The PGA Tour head to the Motor City this week for the Rocket Mortgage Classic, now in its seventh year at Detroit Golf Club. This course is a Donald Ross design that’s been around for over 100 years. At just 7,370 yards for a par 72, it’s short by modern standards and very gettable, especially for the guys who can mash it off the tee. Let’s dive into my PGA DFS picks and core plays for the Rocket Classic.
Course Preview
You won’t find thick, punishing rough or ultra-tight fairways here, which is part of why this event has turned into a playground for bombers.
Past winners include Bryson DeChambeau, Tony Finau, and two-time champ Cam Davis — all guys who can let it rip. Distance is a clear edge, but wedge play and putting tend to separate the contenders from the pack.
For DFS, we’re focusing on key metrics like SG: OTT, Driving Distance, Approach, and Putting splits on Bent/Poa. Throw in Birdies or Better Percentage, and you’ve got a great map for building lineups.
I ran the numbers through Stokastic’s PGA Sims Tool, which simulates each hole and builds thousands of lineups based on our custom projections. The tool identifies which golfers appear most frequently in top-performing builds, helping surface both reliable core options and under-the-radar value. If you’re looking to create sharp, +EV DFS lineups, this is one of the most powerful edges available.
Let’s dive into my Rocket Classic picks that I’ll be building lineups around this week on DraftKings.
PGA DFS Picks: Rocket Classic DFS Picks & Core Plays
PGA DFS Picks: Rocket Classic DFS Picks & Core Plays: Collin Morikawa – $10,900
Morikawa is still seeking his first win of the season and if there was a time to do it, this would be it.
Our PGA Sims Tool certainly sees it that way, too, slotting him into 48% of lineups – a massive 26% edge over the field and the highest exposure of any golfer this week.
He ranks No. 1 in True Strokes Gained at Detroit Golf Club (+3.61), thanks to a runner-up finish here in his lone appearance in 2023. Small sample, sure, but the fit is obvious. Over his last 40 rounds, Morikawa ranks 1st in SG: Approach, 5th in SG: Off the Tee, and 2nd on Tour in Good Driver Percentage and 8th in Birdie or Better Percentage.
This man should be a staple across your lineups this week.
Luke Clanton – $9,000
He’s only teed it up seven times this season, with a T-15 at the Farmers Insurance Open standing as his best finish, but Clanton might be flying a bit too far under the radar this week.
He’s landing in 18% of our top simulated lineups, giving him a healthy +10.4% leverage score over the field. He also flashed some upside at this event last year, finishing T-10 while gaining +1.83 True Strokes on the field.
Clanton brings decent pop off the tee (22nd in Driving Distance among this field), ranks 9th in SG: Approach, and sits 23rd in SG: Tee-to-Green. It’s not a deep field, and with Detroit Golf Club offering a softer setup, this is the kind of spot where a lower-owned play like Clanton can shine.
PGA DFS Picks; Rocket Classic DFS Picks & Core Plays: Davis Thompson – $8,100
Thompson has logged 12 rounds at Detroit Golf Club, showing steady improvement each year. He finished T-58 in 2021, climbed to T-24 in 2023, and then broke through with a T-2 finish last year, posting a True Strokes Gained mark of +1.15. That upward trend gives us reason to believe he’s primed for another strong showing.
Our PGA Sims Tool is landing on Thompson in 16.3% of top lineups, though we’re actually under the field’s projected exposure by about 9%. Still, at just $8,100, he’s a golfer who deserves consistent consideration.
Statistically, Thompson ranks 10th in SG: Tee-to-Green, 13th in SG: Approach, and 31st in SG: Off-the-Tee this season. He also sits 37th in Birdie or Better Percentage and has already recorded six finishes of T-27 or better — plenty of indicators that he can return value again this week.
GPP Flier: Victor Perez – $7,400
Perez has quietly been heating up. Over his last 24 rounds, he ranks 14th in SG: Approach, 35th in SG: Putting on Bent/Poa surfaces, and 37th in SG: Off the Tee. What really pops is his consistency with the driver — he ranks 5th in Good Drive Percentage across the entire season.
He’s finished T-19 or better in three of his last five starts and is more than capable of posting another solid result this weekend.
Our tools support the case as well. He appears in 16.3% of our top-300 simulated lineups, which is a 6% edge over the field’s expected ownership.
