Ben Coley's golf betting tips: Rocket Classic preview and best bets

Golf betting tips: Rocket Classic

2pts e.w. Wyndham Clark at 35/1 (General 1/5 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8)

2pts e.w. Luke Clanton at 35/1 (General 1/5 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8)

1.5pts e.w. Matt Fitzpatrick at 40/1 (BoyleSports 1/5 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10)

1pt e.w. Byeong Hun An at 66/1 (William Hill, 888sport 1/5 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8)

1pt e.w. Stephan Jaeger at 70/1 (Paddy Power 1/5 1,2,3,4,5,6)

0.5pt e.w. Trevor Cone at 400/1 (William Hill, 888sport 1/5 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8)

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It cannot be said enough how ludicrous it is that Keegan Bradley's biggest decision as Ryder Cup captain is likely going to concern whether to select Keegan Bradley. It's a pity that the dominance of home sides in the Ryder Cup means it may not matter, but for now this dilemma is the one bright spot following Sunday's bitterly disappointing finish from Tommy Fleetwood at the Travelers.

Fleetwood's quest for a PGA Tour title of any kind continues and in some ways it's silly that Bradley is here, at the Rocket Classic, but Fleetwood is not. There's no doubt he was to blame for Sunday's finish and now is not the time for excuses, but playing a schedule of only elite golf tournaments is only going to make winning harder. Remember, Bradley ended his drought in the ZOZO a couple of years back.

Plenty to ponder then as there is for Bradley (whose decision won't be helped when he inevitably plays terribly in the Open) and the Ryder Cup could play an important part in the story of this week's event, too. The only two players above Bradley in the betting, Collin Morikawa and Patrick Cantlay, will feature regardless, but several whose fight for those 11th and 12th spots just got harder are in this field.

Among the favourites, I don't think enough has been made of how poorly Morikawa has played since the Masters, for which he was about the same price as he is here in Detroit. Seven starts have yielded a best of 17th and he's been second best to Cantlay, who leads their head-to-head during this spell 4-2 and who won the argument by seven last week. Had the course stayed the same, maybe he'd have been favourite.

It's the latter who appeals most of the big three and I'm quite glad that the market hasn't presented another difficult decision, which looked plausible when 18/1 appeared on the first show. Cantlay is a former runner-up here who certainly has conditions to suit, but plenty of firms are as short as 12/1 and we don't need to dwell there for too long, whereas had there been some 20/1 we'd have had to reconcile following a post-Oakmont separation.

As for the course, Detroit is a mid-length par 72, classical in nature but more vulnerable to longer drivers than you might assume. That's partly been down to soft conditions in recent years but while Morikawa featured in a play-off with Rickie Fowler and Adam Hadwin in 2023, it's the presence of powerhouses Peter Kuest and Taylor Pendrith in contention that week which I'm most drawn to.

Cameron Young then makes a heck of a lot of sense and had his price held up, he'd have made the staking plan. Second and sixth in two starts here and enjoying a career-best putting season, this powerful driver loved Detroit from the moment he saw it and returns now with his own Ryder Cup hopes renewed, especially as Bethpage is a dream course for him.

But he does feel short enough at the wrong side of 30/1 whereas the other side of it lies WYNDHAM CLARK, who boasts similar credentials in my book and, like Young, knows he needs to get a move on if he's to make Bradley's side.

Clark hit the headlines when narrowly missing the cut in the US Open and taking out his frustrations on the Oakmont locker room, doing himself no favours when subsequently issuing a classic non-apology at the Travelers.

We don't though have to approve of his behaviour to make him a bet and the reason he spoke to the media last week was that he started fast, hitting the ball as well as he has all year to shoot 64 and then carding a third-round 66 to lie fifth entering the final round at River Highlands.

A disappointing finish meant the week ended on a low note but it was a big step in the right direction and he can take heart from the fact that something similar occurred at the Travelers last year, ninth place triggering a run of six top-15s in seven to end the season having gone gone MC-3-47-MC-MC-56 from the Masters to the US Open.

The difference this time is that his predicament means he's also taking a drop in grade and that should be key to all analysis of the Rocket Morgage. Clark seldom plays at this kind of level anymore, the only comparable example of late coming in a stronger Canadian Open, prior to which his last lower-than-Signature event was the Houston Open where he finished fifth.

