With our outright wagers placed, we now turn our attention to the prop market for our expert selections for the 2022 Rocket Mortgage Classic.
It is always important to search for value in the top finishing markets, so remember to shop around for the best lines for your 2022 Rocket Mortgage Classic prop bets as they typically differ from sportsbook to sportsbook.
The 3M Open was a smashing success as two of our prop bets came home in the form of Sungjae Im finishing inside the top 20 and Sahith Theegala missing the cut. The 2022 Rocket Mortgage Classic presents a great opportunity for us to take advantage of some market inefficiencies and continue this momentum into the end of the regular season.
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With only a few big names in this week’s field, it is no surprise to see Patrick Cantlay headline the oddsboard. The reigning PGA Tour Player of the Year did win alongside Xander Schauffele at the Zurich Classic but has been shut out when it comes to individual stroke-play tournaments.
He is the lone top-10 player in the Official World Golf Rankings to make the trip to Detroit as the world No. 4 looks to continue his consistent play and finally break through for a title of his own. While this week marks his tournament debut, one should not be concerned given Cantlay’s talent level and ability to adapt his style of play to any golf course.
Cantlay is listed at -125 to finish inside the top 20 of the Rocket Mortgage Classic after experiencing a solid two-week stretch in Scotland. According to our odds calculator, the American has a 55.6 percent chance to do so at Detroit Golf Club. Needing to lay $125 to profit $100 at those odds, we will instead look to different players and different markets for our Rocket Mortgage Classic prop bet selections.
2022 Rocket Mortgage Classic: What To Look For
There are numerous things to look for this week at the Rocket Mortgage Classic, but the most glaring is the push toward the FedExCup playoffs. Rookies, veterans and journeymen alike will hope that they will be able to catch lightning in a bottle over the course of the next two weeks to secure their spot in the postseason and in doing so secure their playing privileges on the PGA Tour for next year.
A number of veterans who are not at risk of losing their PGA Tour cards but are outside the coveted top 125 in the FedExCup standings include Jason Day, Rickie Fowler, Cameron Champ and Harris English. In fact, add in Webb Simpson, who is currently ranked No. 125, and there are even more big names who are potentially going to miss out on the postseason.
Simpson and English have both dealt with injuries in 2022 and as such receive a pass. However, Day and Fowler have struggled mightily and have yet to seriously contend in a tournament. Day led at the halfway point at TPC Potomac only to let it slip away on a rainy Saturday while Fowler’s last top-20 finish came at the CJ Cup @ Summit last fall.
This duo combined with a young three-time PGA Tour Sportsbook like Champ should be watched this week as a solid performance could be in their future. They know how to deal with the pressure of sealing the deal on Sunday and now they are faced with the stress of playing for their rights to tee it up in the postseason.
Rocket Mortgage Classic Prop Bets & Best Bets
Patrick Cantlay (+800 to finish inside the top 5)
The world No. 4 was mentioned at the beginning of this article and while he has not won by himself this year, he is still enjoying an extremely strong season. Losing in playoffs to Scottie Scheffler and Jordan Spieth, Cantlay has a total of eight top-10 finishes to his name in 2021-22.
Capturing top-10 finishes at both the Scottish Open and The Open Championship, Cantlay was terrific with his putter. This should pay dividends at Detroit Golf Club as the Donald Ross design has a way of catering to those who are able to find a red-hot putter.
In his last five tournaments, he has finished no worse than T-14 and has performed extremely well on the greens. In fact, he is averaging more than a stroke gained per round with his putter over his last 20 rounds, including +1.70 strokes gained putting per round at St. Andrews. If able to continue this type of efficiency on the greens, he should have no issues finishing inside the top 10 at the Rocket Mortgage Classic.
Taylor Pendrith (+275 to finish inside the top 20)
The Canadian suffered broken ribs in the middle part of his rookie campaign and was sidelined for multiple months, unable to play. He has since returned without skipping a beat, following up a T-13 effort at the Players Championship in his last start before the injury with back-to-back top-20 finishes.
Pendrith should be able to keep the good times rolling in the Motor City. He is extremely long off the tee and could follow in the statistical footsteps of Bryson DeChambeau and Cam Davis as players to use their length to their advantage around Detroit Golf Club.
Not only is he long, but he is proficient with his wedges, which will allow him to face numerous birdie opportunities and potentially eagle chances. If his putter cooperates as it has the past two weeks, Pendrith should find the top 20 on the Rocket Mortgage Classic leaderboard.
Luke List (+324 to finish inside the top 20)
Unlike Cantlay, List did not enjoy a Scotland trip to remember as he played in both tournaments across the pond and missed the cut both times. However, before this two-week stretch, he was playing some fine golf with a top-20 finish at the Travelers Championship and a top-30 effort at the Memorial.
In a field of this quality, List’s ability from tee to green should be able to shine through. He has gained strokes off the tee in every tournament since the beginning of May and has the iron play to attack these accessible pin locations at Detroit Golf Club.
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Plenty long off the tee, List is just a strong putting effort away from contending for his second PGA Tour victory of the season. While he typically fares better when the conditions are difficult, I believe List still has enough game to play well in a birdie-fest and thus finish inside the top 20.
J.J. Spaun (+450 to finish inside the top 20)
Since Spaun’s victory at the Valero Texas Open, he has struggled mightily on the PGA Tour, making only two cuts and withdrawing from the Charles Schwab Challenge. The Rocket Mortgage Classic should be an ideal landing spot for Spaun to find his footing before attempting to make a run in the FedExCup playoffs.
He has played in each of the last three Rocket Mortgage Classics and is a perfect 3-for-3 making his way through to the weekend. After previous finishes of T-13, T-30 and T-32, it may not be too much to ask the American to climb his way inside the top 20 by week’s end.
Despite his recent downturn in quality, Spaun may have found something in his game in Scotland. Missing the cut at the Renaissance Club, he was able to post positive ball-striking figures for the first time since the PGA Championship. If this continues at the Rocket Mortgage Classic, he should continue his strong history at this Donald Ross design.
Maverick McNealy (+500 to finish inside the top 10)
The Stanford product is playing some tremendous golf at the moment and should threaten for his first victory on the PGA Tour at the Rocket Mortgage Classic. While his outright odds are tempting, we will instead look to his top-10 odds as his inability to close when in the mix is a bit of a concern when it comes to McNealy.
This will be his third appearance in the Rocket Mortgage Classic – he finished T-8 in 2020 and T-21 in 2021. McNealy possesses the perfect blend of distance off the tee, competent wedge play and the ability to catch fire on the greens.
He comes into this year’s Rocket Mortgage Classic having made the cut in his last four tournaments. During this span, he has collected two top-10 finishes and another top-20 result for good measure. He is averaging more than one stroke gained putting per round over his last 16 rounds and gaining nearly six strokes on the field over the course of the tournament. If he continues this run of quality, he will have no problem finishing inside the top 10 at the Rocket Mortgage Classic.
