PGA DFS: Top Cash Game Picks for the Rocket Classic

The PGA TOUR heads to Detroit Golf Club (par 70, 7,328 yards, bentgrass/POA annua greens) for the Rocket Classic, which will be the final edition of this event. The Rocket Classic has been an annual tournament since 2019, and the Donald Ross-designed Detroit Golf Club has been the only course to host this tournament. Aldrich Potgieter (-22) is the defending champion of the Rocket Classic after defeating Chris Kirk and Max Greyserman in a playoff a year ago. For this week, there are 144 players competing, and a top 65 and ties cut after the first two rounds.

The PGA DFS Breakdown offers data-driven analysis for each week’s slate, using the FantasyLabs Tools and metrics to highlight notable golfers.

I’ll be highlighting the best cash game/single-entry plays on the DraftKings main slate, but these players are often great options in any contest.

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My analysis will frequently reference Strokes Gained, a set of proprietary metrics generated by the PGA TOUR using millions of data points to calculate how many shots, on average, it takes a player to get the ball in the hole from every distance and situation.

Strokes Gained is now available in the FantasyLabs PGA Models.

There are a variety of Strokes Gained-related metrics, but the six main categories you need to know include:

• Strokes Gained: Off-the-Tee (SG: Off-the-Tee)
• Strokes Gained: Approach (SG: Approach)
• Strokes Gained: Around-the-Green (SG: Around-the-Green)
• Strokes Gained: Putting (SG: Putting)
• Strokes Gained: Ball-Striking (SG: Ball-Striking), which is SG: Off-the-Tee + SG: Approach
• Strokes Gained: Tee-to-Green (SG: Tee-to-Green), which is SG: Ball-Striking + SG: Around-the-Green

Don’t forget to check out two key metrics in our models — Perfect% and SimLeverage. You can find an explainer on those metrics here.

The Cliffs Notes version is that you can use SimLeverage to quickly find leverage plays in tournaments, while Perfect% is great for finding the best price-considered plays for cash games.

And don’t forget to utilize our various PGA DFS tools like our Lineup Optimizer, Lineup Builder, PGA Correlation Dashboard, and our Trends tool.

The following players listed are based on DraftKings scoring and pricing.

PGA DFS Cash Game Thoughts

DraftKings $10,000 Range

Cameron Young ($10,500)

Young is in a terrific position to win this week and is worth every penny. The 29-year-old is in the midst of a career-best season, missing no cuts in 15 starts and posting 7 top-10 finishes, including 2 wins. Young nearly just won the Open Championship 2 weeks ago, finishing runner-up to Ryan Fox by just one stroke. Young closed this major with a 6-under 64 at Royal Birkdale, and he ranked top-10 in both SG:OTT and SG:APP for the event. Looking to ride this wave, Young now heads to Detroit Golf Club, where he has finished runner-up, T6, and T46 in 3 starts. Young has a 63 on his resume at this Ross course, and he ranks 5th in this field in Strokes Gained per round at Detroit Golf Club. Young’s first PGA TOUR win came at another Ross creation in Sedgefield CC just last season, and he ranks 3rd in this field in Strokes Gained per round at Ross designs.

DraftKings $9,000 Range

Russell Henley ($9,200)

Henley continues to be one of the most reliable players on the PGA TOUR. The veteran has made 13 of 16 cuts and carded 11 top-25 finishes this season. Henley won the Charles Schwab Challenge in late May, and in his last 2 starts, he has finished T12 at the Travelers Championship and T9 at the Open Championship. Henley shot a 4-under 66 in the final round at Royal Birkdale, and he has collectively gained strokes on approach and with his putter in 4 of his last 5 starts. Henley missed the cut in his debut at Detroit Golf Club, but this was all the way back in 2019. Three years later in 2022, Henley finished T10 in his second attempt at the course. Henley ranks 5th in this field in Strokes Gained per round at Ross courses, and he should supply another top-10 finish at Detroit Golf Club.

Patrick Cantlay ($9,100)

Cantlay has finished runner-up and T32 at Detroit Golf Club, and he easily leads this field in Strokes Gained per round at courses in the Midwest. Cantlay is a 2-time winner at Muirfield Village in Ohio, and another encouraging sign for this week is that Detroit Golf Club features bentgrass/POA annua greens, as 6 of Cantlay’s 8 PGA TOUR wins have come at venues that present bentgrass putting surfaces. Cantlay has made 9 of his last 11 cuts with 4 top-12 finishes during this time, and he is underpriced at this salary. Cantlay’s +2250 odds to win the Rocket Classic on DraftKings Sportsbook are the 6th-best in the field, but he is the 8th-most expensive golfer for DFS.

Now available: our PGA DFS SimLabs Lineup Generator that creates advanced DFS lineups using the power of simulation.