And Detroit is a good course for him. He was 17th in 2019 and eighth in 2022, both before he'd become a winner of any kind let alone a major champion, both powered by exceptional driving. On neither occasion did he hit his irons well, at a time when that was a major weakness, and though poor in that regard lately he was much better for two rounds last week, particularly with his wedges.

Another step forward combined with some improvement on the greens and Clark could make the most of this rare opportunity to play in a field absent of Scottie Scheffler or Rory McIlroy, something he hasn't done since January. It's one he can't really afford to miss.

At the beginning of the year there was talk of LUKE CLANTON potentially making up into a Ryder Cup candidate and he could yet develop into one over the coming weeks.

This standout college graduate, the world number one amateur before turning pro, has already come close to winning on the PGA Tour with runner-up finishes in both the John Deere Classic and the RSM Classic last year, both while still an amateur.

He's not quite been as successful this year but four cuts made in seven starts and all three missed cuts by narrow margins confirms his promise and I thought he fared just fine on his pro debut in Canada recently, when very much chucked in at the deep end playing alongside McIlroy and Ludvig Aberg.

Last week he started well in the Travelers despite seeing playing partner Jordan Spieth withdraw and therefore left to play as a solo and a share of 34th, hitting his irons well and holing a few more putts, was a good effort at a shorter, fiddly course which was playing generally tougher than it usually does.

Now he gets a drop in grade plus a return to Detroit, where he made his PGA Tour debut last year and finished an excellent 10th, ranking second in strokes-gained off-the-tee. He said his plan was to be aggressive and hit driver as often as possible and that really does seem to me to be the right formula for this golf course, one which clearly matches up well with his game.

Clanton is somewhat priced on potential but he's in the could-be-anything category, four top-10s in just 14 PGA Tour starts demonstrates that he's already both comfortable and dangerous, and the easing of the field strength and intensity comes with the bonus of not just the most suitable course he's played so far, but one he's actually played before.

At similar odds, Davis Thompson is interesting after his runner-up finish last year and last week's impressive ball-striking display. The trouble is he's in a real rut with the putter and, with T10 his best result of the year so far, another frustrating week buried among the pack awaits unless he finds something on the greens.

That's been a problem for Min Woo Lee lately, too, but the Aussie has much more scope to crack the code, perhaps inspired by his sister Minjee's third major win on Sunday. Back in 2021, Lee won her first major a fortnight after Min Woo had won the Scottish Open and it wouldn't surprise me if something similar happened in reverse, but he hasn't hit the top 40 anywhere since he won in Houston.

In fairness to Min Woo, he has played a strong schedule but his form when runner-up alongside Thompson a year ago was much better and when it comes to finding someone who could benefit from the drop in class, I prefer STEPHAN JAEGER at bigger prices.

Twelve of the German's 18 starts so far this year have been in Signature Events, majors and The PLAYERS and he just strikes me as someone who isn't quite comfortable at that level, whereas we know he's good enough for this one having beaten Scheffler to win the Houston Open last April.

In fact since the beginning of 2024 he's played 18 times in this grade and has a win, a second, three thirds and a sixth, while this year he's played six such events, finishing third in the Sony Open, sixth when contending in Mexico, and a decent 11th when defending in Houston.

His form at Memorial Park is a positive as that driver-heavy course correlates well with this one despite contrasting aesthetics, and his tee-to-green displays on his first three tries in Detroit were all strong, the second two resulting in finishes of fifth and ninth before a missed cut last year.

It is somewhat difficult to get a proper grip on where his game is but Jaeger's driving has improved lately, his approach play remains solid and he's putting better, so it might just be that all it takes is a return to calmer waters for him to be dangerous again.

After all, he was seventh in a high-class Truist Championship in May and has finished mid-pack in two more Signature Events either side of a narrow missed cut in the US Open, neither of them at courses he particularly enjoys.

This one is ideal for a prolific birdie-maker whose improved distance powered that first win in Houston, and helps make him such a dangerous player in the grade. Anything 50/1 and upwards looks worth taking.

I've had Max Greyserman in mind for this for a couple of weeks as he has Houston form, played well on his sole previous start at Detroit and is hitting the ball really nicely. Unfortunately his putter isn't behaving and while that in some ways makes him dangerous given his potential to make everything he looks at when firing, I didn't think the price offered much in the way of upside.

