Rocket Classic 2026 Betting Tips: Three-Time Season Winner Tipped Highly In Detroit
The PGA Tour heads to Detroit and the Rocket Classic this week, where a strong field is present for the penultimate tournament of the regulation season
With two tournaments left to go before the first Playoff event, there really is all to play for at this week's Rocket Classic.
Some players are looking to cement themselves in the upper echelons of the FedEx Cup Standings, while others are needing big weeks to jump inside the required places.
Last year, Aldrich Potgieter secured his maiden PGA Tour title at the Rocket Classic, with the big-hitting South African overpowering Detroit Golf Club.
For 2026, Potgieter returns to defend his trophy, with a number of big names present this week. These include Players Championship winner Cameron Young, as well as last week's 3M Open champion Jackson Suber.
The pair start the event among the tournament favorites, with Xander Schauffele, Chris Gotterup, Si Woo Kim, Russell Henley and Wyndham Clark also near the top of the bookmakers' charts.
Potgieter returns to defend in Detroit
Ahead of the tournament, Detroit Golf Club has undergone some renovations and will play differently to how we saw it last year.
It will no longer be a par 72, as the seventh and 17th holes, previously par 5s, will play as long par 4s.
Some of the greens have also been enlarged and the bunkers deepened, but scoring is still expected to be low, with winning numbers ranging from 18-under to 26-under.
Take a look at who the Golf Monthly team are backing at the Rocket Classic below...
Pick One: Si Woo Kim To Win @ BetMGM
The South Korean admitted he 'choked' away The Open to finish T6th, which was his best ever Major finish.
I think the four-time PGA Tour winner is well overdue another victory, having had 10 top 10s in 20 events this season, including two runner-ups and two thirds.
He is fifth in Strokes Gained: Total, fifth in Scoring Average and second in Birdie Average but hasn't managed to get over the line yet in 2026. He just needs to hole some putts to hoist another trophy.
Pick Two: Rickie Fowler To Win @ BetMGM
Fowler is a past champion here, having won in 2023, and that is surprisingly his most recent victory.
The experienced Californian was a solid T18 at The Open in his last start after a T15 at the John Deere. He is having a good season with three top 10s, as well as a runner-up at the Truist Championship.
I can see him contending this week in Detroit.
Pick One: Chris Gotterup To Win @ BetMGM
He's been one of the most consistent performers on the PGA Tour in 2026, racking up three victories, as well as top 25s at The Masters, PGA Championship and The Open.
At last year's Rocket Classic, he finished T24th, and that included two rounds in the 70s that really let him down.
Course form isn't an issue for the American and, as we saw last year with Potgieter, driving is at a premium, an area where Gotterup shines. He's in great form and suits the layout, so I expect him to have a strong week.
Pick Two: Matt Wallace To Win @ BetMGM
Although he has struggled on the PGA Tour this year, a runner-up finish at the Italian Open tells me that Wallace still has form in the bag and, had it not been for a poor weekend at The Open, he'd be well inside the top 25.
Possessing a strong all-round game, the Englishman is due, and needs, a strong week to boost his FedEx Cup Playoff chances. For me, this is a positive, as Wallace produces his best stuff when his back is against the wall.
He finished T46th here last year, despite an over-par third round. What's more, and I'm slightly clutching at straws, he recently became a father which, as we've seen with other players, can have a positive impact on their games.
Pick One: Chris Gotterup To Win @ BetMGM
Full disclosure, I'd initially picked Cameron Young but changed my mind for tactical reasons (in relation to the Golf Monthly Tipster Challenge) and the fact I think Gotterup is an equally attractive choice in terms of a potential win.
Both are huge drivers of the ball, but Gotterup won more recently and backed it up with two top 20s since. He's made the cut at all three appearances at the Rocket Classic, but not kicked on as he perhaps should have because of poor striking tee-to-green.
Gotterup has gained strokes in his approach game in 17/19 starts this year, so I'm hoping that trend continues at Detroit GC and he surges to a fourth win of the year.
Pick Two: Akshay Bhatia To Win @ BetMGM
Once again, I'd say it's tough to find a legitimate slept-on contender in what is quite a strong Rocket Classic field, but I think the wiry left-hander could fit the bill.
Bhatia finished second here in 2024 and was T26th last year despite enduring a pretty poor week with his wedges and putter. Like Gotterup, those statistics have largely been reversed in 2026 and a T5th the last time he was in the US (Travelers Championship) helps me overlook his missed cut at The Open.
He is one of the best players in the world, and I'm hoping Bhatia can prove it once more this week.