Rocket Mortgage Classic: PGA Best Weekend Picks (2024)

by Matthew MacKay |
Jun 29, 2024

The 2024 Rocket Mortgage Classic has been a birdie-fest for many, with the cut line enforced at 4-under-par after Friday’s second round at Detroit Golf Club. Tom Kim, the betting favorite to open the week at 12-1, missed the cut at 3-under-par. Stephen Jaeger, Alex Noren, Robert MacIntyre, and Alejandro Tosti, some of the other prominent betting favorites, also failed to advance to Round 3.

Akshay Bhatia and Aaron Rai sit tied atop the current leaderboard at 13-under-par, with Cameron Young as the third betting favorite at +550 odds. Young is in a four-way tie at 11-under-par with Taylor Montgomery, Erik van Rooyen, and Troy Merritt, while 2021 RMC winner, Cam Davis, heated up in Round 2 with a 66 to jump to T7 at 10-under-par.

It will be an exciting weekend of golf from Detroit Golf Club. I’ve found five prospects we should target in the outright winner betting market ahead of Round 3 on Saturday. Follow me on X @Matt_MacKay_ for more free plays and PGA Tour best bets throughout the weekend.

Rocket Mortgage Classic: Best Weekend Picks

These plays are 1 unit, 0.50u, and 0.10 units. Or 1%, 0.50%, and 0.10% of your betting bankroll. Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook.

Akshay Bhatia (+260)

Akshay Bhatia grabbed a hold of the outright lead during Round 1, finishing 8-under-par thanks to going 4-under-par in his final three holes on Thursday. The 22-year-old still doesn’t have a bogey on the week thus far and ranks first in strokes gained: approaching the green, including T2 for greens in regulation hit at 91.6 percent.

Bhatia has 11 birdies on the week and an eagle, while ranking ninth in putts per GIR and first in scrambling. Off-the-tee is where Bhatia has been a bit mediocre this week, otherwise, he’s in rock solid form. The Californian has two outright wins in the past calendar year, including at Valero as the wire-to-wire winner, clinching his victory in a playoff against Denny McCarthy.

+260 odds are short but it may look like a great value if Bhatia continues his rampage in Round 3, so a full unit wager is recommended ahead of his round on Saturday.

Aaron Rai (+350)

Aaron Rai is still seeking his first PGA Tour win but he’s been dialed in with his irons to contend through the first two rounds. The Englishman ranks second strokes gained: approaching the green, sixth for driving accuracy, and first for greens in regulation at a blistering 94.4 percent.

Putting, which tends to be Rai’s weakness in events, looks improved, as he’s sitting 10th in putts per GIR and 14th strokes gained: putting. Scrambling, sand saves, and 13 birdies are all best in the field this week at Detroit Golf Club, so at +350 odds, one more unit is warranted on Rai in the outright winner betting market.

Cameron Young (+550)

Seven runner-up finishes should be plenty of motivation for Cameron Young to turn his play up a notch on Saturday. Young poured in seven birdies on Friday, but a couple of missed putts inside of ten feet kept him from sitting in a three-way tie at 13-under-par.

The New York native ranks seventh strokes gained: off-the-tee, 15th strokes gained: approaching the green, and 10th in driving distance. Only one bogey has been on Young’s scorecard this week, but he does rank 43rd in putts per GIR and 46th in feet of putts made. Driving accuracy and strokes gained around the green are areas Young must improve to remain in contention.

Half a unit wagered at +550 will suffice when it comes to Young, who is overdue for an outright win since joining the PGA Tour in 2022.

Cam Davis (+2000)

Cam Davis was one of the most heavily bet golfers in the outright winner market before Round 1 teed off. The Aussie and 2021 RMC winner has looked solid thus far, going 10-under-par across the first two rounds at Detroit Golf Club, including six-under-par in Round 2.

Two bogeys on the front-nine in Round 1 are the reason we’re getting Davis at this long of a number, so we need to take advantage of his 20-1 price before Round 3 gets underway. Ranked second in driving accuracy this week, 11th for putts per GIR, and inside the top-25 for strokes gained on approach, around the green, and putting, Davis is trending upward at the only event he’s won on the PGA Tour.

Let’s wager half a unit at 20-1 odds on Davis ahead of Round 3.

Nick Dunlap (+8000)

Our longshot pick goes to Nick Dunlap at 80-1 odds. Dunlap turned pro this year after winning The American Express tournament at 29-under-par back in January. He performed well at The Memorial Tournament, finishing T12, while he also logged a T11 finish at the Houston Open back in March.

Ranked 14th strokes gained: off-the-tee this week, including third strokes gained on approach, Dunlap’s combination of driving accuracy and distance is ideal for a course like Detroit Golf Club. It’s why he’s managed to make 13 birdies, tied for most in the field, but he’s also had four holes over par or worse.

His game around the green and putting needs a lot of improvement quickly, but finding greens in regulation at an 89 percent rate is encouraging, especially when Dunlap’s driver is so consistently good. Let’s place a 0.25 unit wager on Dunlap at 80-1 odds, as he sits five strokes off the lead at T15.

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Matthew MacKay is a featured writer for BettingPros & FantasyPros. For more from Matthew, check out his archive and follow him @Matt_MacKay_.

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