The 2024 Rocket Mortgage Classic kicked off today in Detroit, with the young field taking advantage of favorable conditions to shoot some very low numbers. Following two Signature Events and the US Open just this month, the field for the Rocket Mortgage Classic isn’t the most star-studded of the season, but a few up-and-comers seized the opportunity to show their stuff.
Akshay Bhatia Takes Early Lead at Rocket Mortgage Classic
Akshay Bhatia got off to a red-hot start today, shooting 64 to take the first-round lead. The 22-year-old Los Angeles native already has two wins since joining the PGA tour last year. Bhatia is currently 15th on the FedEx Cup points list with one win and two top tens this season. Bhatia won the Valero Texas Open in April and has shown consistent play and level-headedness so far in his young career.
Bhatia played his first PGA Tour event in 2019, receiving a sponsor’s exemption into the Valspar Championship at just seventeen years old. He turned pro later that same year, with the Sanderson Farms Championship being his first professional event. Bhatia spent a few years on the Swing Thought and Korn Ferry Tours before receiving his PGA tour card in 2022.
Detroit Golf Club Set Up for Low Scores
At just under 7,400 yards, Detroit Golf Club is about the average length for a PGA Tour course. Its wide-open, flat layout and relatively short rough don’t punish errant tee shots nearly as much as many other tour courses, meaning players can swing for the fences and still have a good chance of a reasonable approach shot. This layout has led to some of the lowest winning scores on tour, with the average winning score being -23.2 since the event’s inception in 2019.
While we won’t be seeing the big bombers like Rory McIlroy or Bryson DeChambeau this week at the Rocket Mortgage Classic, there are plenty of other young players out there this week who can still send it. As the week progresses the rough may get a little longer, but that shouldn’t stop anyone from reaching for the big stick at every opportunity. With little to discourage them, “bomb and gouge” should be the method of choice for most players this week.
Miles Russell Shoots 74 in the First Round
Fifteen-year-old phenom Miles Russell teed it up today in his first PGA event, after receiving a sponsor’s exemption earlier this month. Russell showed composure today on golf’s biggest stage, carding a respectable 74 in his first professional round. However, with over half of the field already under par, Russell will need to step it up on Friday if he hopes to cut. While it’s hard to know for sure, one can only guess that the cut line will end up somewhere around -2 or -3, if not lower.
Rickie Fowler in Position to Defend His Title
Defending champion Rickie Fowler got off to a good start today, carding a 6-under 66 in the first round at the Rocket Mortgage Classic. This puts him just two strokes off the lead, tied with four others in fourth place going into Friday. Rickie Fowler has been hot and cold this season, but he is a perennial fan favorite at the Rocket Mortgage Classic and always seems to step up his game for the Motown Showdown.
Value Plays Abound at Rocket Mortgage Classic
Akshay Bhatia is VERY heavily favored by oddsmakers going into Friday at just +320, with the next closest players, Aaron Rai and Cameron Young, offering +1000 (odds provided by Caesar’s Sportsbook). With lots of golf still to be played at the Rocket Mortgage Classic, those interested in live betting should be able to find plenty of value plays for the upcoming rounds.
Min Woo Lee has been known to put up some low numbers and is a great value pick at +1800. Taylor Montgomery, who got to -6 in his first nine holes today, is another good value at +2500, just one back from Bhatia. While Akshay Bhatia is a solid player, it’s hard to justify such low odds for him this early in the tournament.
With 54 holes left to be played and rain forecast for Saturday, Detroit Golf Club should continue to offer players plenty of scoring opportunities on Friday, and if the rain softens up the course on Saturday, the conclusion of the Rocket Mortgage Classic should be an absolute birdie-fest on Sunday. It will be interesting to see how things pan out for defending champ Rickie Fowler and the rest of this relatively young field, and it should be another exciting finish for the Rocket Mortgage Classic this year.