Detroit — The Rocket Classic might’ve just saved the best for last.
In what will be the eighth and final playing of the PGA Tour tournament at Detroit Golf Club, there are four players in the top 10 of the Official World Golf Ranking, and eight in the top 20. More than half of the top 100 in the OWGR is teeing it up in Detroit this week.
The field is arguably the best in the Rocket’s history, certainly since LIV Golf came on the scene in 2022. Of course, if you ask Rocket officials, there’s not much of an argument.
“This will be our strongest field we’ve had to date,” said Nic Barlage, CEO of Rocket Entertainment Group.
A big reason for the stacked field is the tournament’s place on the schedule. It’s the second-to-last regular-season event, before the start of the FedEx Cup playoffs, and players are jockeying for position. The top 70 in the standings make it into the first playoff event, the top 50 advance to the second playoff event, and only the top 30 make the season-ending Tour Championship, where there’s $40 million up for grabs.
So, this is a very important week for players on the playoff bubble, as well as those who are comfortably inside the bubble but looking to bolster their position for the later rounds of the playoffs.
There is a tournament-record $10 million up for grabs at the Rocket, with $1.8 million going to the winner.
Here are 18 players to watch, as the world’s best take their swings in Detroit, one final time:
Five favorites
CAMERON YOUNG
Young, 29, is the heavy betting favorite, at +990 (Xander Schauffele is second, +1600). He’s the highest-ranked player in the field, at No. 3, and has two wins this season, at The Players Championship and the Cadillac Championship. He also had near-misses at the Masters and British Open. He has two top-10s at the Rocket, finishing second in 2022.
JACKSON KOIVUN
Koivun, 21, burst onto the scene in a big way this past Sunday, winning the 3M Open in Minnesota in just his third start as a professional, and he held off world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler to get it done. He’ll now try to go back-to-back, like Tony Finau did at the 3M Open and Rocket Classic back in 2022. He led Auburn to a national championship last month.
CHRIS GOTTERUP
Gotterup, 27, is one of the longest hitters on the PGA Tour, which has been an advantage before at DGC (we’re looking at you, Bryson DeChambeau). But this is a new look after the renovations. It now plays to a par 70, and there’s more premium placed on accuracy. Gotterup, world No. 7, has been on a heater, winning four times since last July.
XANDER SCHAUFFELE
This is the first time playing in Detroit for Schauffele, 32, a two-time major champion who is ranked 15th in the world. He’s played very well in the biggest events this year, with three top-11s in majors and a third-place finish at The Players, but, surprisingly, he hasn’t won this season. The last of his 10 PGA Tour victories came in October.
SI WOO KIM
Kim, 31, ranked No. 18 in the world, has won four times on the PGA Tour, but not since 2023. He seems like he’s close to breaking through again, with six top-10 finishes since April. He’s made more birdies than anyone on the PGA Tour this year, a big deal at go-low DGC, where he’s played five times before, making four cuts and tying for 14th in 2022.
Five others
BEN GRIFFIN
Griffin, 30, is ranked 19th in the world and is a three-time winner on the PGA Tour, all of those wins coming last year. He hasn’t been in serious contention a whole lot this year, but he does have three top-10 finishes in his last nine tournaments. He’s played in the Rocket each of the last three years, tying for 13th in 2025.
CHRIS KIRK
Kirk, 41, is ranked 120th in the world, having won the last of his six PGA Tour tournaments in 2024, and missing eight of 17 cuts this season. He’s missed three of his last five, and doesn’t have a top 10 this season. But the Rocket seems to get him going, going 5-for-5 on cuts. He lost in a playoff last year, and has never finished worse than tied for 21st.
WYNDHAM CLARK
Clark, 32, is ranked No. 9 in the world, having won twice this year, including his second U.S. Open title. He missed the cut at the British Open last time out, but before that, he won twice and didn’t finish worse than tied for 13th in his previous six starts. He might be joined by girlfriend, Emily Tanner, a model, influencer and Michigan State alum.
