to Green: 3rd, SG Putting: 12th.
- 2022, Tony Finau (-26). SG Off the Tee: 2nd, SG Approach: 6th, SG Around the Green: 9th, SG Tee to Green: 1st, SG Putting: 15th.
- 2021, Cam Davis (-18). SG Off the Tee: 34th, SG Approach: 9th, SG Around the Green: 5th, SG Tee to Green: 4th, SG Putting: 22nd.
- 2020, Bryson DeChambeau (-23). SG Off the Tee: 1st, SG Approach: 51st, SG Around the Green: 26th, SG Tee to Green: 4th, SG Putting: 1st.
- 2019, Nate Lashley (-25). SG Off the Tee: 29th, SG Approach: 6th, SG Around the Green: 13th, SG Tee to Green: 3rd, SG Putting: 2nd.
Strokes Gained Tournament Skill Averages:
- SG Off the Tee: 19th, SG Approach: 13th, SG Around the Green: 15th, SG Tee to Green: 3rd, SG Putting: 15th.
Across the 2021 to 2025 Rocket Classic renewals, statistically from a Stroke Gained perspective the winners gained on average 2.65 strokes per round from Tee to Green (75%) and 0.88 Putting (25%). Overall stats are similar to the 3M Open test last week, although the importance of Approach drops slightly with Around The Green adding up to 0.60 strokes per round – high across the PGA Tour circuit.
Tournament Trends & Key Factors: Analysing the final stats of the winners of the Rocket Classic gives us a little more insight into the requirements for this parkland test:
- 2025, Aldrich Potgieter (-22). 337 yards (1st), 64.3% fairways (46th), 86.1% greens in regulation (3rd), 50.0 % scrambling (81st), 1.68 putts per GIR (24th).
- 2024, Cam Davis (-18). 302 yards (28th), 76.8% fairways (7th), 79.2% greens in regulation (20th), 73.3 % scrambling (19th), 1.72 putts per GIR (16th).
- 2023, Rickie Fowler (-24). 310 yards (24th), 62.5% fairways (62nd), 84.7% greens in regulation (4th), 54.5 % scrambling (71st), 1.61 putts per GIR (5th).
- 2022, Tony Finau (-26). 309 yards (34th), 82.1% fairways (3rd), 91.7% greens in regulation (1st), 100 % scrambling (1st), 1.73 putts per GIR (35th).
- 2021, Cam Davis (-18). 299 yards (7th), 71.4% fairways (29th), 76.4% greens in regulation (24th), 76.5 % scrambling (16th), 1.69 putts per GIR (15th).
- 2020, Bryson DeChambeau (-23). 351 yards (1st), 58.9% fairways (58th), 77.8% greens in regulation (13th), 68.8 % scrambling (29th), 1.63 putts per GIR (7th).
- 2019, Nate Lashley (-25). 300 yards (44th), 73.2% fairways (11th), 81.9% greens in regulation (4th), 84.6% scrambling (3rd), 1.58 putts per GIR (2nd).
Tournament Skill Averages:
- Driving Distance: 20th, Driving Accuracy: 31st, Greens in Regulation: 10th, Scrambling: 31st, Putting Average 15th.
Let’s take a view from players as to how Detroit Golf Club sets up and what skill sets the course favours:
Aldrich Potgieter (2025): “I think it’s playing different. Wind is definitely coming out of the north where usually it’s the south. That made the front nine play a little easier for me and the back a little harder. It’s getting back to the north side tomorrow so should be interesting to see what scores will be like.
Yeah, it was definitely playing different than yesterday. That front nine played a little more. Difficult, like the tee shot on 2, I’m not the biggest fan of that tee shot. It was a little into the wind, and 3-wood and driver kind of, I’ve been hitting it a little bit spinny, but it’s kind of the good spin that keeps the ball kind of — when I hit it knuckly, it kind of goes a little sideways. I kind of hit a little knuckly drive and it kind of just drifted to the right. Unfortunately, had to take the unplayable. But yeah, it was difficult to get through those first four holes. Even the par 5 fourth with the OB right and the big tree on the left, I can’t start my drive way on the left side and play that natural fade. It was definitely a grind to get through those first four, five holes.”
Cam Davis (2024): “Honestly, where my head space has been at, I wasn’t thinking too much at all, I was just doing may stuff. Yeah, it’s just nice to see a couple of putts go in from a bit of distance away. Playing the par 5s well obviously helps out here because they are reachable. So yeah, honestly, just last two days I built my scores and today I had one or two less mistakes that turned into one or two shots better. Yeah, playing pretty much the same, which is nice
It does help being comfortable here. Obviously having what I know what game plan does work around here, so that’s a mystery that I don’t have to deal with that you have to most other events, every other event for me, but from there it’s kind of going about your business and not trying to force it to happen. It’s been a lot of hard work to get myself back to a space where I can let the good golf come again.
