Six Golfers to Watch at 2026 Rocket Classic as Detroit Golf Club Gets Tougher

The PGA Tour returns to Detroit Golf Club for the eighth and final running of the Rocket Classic, which debuted in 2019 and will lose its title sponsor after this season. Past champions include Bryson DeChambeau, Rickie Fowler, and two-time winner Cam Davis. The renovated Donald Ross course now stretches to 7,328 yards as a par-70 layout, with two former par-5 holes converted to challenging par-4s.

Course modifications include rebuilt greens, repositioned bunkers, and significantly tougher green complexes that will reward precise approach shots and short-game execution. The field features Cameron Young, Xander Schauffele, Patrick Cantlay, Hideki Matsuyama, Russell Henley, and Chris Gotterup, alongside 21-year-old Jackson Koivun, who won last week’s 3M Open in his third professional start by defeating Scottie Scheffler by three strokes.

Hideki Matsuyama offers value at +3678 odds on Polymarket, backed by recent improved driving performance and elite approach play. The Japanese star finished tied for third at the 3M Open and has gained strokes with his irons in four of five career visits to Detroit Golf Club, complemented by a world-class short game suited to the redesigned greens.

Ryan Gerard ranks third in total strokes gained over the last 24 rounds with three top-10 finishes, including a second-place showing at the Memorial Tournament and a tie for ninth at The Open Championship. Gerard has gained strokes with the putter in six consecutive starts and off-the-tee in five straight, positioning him well for a breakthrough PGA Tour victory.

Akshay Bhatia leads the Tour in strokes gained putting and ranks third in this field for short-game performance over the past eight months. Despite a disappointing T26 finish last year at the Rocket Classic, Bhatia won the 2026 Arnold Palmer Invitational and should benefit from the course’s new green complexes that reward his exceptional putting stroke.

Keegan Bradley represents a “gut feeling” selection based on his proven track record of at least one win annually over the past four years. His two Travelers Championships victories came at TPC River Highlands, a comparable par-70 course, and Bradley has made the cut in all five career Rocket Classic appearances while gaining strokes with his irons in eight consecutive starts.

Davis Thompson finished tied for seventh at last week’s 3M Open following his breakthrough 2024 John Deere Classic victory. Thompson ranks third in this field for strokes gained at Donald Ross courses over the last three years and appears poised for another Midwest tournament victory, with sharp sportsbooks offering him at approximately 60-to-1 odds.

Jesper Svensson rounds out the picks at +17641 odds, ranking seventh in custom models for this event despite being third in the field for strokes gained off-the-tee and 10th in driving distance. The Swedish golfer posted a tie for ninth at THE CJ CUP Byron Nelson and a tie for fourth at the 2026 RBC Canadian Open at driver-heavy courses with similar green conditions.