PATRICK CANTLAY
Hard to believe that Cantlay, 34, hasn’t won on the PGA Tour in nearly four years, hence why he’s dropped to No. 39 in the world. Still, he’s the sixth-favorite on the early betting markets, according to DraftKings, at +2150 (behind Young, Schauffele, Gotterup, Kim and Clark). He’s played the Rocket twice before, tying for second in 2022.
MICHAEL KIM
Kim, 33, ranked No. 55 in the world, has won just once on the PGA Tour, a long time ago, at the 2018 John Deere Classic, and he’s never seriously contended at the Rocket, though he has made his last two cuts here after missing the first three. But his game seems to be trending, especially after he shot the 15th 59 in PGA Tour history at the 3M Open.
Five dark horses
JORDAN SPIETH
One of field’s headliners, Spieth, 33, is playing the Rocket Classic for the first time, deciding this was the best place to bolster his playoff position (he decommitted from the 3M Open, just days after he committed). He has won 13 times on the PGA Tour, including three majors, but he hasn’t won since 2022. He hasn’t finished better than 58th since May.
BROOKS KOEPKA
Koepka, 36, a five-time major champion, has been one of the biggest stories in golf this season, becoming the first big name to leave LIV Golf to return to the PGA Tour. He’s outside the playoff bubble, so he’s teeing it up in Detroit for the first time, trying to put it all together for the first time in a while. With Koepka, if he can find the putter, he can contend.
RICKIE FOWLER
Fowler, 37, has been the face of the Rocket Classic since its inception, as a longtime pitchman for Rocket (and before that, Quicken). He’s played the tournament every year, and won it in a playoff in 2023, but he hasn’t won since. That said, he’s shown signs things are starting to click. Another Fowler win would be the dream ending to the Rocket’s run.
KEEGAN BRADLEY
Last year, Bradley, 40, played the Rocket Classic largely to do some Team USA scouting as captain of the Ryder Cup team (he should’ve scouted and picked himself!). This year, he’s playing because he’s on the outside of the playoff picture. Bradley has played better of late, and he’s 4-for-4 in cuts made at the Rocket, with a tie for 14th in 2021.
BRAD DALKE
Dalke, 28, got one of the tournament’s four sponsor’s exemptions, Rocket officials hoping his huge YouTube following will help create some buzz. Don’t be fooled, though. He’s got game. This is his first PGA Tour tournament as a pro, but he tied for 30th at a DP World Tour event this month. He was runner-up at the 2016 U.S. Amateur at Oakland Hills.
Three more past champs
TONY FINAU
Finau, 36, withdrew just before last year’s Rocket Classic, citing rest and recovery. He pledged to be back to the place he won in 2022, and Finau, ranked 130th in the world, has stayed true to his word, returning to DGC for the final playing of the event. He’s scuffling, well outside the playoff picture, with just one finish better than 29th since March.
CAMERON DAVIS
Davis, 31, is the only two-time winner of the Rocket Classic, taking the title in 2021 (in a playoff) and in 2024. Those are his only PGA Tour victories. He needs the good vibes of returning to DGC, as it’s been an awful season, missing 10 of 14 cuts, including eight of his last 10. If there’s good news, he wasn’t trending leading up to either of his wins here.
ALDRICH POTGIETER
Potgieter earned his first PGA Tour victory in Detroit last year, in a five-hole playoff (over Max Greyserman and Kirk). At 20, he was the seventh-youngest player to win on the PGA Tour since 1983. He’s slimmed down since last season, and has had an up-and-down season, missing three of his four cuts coming in to put him just inside the playoff bubble.
tpaul@detroitnews.com
@tonypaul1984
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Favorites and dark horses: 18 players to watch at the Rocket Classic
Reporting by Tony Paul, The Detroit News / The Detroit News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Tony Paul, The Detroit News | USA TODAY Network