I got things going pretty quickly at the beginning of the round, which kind of really settled me down. Yeah, I played a lot of really solid golf. I think everyone’s going to find it difficult to make putts out there at the moment. I made a couple early, which was nice to kind of not feel like I had to really push hard.
It felt like there was a point where there’s nothing I can do. Honestly, the putts were very frustrating to see miss. It was almost more frustrating to see both of the 3-woods I hit on 14 and 17 come up short. I couldn’t have hit either of them any better. For that ball to roll back in the water on 14, when I finished on 18, I was already 1 thinking back to that hole going, jeez, I reckon if that ball stays up, it’s a very different turn out to the event. The fact that all of that didn’t go my way, I felt like I left six or seven shots out there just purely based on I felt like bad breaks. The greens are bumpy, they’re hard to make putts on. I felt it was almost a spectacular round, but it ended up just being enough.
I love old-school design. Donald Ross golf courses to me visually are very fun, I love the greens, I love the way the fairways meander through the tree lines and I love the shapes of the bunkering. For some reason I’ve never done well on a course like this before and I don’t know what’s changed. Obviously my game plan worked really well in 2021. I’m a different golfer and it’s a different game plan, the weather was completely different. I don’t know, something about having to shape the ball around a bit. You can be in the fairway and still have to bend it around trees, I feel like that’s something I’ve always been more comfortable with. And also the only thing that has to be going well more than anything else is the driver off the tee here and for some reason, yeah, I’ve managed to get the ball in play quite well out here. ”
Rickie Fowler (2023): “That’s just when you get soft poa, greens get bumpy and you get footprints and soft spikes kind of leave craters. Yeah, it’s tough. And there were some pins that were on quite a bit of slope so when the greens get a little bumpy and there’s that much movement, there’s not a whole lot you can do. You just sometimes hit and hope; hopefully it goes in, sometimes it doesn’t.
I think I hit a handful of shots to nearly gimme and that was definitely nice. With the softer conditions, starting to kind of dry out a little bit, but the greens get pretty beat up. Even yesterday morning they were already starting to get a little bouncy. Being in the afternoon, you know, guys dealt with it yesterday and we had it today. Not having to really think about anything outside of like three feet, even two feet starts to get a little dicey. Like I said, having a few tap-ins for birdie, that always makes things a little easier.
Yeah, it was a nice day. You know, even with the little delay in there, sometimes those can be a good thing, bad thing. Feel like we picked up right where we left off and kind of kept going out there. We really — 10 is the only hole I really got out of position, pulled one left and got a pretty big kick off a tree, but managed to make a good bogey and get out of there. Just continued to swing well, give myself looks. Definitely taking advantage of the par 5s that are on the back. Being able to two-putt for a birdie, those are always nice to have.”
Tony Finau (2022): “I hate saying easy. Those are just words I don’t like using, but it was nice to have hit as many fairways as I did to kind of open up the green for me today. Yeah, it’s cool, I didn’t know that fact before today, that I haven’t hit all 18 greens, so to be able to do that here today is pretty cool.”
“Yeah, this course protects itself. It did rain last night, but if it didn’t rain, the course is pretty firm. Mid teens to high teens have won this tournament. If you finish in the high teens you’re in a pretty good spot for the week. If it stays soft, it may be lower than that for the week. I think it’s just a forgiveness thing. After playing the U.S. Open you kind of beat yourself up all week and then you kind of hit a bad shot on a day like today and your ball may stay on the green and not roll off into some ankle-high rough. I think mentally it’s a little bit more forgiving.”
“Yeah, I was in the fairway and I knew I needed to take advantage of this par 5 after letting a few putts slip by and not converting on 4, the other par 5 on the front nine. I hit a really nice 4-iron. I had to get all of it to get it to the hole and hit it right in the middle of the green and was able to two-putt that to kind of keep the momentum up on a solid round. Then it was nice to just get a bonus birdie on 8 after a poor wedge shot, but that’s why we call our putter the equalizer.”
“Well, I think bombers do well every course. I think if we look, it doesn’t matter what golf course we’re playing, if you hit it far, you have an advantage not only off the tee, but into the greens you’re hitting shorter shots. If you’re hitting it into the rough, you’re hitting more lofted clubs out of there, you’re able to create speed out of the rough. I always feel like guys that bomb it have the advantage and this golf course is no different.”
“Yeah, I think that’s a big reason I’ve been hitting so many greens. I’m just hitting a lot more fairways (3rd for Driving Accuracy) than I’m accustomed to or than I have in the past. This golf course really opens up to you if you hit it in the short grass and it definitely has for me these first three rounds.”
