Sleeper Picks: Rocket Mortgage Classic

J.J. Spaun (-105 = Top 40) … Of the golfers who have cashed in every edition of the Rocket Mortgage Classic, only he and Scott Stallings are committed. Of the pair, only Spaun has been showcasing enough form of late to deserve consideration for this prop. What’s more, his worst result at Detroit GC was a T32 in 2021 and his scoring average in 16 rounds of competition is a cool 68.63. Terrifically balanced throughout his bag so that no one facet is pressured.

Kevin Yu (+138 = Top 40) … Welcome back, rookie! Usually, when any professional athlete rejoins the competition midseason, he or she needs a moment to return to form and lock in with the game speed. Key word there is usually. After sitting out four months to recover from surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his left knee, all he did was open the Travelers Championship with seven birdies and a 5-under 65. It proved that TPC River Highlands is the kind of track on which a guy can find his game, but it still was impressive that he didn’t miss the beat when it came back around. See, he was 40th in the FedExCup when he was sidelined after Pebble Beach. While he’s now 103rd (after the fade of a T49 at the Travelers), the feels are warm for his ball-striking to get back to work at Detroit GC.

Doug Ghim (+115 = Top 40) … You’re getting plus value for this, so take it. The 27-year-old also is attracted to the edge like a thrill-seeker. After finishing 125th in the FedExCup last season, that’s where he currently resides with a 4-for-4 flourish. After a T27 at Quail Hollow, he logged a T19, a T12 and a T15. His potent combination of tee-to-green accuracy and scrambling also plays up when greens are small. Just 1-for-3 at Detroit GC, but that was a T32 in 2021 when he connected four red numbers, and now he has momentum.

Chesson Hadley (+240 = Top 40) … Proven streaky, especially under pressure, so this is all about striking while his irons still are hot (enough). Even though it was just three weeks ago, it’s already easy to let it fade into the far reaches of the memory bank that he co-led the RBC Canadian Open with an opening 67. He didn’t sustain the form and settled for a share of 43rd. Yet, it was his best finish of his last nine starts, only three of which yielded a payday. But then, he rose for a T24 at last week’s Travelers Championship on the strength of one of his best performances with the putter all season.

Ryan Gerard (+300 = Top 40) … Don’t forget about this guy, who recently joined the rookie class (linked above in Yu’s capsule) as a Special Temporary Member. Gerard has been quiet since that late-winter surge, but he did connect paydays on the recent pair of national opens before taking a week off. Statistically unimpressive except for the fact that he’s T32 in par-5 scoring. That’s reason alone to lean into this prop on a racetrack with four par 5s.

Odds were sourced on Tuesday, June 27, 2023. For live odds, visit BetMGM.

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