DraftKings $8,000 Range

Jake Knapp ($8,800)

After working his way back from a hand injury and missing back-to-back cuts, Knapp finally looked like himself at the 3M Open last week. The 32-year-old finished T13 at TPC Twin Cities, and he went nuts in the final round with a 9-under 62. Knapp ranked 3rd in SG:APP for the event, and this marked his 8th top-15 finish in 14 starts this season. Knapp has been great at Detroit Golf Club, finishing T31 and T4, and he brings huge upside at this venue. That T4 came last season, and Knapp set the course record with a 61 in the second round. Fast forward a year later, and Knapp returns to Detroit Golf Club 51 spots higher in the world golf rankings.

J.J. Spaun ($8,700)

Spaun has never finished worse than T33 in 6 starts at Detroit Golf Club, and he has cracked the top-10 in 2 of his last 3 visits to the Ross design. To combine with this stellar record at Detroit Golf Club, Spaun is in strong form. The 35-year-old has made 9 of his last 12 cuts, and he has finished inside the top-15 6 times during this span. Spaun began this run with a win at the Valero Texas Open in April, and he has been outstanding as a ball striker this season, ranking 4th in SG:APP. Three of the last 4 winners at Detroit Golf Club have finished the event top-6 in SG:APP, so Spaun should once again thrive at this venue.

DraftKings $7,000 Range

Davis Thompson ($7,700)

Thompson finished runner-up at Detroit Golf Club 2 years ago, and he has never missed a cut at this venue in 4 starts. Thompson has shot a 66 in 3 of his last 6 rounds at Detroit Golf Club, and his game is trending up right now. Thompson has made 7 of his past 10 cuts with 4 top-15 finishes over this time, with his best being a T7 at the 3M Open last week. Thompson finished the tournament 6th in SG:APP, and he recorded a season-low 63 in the third round, which is one off his career low. Thompson has gained at least 2 strokes on approach at 3 straight events, and the strong ball-striking form should translate into another successful trip to Detroit Golf Club.

Eric Cole ($7,600)

Cole finished T8 in his lone start at Detroit Golf Club 2 years ago, and this isn’t the only time we have seen him play well at a Ross design. Cole has 2 top-15 finishes at Sedgefield CC, and he finished T15 at Oak Hill Country Club for the 2023 PGA Championship, which is his best major finish to date. Cole ranks 12th in this field in Strokes Gained per round at Ross venues, and his current form is compelling. Cole has only missed one cut in his last 12 starts, and he has finished inside the top-15 5 times over this stretch, most notably with a runner-up at the Charles Schwab Challenge in May.

Corey Conners ($7,500)

This is a very low salary for Conners at a non-major event. Just last week at the 3M Open, he was priced up to $8,700. Conners finished T39 at TPC Twin Cities, and he finished T14 at the Open Championship 2 weeks ago. Conners has made 17 of 19 cuts with 6 top-25 finishes this season, and he ranks 26th in Total Strokes Gained when we analyze this field’s last 24 rounds. Conners missed the cut in his only start at Detroit Golf Club in 2019, but he is a far better player now, sitting 32 spots higher in the world golf rankings.

Ben Kohles ($7,300)

Kohles is on fire and extremely underpriced. After winning the BMW Charity Pro-Am by 4 shots on the Korn Ferry Tour in June, Kohles has finished no worse than T29 in 6 straight starts between the PGA TOUR and Korn Ferry Tour. Kohles has been in the mix for wins in his last 3 starts, finishing T3 at the John Deere Classic, T15 at the ISCO Championship, and solo 9th at the 3M Open. Kohles opened the 3M Open with a career-low 8-under 62 this past week, and he ranked 2nd in SG:APP for the event. Kohles ranks 1st in the metric when we compare this field’s last 24 rounds, and he should provide a career-best finish at Detroit Golf Club this week. Kohles has made 2 of 3 cuts at this track, including a T20 2 years ago.

DraftKings $6,000 Range

Chris Kirk ($6,900)

Very few have a better resume at Detroit Golf Club than Kirk. The veteran has made 6 of 6 cuts and produced 5 top-25 finishes at this track, including the runner-up last season, when he lost in a playoff to Potgieter. Kirk has shot 68 or better in 13 of 24 rounds at Detroit Golf Club, and he ranks 10th in this field in Strokes Gained per round at the Ross venue. Kirk returns to the Motor City fresh off a T61 at the Genesis Scottish Open and a T31 at the 3M Open. At both these events, Kirk ranked top-20 in SG:APP, but outside the top-70 in SG:P. Kirk has gained strokes with his flat stick in 4 of 6 starts at Detroit Golf Club, so his putter could come alive this week, and if that is the case, Kirk will easily outproduce this low salary.

Nico Echavarria ($6,900)

Echavarria won the Cognizant Classic in March for his third PGA TOUR title, and he has been steady recently, missing only one cut in his last 10 starts. Echavarria has finished inside the top 40 5 times during this time frame, and he shined at Detroit Golf Club last season, finishing T6. Echavarria has made 2 of 3 cuts at this course, and he is way too cheap for his talent. Echavarria is the No. 56-ranked player in the world, but just the 69th-highest-priced player in this field.

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Pictured: Cam Young
Photo credit: Imagn