Cam Davis (2021): “I’m hitting my irons pretty solid. Everything’s just sort of in a good place and everything working together pretty well kind of leads to a little less stress on the golf course, leaving me in better positions. And it’s nice to make a couple of putts every now and then to keep the momentum going. I’ve missed the cut the last two times I played here, so I wouldn’t say necessarily it’s a place that fit my eye straightaway, but this year I’ve kind of figured out a slightly different way to play the golf course and that’s try and put the ball in the fairway.”
Bryson DeChambeau (2020): “Well, the conditions are really nice, they’re beautiful. Greens are beautiful, fairways are perfect. It’s a golf course that I enjoy. I do really well on country club-style golf courses, so I’m looking forward to another great week. The greens have a lot of the slopes are from back to front. Layout seems like it’s fairly tight, a lot of rough. I think there’s a lot of bunkers that are around like 290, so hopefully I’ll be able to clear those and take those out of play. So, sorry, Mr. Ross, but, you know, it is what it is. And I like the style of golf courses, it just seems to fit me. They’re like country club style. I grew up on Belmont Country Club, which is very similar to that style of course, so I’m comfortable with it. I really enjoy those types of courses and I feel like I thrive on them, so this course is none the different.”
“I’m again trying to be the casino and give myself the best opportunity to win. Having 9-iron into those par 5s, it’s definitely nice to be able to attack par-5 flags rather than kind of move away from them. There’s a couple holes where I can get it up close to the green and just chip it on there and make a putt. I’ve just got to keep hitting my driver good and getting more comfortable with the driver and if that happens, it’s going to be a fun week.”
Nate Lashley (2019): “Yeah, like you said, there is a lot of undulation. I got it under the hole on most holes and had a lot of uphill putts with not a lot of break, so I was able to knock those in. Yeah, there’s some putts out there. I made a really nice putt on 4 from the fringe, too. A putt I was just trying to get close and it happened to fall in. So yeah, putted really well today. Game feels good and hopefully can continue this through the week.”
“I don’t know that there’s a whole lot of tricky holes out there or really overly difficult holes. If you hit the fairways here, you can really score. I think that’s, you know, the name of the game. If you hit it in the fairway, you’re going to have a lot of birdie putts. But the greens, the greens do have quite a bit of slope, some of them around the holes that have a lot of undulation. If you get it on the right spot, though, and get it in the right tier, you can make a lot of birdies.”
“It’s nice when you have one of these weeks at a course you can score on, and if you play well, you get rewarded. Some of the weeks the courses are so tough, people don’t really realize it. You could hit good shots all day and shoot over par. A lot of the weeks the courses are really difficult, so it’s a nice change coming here. You hit good shots and you can shoot a good score.”
Brandt Snedeker (2019): ” I seem to like Donald Ross courses. That’s the whole reason why I showed this week. When I saw the golf course we were playing I knew I wanted to be up here. So I did a great job of putting the ball in the fairway off the tee, and from there I could be aggressive. Had a lot of wedges in my hand, hit some great short irons and then obviously played to my strength. I’m a good putter, I love poa annua greens. We had perfect greens this morning. Made a lot of putts, which you’ve got to do around here. So I’m excited about hoping to build on that for tomorrow and kind of making sure I have the same M.O. tomorrow.”
Patrick Reed (2019): ” I think the biggest thing is it’s a shot-making golf course. You have to work the ball both ways, you can flight it, take it up in the air. There’s a bunch of different shots, especially when the wind blows, that you have to play. It’s not just see a number, hit a number. You have to use the contours of the greens, use the wind in a bunch of different areas. I love being creative and having to work the ball around. A place like this kind of suits me and I feel real comfortable over the ball. The golf course is pure, it’s in great shape, and it’s a birdie fest. You’ve got to go out and shoot low, got to go out and make birdies, especially this time of year, you know, after a U.S. Open, which normally par is a good score. And then on top of it you’re leading into another major, The Open coming up. And so you’re sitting there and to have a week like this where you can go out and make a bunch of birdies, if you’re hitting fairways, hitting wedges in there close, make a bunch of putts, you know, make a lot of birdies gives you confidence moving forward. I think it’s a great.”
First Round Leader Analysis: First round leader(s), their wave and winning score since 2010. Full First Round Leader stats are here.
- 2025 – Potgieter / Roy – Both PM -10/62 – 100/1, 125/1.
- 2024 – Bhatia – PM -8/64 40/1
- 2023 – Kuest / T Moore – AM/PM -9/63 150/1, 66/1.
- 2022 – Finau / Pendrith – Both AM -8/64 – 33/1, 70/1.
- 2021 – Davis Thompson – AM -9/63 No Price
- 2020 – Kisner/Redman/Stallings – 2AM/1PM – 7/65 – 80/1, 66/1, 80/1.
- 2019 – Lashley – AM -9/63 No Price
For the record, here’s the breakdown of pure Bentgrass green PGA Tour victors in the field since 2008:
- 5 – Patrick Cantlay, Jason Day, Jordan Spieth.
