Rocket Mortgage Classic tips: Class act Akshay Bhatia can shine in weakened field

Rocket Mortgage Classic key stats:

• When: June 27 - 30 2024
• Where: Detroit Golf Club, Michigan 
• How long: 7,370 yards - par 70
• What to expect: Hybrid of two courses, usually low-scoring tree-lined flat track with undulating, multi-layered greens 
• Who won last year: Rickie Fowler (-24) after play-off with Collin Morikawa and Adam Hadwin

Strap yourself in for some serious low scoring at Detroit Golf Club, where this wide-open field is considerably weaker than in recent tournaments, with only two of the world’s top 25 players in the line-up.

Of those, Tom Kim (ranked 16th) understandably heads the betting after his stellar performance last week that saw him just miss out at the Travelers Championship following a play-off with Scottie Scheffler. A longer course this week perhaps works less in Tom’s favour, so the 12/1 price tag is possibly not the best value.

Tour maiden Cam Young (ranked 23rd) is next in the betting, although the bookmakers have perhaps priced him more on the strength of the 59 he carded at River Highlands last Saturday than on his real chances of landing his first title, and it’s difficult to see him deserving these odds until he wins.

Min Woo Lee is third-favourite at 16/1, and although the popular Aussie is talented, he has struggled to contend and his price appears to be a reflection of the lack of the depth of quality in the field this week. 

At 20/1 Akshay Bhatia is a much more attractive proposition after showing consistent improvement in recent outings following missed cuts at both the PGA Championship and the Charles Schwab.

He made the weekend at the Canadian Open, was just outside the top 20 at the Memorial, and after tying for 16th at the US Open, his game was back to its best at the Travelers last weekend, when he was in contention for most of the tournament before unravelling a bit over the final nine holes to finish a respectable fifth. I do like him on this course and his price seems both fair and tempting.

Suggested bet (1): Akshay Bhatia each-way in the Rocket Mortgage Classic

A little deeper in the betting, tour veteran Alex Noren is a consistent golfer, whose best chances to win are, like most in this field, in weaker-field events such as this. 

The same argument can be applied to Maverick McNealy, whose putting ability could set him up nicely on this course, although he is another non-winner and seems more likely as a place punt. 

The proven pedigree of  Will Zalatoris suggests his 33/1 odds are too big in this field, but the reality is that his game is best suited to a tougher test than the set-up at Detroit GC, and he might struggle to keep pace with the inevitable birdie-fest.

Conversely, Robert Macintyre is a top ball-striker who is very accomplished with the flatstick, so could well be suited by a drive-and-putt contest such as this. 

After struggling to adjust to the American circuit earlier in the season, the popular Scot is finding his feet on the Tour, breaking his duck with his maiden win at the Canadian Open a few weeks ago, and then bouncing back from a disappointing missed cut at the US Open to achieve a solid top-16 finish at the Travelers last week.

Suggested bet (2): Robert Macintyre each-way in the Rocket Mortgage Classic

Others to watch:

• Rickie Fowler (40/1) - Defending champion who has shown flashes of that form since and will be looking to build on last week’s top-20 finish at the Travelers.
• Matt Wallace (45/1) - Hasn’t missed a cut since March, including a decent 15th at last week’s KLM Open, so could be decent each-way value if recovered from that trip to Europe.
• Chandler Phillips (85/1) - This star of the US college circuit could rise to the top of this weaker field after making a name for himself on the main Tour, with his ball-striking and putting skills earning him top-12 finishes on his last two outings at the Charles Schwab and the Canadian Open.

Suggested bet (3): Chandler Phillips each-way in the Rocket Mortgage Classic

Suggested bet summary:

• Akshay Bhatia (20/1) - 2.5 points each-way
• Robert Macintyre (35/1) - 1 point each-way
• Chandler Phillips (85/1) - 1 point each-way

All listed prices are from Planet Sport Bet and are correct at time of article publication, but could be subject to change

READ MORE: DP World Tour Italian Open preview and tips