Bryson DeChambeau leads the pack of golfers descending to Detroit Golf Club in Michigan this week, with the hard-hitting Californian looking to defend his title in the 2021 Rocket Mortgage Classic. Will DeChambeau win again? Or will another golfer take home the biggest share of the purse this weekend? Check out our preview of some of the favorites, sleepers, and long shots below.
Of course, Brooks Koepka’s most hated man is going to play this coming weekend. After all, DeChambeau is the tournament’s reigning champion, winning the 2020 Rocket Mortgage Classic with a score of 23-under 265 to pocket the $1.35 million champion prize along with 500 FedExCup points. DeChambeau is on a roll as well, having made the cut in all of his last 11 PGA TOUR starts, which includes a win in the 2021 Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard and a T19 last Sunday in the 2021 Travelers Championship.
Reed has gone 3 of 3 in his last 3 PGA TOUR starts, which includes a solo fifth-place finish in 2021 the Memorial Tournament presented by Nationwide back in early June. He missed the cut in the last edition of the Rocket Mortgage Classic, but a year prior, in 2019, he was fifth with a 17-under 271 score. On the season, Reed has six top 10s and 13 top 25s in 18 starts. He has a win as well, having topped the field in the 2021 Farmers Insurance back in January. Reed is currently ninth in scoring average (69.9).
Ranked 13th in the world, Simpson will tee off at Detroit Golf Club after skipping the Travelers Championship. Prior to that, he got cut at the 2021 US Open. Still, he’s been pretty solid overall this season. He has five top 10s with nine top 25s and 13 made cuts across 15 total PGA TOUR starts. Last year, he was eighth in the Rocket Mortgage Classic with a 15-under 273 score.
You got to love Niemann’s activity this season. He’s played a total of 21 PGA TOUR events and has managed to make a cut in all but one of them. He has a pair of top 2s and four top 10s so far this season. Statistically speaking, he is ninth in driving distance (312.5) and eighth in scoring average (69.885).
Although he’s only ranked 126th in the world today, you can forget all about it because when it comes to playing golf at Detroit Golf Club, he’s a whole lot better player than his current rank suggests. He finished second in the 2019 Rocket Mortgage Classic then finished 21st overall in the following year’s edition of the tournament. And he’s got some momentum going for him heading into his third Rocket Mortgage Classic appearance, as he is 5 of 5 in his past five PGA TOUR starts, including a T2 in the 2021 Palmetto Championship at Congaree.
Ranked 235th overall in the official world golf rankings, Stuard will look to keep his streak of made cuts at the Detroit Golf Club to three. He finished solo fifth in the 2019 Rocket Mortgage Classic then 30th in the 2020 version of the tournament.
Brehm has gone 0 of 6 in his last six starts. He’s basically like the Ben Simmons of golf right now, but before you dismiss his chances of making noise in the Detroit Golf Club, consider first that he’s from Michigan, so the familiarity of the environment could help him perform better than his odds.
Writer’s Prediction
Patrick Reed wins the 2021 Rocket Mortgage Classic.