- 4 – Brooks Koepka, Hideki Matsuyama, Xander Schauffele, Webb Simpson.
- 3 – Keegan Bradley, Lucas Glover, Matt Kuchar.
- 2 – Wyndham Clark, Tony Finau, Rickie Fowler, Billy Horschel, Chris Kirk.
- 1 – Michael Brennan, Brian Campbell, Nicolas Echavarria, Steven Fisk, Chris Gotterup, Ben Griffin, Emiliano Grillo, Harry Hall, Russell Henley, Lee Hodges, Sungjae Im, Michael Kim, Jackson Koivun, Matt McCarty, William Mouw, Taylor Pendrith, Seamus Power, Davis Riley, Brandt Snedeker, Kevin Streelman, Davis Thompson, Brendon Todd.
We’ve seen seven renewals of this tournament with two defined game-shape camps of winners. 2019 saw 250/1 shot Nate Lashley pretty much lap the field, shooting an incredible -25/263. A second-season player, Nate had only scored a single PGA Tour top 10 finish in Puerto Rico in the April prior to winning here. He was outside the top 125 in the FedEx Cup, but arrived in Detroit as an alternate, buoyed by 28th place at the Pebble Beach hosted U.S. Open on his last outing. An opening 67 at Pebble had him in 6th place at the end of Thursday and he hung around admirably, ranking 6th for Greens in Regulation, 6th for Strokes Gained on Approach and 14th for Strokes Gained Tee to Green. Clearly on the crest of a wave confidence-wise, Lashley arrived in Detroit on Wednesday evening as a last gasp alternate and recorded a huge win for the bookmakers. Since his win he’s gone onto finish 3rd at TPC Scottsdale, 3rd at Torrey Pines, 4th at Old White TPC, 5th at Pebble Beach, 7th at Waialae, plus 3rd and 7th Grand Reserve CC (Puerto Rico). His single win on the Korn Ferry Tour had been at -20/268 at the 2017 Corales Championship.
2020 saw Bryson DeChambeau arrive off post Covid-19 resumption form of 6th at the Travelers Championship, 8th at the RBC Heritage and 3rd at the Charles Schwab Challenge. He was the 7/1 Favourite. Bryson had already won 5 PGA Tour titles and won by 3 shots from Matthew Wolff and by 5 from Kevin Kisner. 2021 saw another long driver in the form of Cam Davis win this, triumphing in a 3-man play off over Joaquin Niemann and Troy Merritt. Cam came to Detroit off a missed cut at the Memorial Tournament with form prior to that reading 45-59-26. His previous top 10 finish had been in January at PGA West finishing 3rd and understandably he won the Rocket Mortgage at 150/1.
2022 saw Tony Finau go back-to-back, winning the 3M Open in Minnesota the week prior to taking the Rocket Mortgage out at 14/1 in Michigan. An opening -8/64 saw him lead after Thursday and from there he shot -26/262 to beat Patrick Cantlay and Cameron Young by 5 shots. Power off the tee clearly got the job done.
2023 saw an emotional victory for Rickie Fowler at 14/1. His win came off cracking form of 13/5/9/6/MC/14/15/10. Not known as a bomber, Rickie ranked 27th on the PGA Tour for Driving Distance arriving in Detroit and he defeated shorter sorts in Collin Morikawa and Adam Hadwin in a 3-man play-off.
In reality this should be renamed the Cam Davis Classic as 2024 saw him win in Detroit for the second time adding to 14th (2022) and 17th (2023). So 2 wins and 2 further top-17 finishes in his last 4 straight visits. Inbound form of 48/MC/50/56/MC/38/49 was hardly inspiring but in the main had come at Signature event level. Upsides were visible however, qualifying for the U.S. Open and shooting an opening -5/65 (T6 best round) on Thursday at the Travelers the week before.
2025 saw Aldrich Potgieter win his maiden PGA Tour title in his rookie season. He’d dropped a huge clue on his previous outing at Colonial finishing 6th, plus in February had finished 2nd at the Mexico Open played at the bomber-friendly VidantaWorld, losing in a playoff to Brian Campbell (ironically the shortest driver on Tour). Aldrich ranked number 1 for Driving Distance on the PGA Tour arriving in Michigan.
So we have seen 6 long drivers win in Detroit as well as a shorter sort, whose strengths are approach and putting. At just south of 7,400 yards, I categorise this as a medium length golf course, which is classical in nature and tree-lined. It’s meant to be a throwback test with a runaway victory for Nate Lashley in 2019, plus places for the likes of Bhatia, Hadwin, Kirk, Kisner, Merritt, Morikawa, Rai and Snedeker, showing that shorter, steady players can compete around here. However the course is also powerless if a world-class driver plays at their best here.