Instead I'll revert to course debutant MATT FITZPATRICK, who fits the description of having work to do if he's to make his own Ryder Cup side.

Fitzpatrick though has started to improve lately, hopefully having fully adjusted to life without Billy Foster on the bag. Since 40th in the Masters he's bettered that result in every start, including a top-10 in the PGA, and 38th at Oakmont was fine at a course he really did not like.

Last week saw him produce a nine-under par weekend at the Travelers to climb to 17th and the way he hit the ball at the weekend, Saturday in particular, was hugely encouraging. All told it was his best driving display since the beginning of the season while his approach work, often an area of weakness, was very good over the closing 36 holes.

Bring that with him to Detroit and Fitzpatrick could be a real threat at a course I do think he'll enjoy on debut. It's tree-lined and classical and there are no tricks here, which is what we know can get under his skin, so I hope it proves a good match for a player who does like to work the ball.

Clearly, he's been struggling to connect four rounds outside of the PGA at Quail Hollow, but everything has looked much better in patches lately: first in putting two weeks ago, second around the greens at the Truist, fifth in approach play the week after, and a respectable 16th off the tee at the Travelers.

He's not been this far down the ladder since before the Masters and now that we're seeing signs of improvement, I'm very keen to take a chance at inflated odds. Two years ago he'd have gone off nearly favourite for something like this and, with plenty of incentive to play well with the Playoffs and the Ryder Cup not far away, Fitzpatrick can remind us all of his class.

Young and Greyserman are the only two I found hard to leave out from what was quite a short list, although the iron play of Victor Perez did catch the eye and so did the driving of Chris Gotterup, who could do some serious damage in the ISCO if that's on his radar in a few weeks.

For now though I can't escape the view that for all Young's promise, the case for BEN AN is very similar yet he's around twice the price.

Like Young, he contended in Canada three starts ago, defying a slow start and briefly looking a massive danger, and we saw some more good play from the Korean when missing the cut by two in the US Open after a string of missed putts late on Friday.

Then last week, in an event where his record read 66-MC-46-MC-MC, he was a huge eye-catcher in 14th. Not only was that a personal best at a course which doesn't really fit, but it came despite playing the par-five 13th hole in four-over, seven shots worse than a winner who beat him by eight in the end.

Otherwise, An played to the level of a contender rather than an also-ran and with his approach play looking better lately, his driver typically strong and his short-game sharp, we might only need a better-than-average putting week for him to have a big say in this tournament.

That of course is never a given with An but he only needed to rank 37th to have a chance in Canada and not much higher to be eighth at Bay Hill, two courses where his length off the tee is a big asset. I think that's also true here in a more subtle way and am in no doubt whatsoever that it's a better fit than last week's River Highlands, a short par 70 where driver is often taken out of his hands.

An has some strong Donald Ross form at Sedgefield Country Club and while seemingly modest in three starts here so far, 13th place on debut saw him strike the ball very well. Eight of his 10 rounds have been under-par and the 66 he shot to move into contention on that first visit is enough to suggest it can be a good course for him.

Although yet to win on the PGA Tour, An did end a lengthy wait for his second DP World Tour title late last year and with recent experience in contention behind him, I thought he looked excellent value at around 66s. In fact he'd rate the bet of the week.

Finally, there is room for a flier and while tempted to give Will Gordon a go as he bids to keep his card with a top-five finish playing on a medical extension, I'm more interested in TREVOR CONE at monster odds.

Cone so nearly won the Barbasol Championship for us two summers ago, when trading odds-on before one bad swing ended hopes of a 125/1 winner, and so much of the case for siding with him that week was to do with his long, prodigious driving, and how many greens in regulation it helps to unlock.

We saw that on display last time in the US Open, where he hung around inside the top 30 for most of the week on a major debut he earned with second place in a good qualifier that featured a host of LIV Golf players plus some PGA Tour regulars.

Also making the cut in Canada after a couple of near-misses beforehand, Cone has been catching my attention on and off ever since a couple of good rounds in Houston, and one thing I'm sure of is that this is the right kind of course for him.

He shot four under-par rounds here in 2023, too, ranking third in strokes-gained off-the-tee despite having been badly out of sorts coming into the event. Again, this is further evidence to suggest he can score at Detroit and, buoyed by testing himself at the highest level at Oakmont two weeks ago, he might just be the surprise package.

Posted at 0900 BST on 24/06/25

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