Running with Rick: Plenty of star power to choose from at new-look Detroit Golf Club

The TOUR returns to Detroit Golf Club this week, and while it’s familiar, it won’t be identical to previous editions. Since last year, the club has undergone renovations to improve the aesthetic and playability of the course.

Most notably for the professionals, Detroit Golf Club will no longer play as a par 72. The seventh and 17th holes, previously par 5s, will play as long par 4s this year and should go from two of the easiest holes on the course to two of the most difficult.

The greens have been enlarged, but the bunkers protecting them have been deepened. That will add a little more depth to a course that has historically been one of the flattest on the PGA TOUR schedule. The addition of fescue and native areas will make some of the more wayward playing positions more unpredictable.

My opinion is that the course will still play quite easily, and birdies will be very prevalent, even if the winning score worsens thanks to the change in course par. This is still a venue that will allow golfers plenty of room off the tee and give them short irons into many holes.

The field has plenty of star power, with Cameron Young, Wyndham Clark, Chris Gotterup and Xander Schauffele all choosing to tee it up in Detroit this week. They won’t be alone as we enter the sprint to the FedExCup Playoffs and the period to earn points collapses down to just one more event after this one.

There are a few really strong candidates to win at the top of this board, with Cameron Young and Chris Gotterup combining for five wins already this year, and Detroit GC should benefit both of their skill sets. Despite those two honorable mentions, I’m settling on Jake Knapp for the additional value.

Knapp is starting to look much like the player who rattled off seven top-11 finishes in his first eight starts of 2026. After injury and time off, Knapp has clearly knocked the rust off and is ready to contend yet again. He was completely dialed in last week, gaining more than 10 strokes in the two ball-striking categories before going nuclear on Sunday. He made eight birdies on his second nine to card an inward 28, which was much more than he would have needed to do to capture my attention for this week.

Now Knapp goes to one of the better courses on the schedule for him, where his driver will provide him with a strong floor against his peers. He has played here twice, finishing T31 in 2024 and T4 last year. The time is right, and Jake Knapp is my pick to win at +3600, which can currently be found on DraftKings Sportsbook.

Despite not having Chris Gotterup in my outright position, he’s going to have to make it onto my card one way or another. He’s simply playing too well and heading to a course that could give me dejá vu back to Waialae earlier this year.

Gotterup found victory at the Sony Open in Hawaii to kick off his 2026 campaign, and he did it while losing strokes on approach. He’s longer than almost everyone else on TOUR, and he was hitting so many wedges and short irons into greens that it didn’t even matter if his proximity wasn’t as tight. He was piling up opportunities and converting them. That’s the same blueprint he could unveil at Detroit Golf Club to great success.

Since that early-season win, Gotterup has added two more victories and has been dynamite from tee to green. He’s gained at least seven strokes in that category in each of his last three starts. The exciting thing about Gotterup is that he doesn’t need to be perfect to contend. He’ll be a confident click in the top-10 market, where he is currently priced at +175.

Ben Griffin has been trending toward a big week, and this could very well be that week. He finished T59 at The Open, a respectable finish on a links course, but rattled off three top 20s in his three prior starts. Since the PGA Championship, seven starts ago, Griffin has gained 25.66 strokes from tee to green.

Now it’s just a matter of matching those gains with his putter. The good news for potential Griffin backers is that he’s gained at least three strokes putting in six of his last nine starts and has been a positive putter in each of his three trips to Detroit Golf Club. This convergence of trends is worthy of a higher-upside consideration, like the top-10 market. Griffin’s odds on that board are currently +240.

We are seeing a late-season charge for Chandler Phillips, who is trying to position himself to earn a spot in the FedEx Cup Playoffs. Thanks to his T3 finish last week, he’s now within striking distance, entering this week in 86th position.

It hasn’t just been a one-week sprint for Phillips, who has now earned three straight top-15 finishes and four such results in his last five starts. The difference has been clear: His tee-to-green play has significantly improved. Over his last 12 rounds, he’s gained a total of 14.68 strokes in that critical category, and there’s little evidence to think he’ll slow down now.

This will be his fourth trip to Detroit, where he finished T13 last year. I’m expecting another solid week from Phillips and believe the best way to deploy him is in the top-20 market, where he can be found at +510.

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