The PGA TOUR heads to Detroit this week for the Rocket Classic, where DraftKings users can once again compete in DraftKings PGA Pick6 contests across all four tournament rounds. If you’re new to Pick6, it’s a single-entry daily fantasy format where you predict whether golfers will finish over or under a series of statistical projections.
Players will take on Detroit Golf Club, a classic Donald Ross layout that plays as a par 72 measuring just over 7,300 yards. While the course isn’t especially demanding off the tee, soft summer conditions and receptive greens often turn it into a birdie fest, with winning scores frequently pushing beyond 20-under par. Strong approach play, plenty of birdie opportunities and a hot putter have consistently been the recipe for success, although longer hitters can gain an edge by attacking the course’s reachable par 5s, a trend we’ve seen play out with several recent winners.
This year’s field features several established PGA TOUR stars alongside plenty of value options looking to take advantage of one of the TOUR’s more scoreable venues. I’ve broken down the key player statistics, course fit and recent form in my Rocket Classic PGA Cheat Sheet, and included additional notes on Detroit Golf Club below to help with your Pick6 selections.
“The fairways and greens at Detroit GC rank out as easy to hit compared to the average PGA TOUR venue, and the overall average driving distance at this venue has been about 10 yards longer than at the average PGA TOUR stop. The driver will be a popular club this week, and big hitters (who don’t spray the ball too much) have benefited from this setup in the past, including last season when arguably the PGA’s longest driver (Aldrich Potgieter) won his first PGA TOUR event. While off-the-tee play isn’t necessarily the most important thing to focus on this week, multiple winners, including Potgieter, have now gained over 5.0 strokes off the tee during the week of their win. Cameron Davis (2024) and Rickie Fowler (2023) also gained over a stroke off the tee in their wins.
The benefits of power aside, this course also caters to those who can find range on the Poa greens and bring a solid enough iron game in to give themselves plenty of chances at birdies (and eagles). Nate Lashley proved that you don’t have to be a big hitter to find success in Detroit, as he rode a +9.1 putting week into his first PGA TOUR win in 2019, getting to 25-under par that season — despite ranking just 44th in driving distance and gaining less than a stroke off-the-tee. Lashley used superior iron play to give himself a ton of mid-to-short range putts that season, and other names like Troy Merritt and Kevin Kisner have found success at Detroit GC with a similar formula. Rickie Fowler himself gained 7.6 strokes on approach on his way to victory in 2023. However, if you’re targeting players with less distance off the tee, make sure they’re coming in with some decent form in proximity stats from 150+ yards. Fowler was one of the leaders in proximity from 150-175 and 200+ yards in the year of his win.
For fantasy players looking at possible correlations between this venue and others on the PGA TOUR, results from other Donald Ross-designed venues may be worth noting. Pinehurst No. 2, Plainview, East Lake, and Sedgefield (host of the upcoming Wyndham Championship) are all Ross designs.”
As of now, we have Round 1 totals up on the Pick6 site for play, so that’s where we’ll be focusing this week. The players out first are expected to have slightly better conditions with winds picking up throughout the day. If you’re targeting stroke totals or birdie-or-better totals, keep that in mind.
With that in mind, I’ve focused on a few of my favorite plays for the Rocket Classic in Round 1 below.
Top DraftKings Pick6 Plays for the 2026 Rocket Classic
Christiaan Bezuidenhout More Than 3.5 birdies or better
Bezuidenhout enters Detroit in excellent form after recording finishes of T-20 (3M Open), T-21 (ISCO Championship) and T-12 (John Deere Classic) over his last three starts, consistently posting low rounds in birdie-friendly events. Detroit Golf Club has historically rewarded accurate iron players who create plenty of birdie chances, and lately that’s been one of Bezuidenhout’s biggest strengths.
He’s up to 64th in birdie or better% on the season, and even with the course’s recent changes to a par 70, scoring opportunities remain plentiful, with reachable par 4s and two easier par 5s, making four birdies a very attainable target if he plays to his recent baseline. With his current form trending upward, this projection feels a touch conservative.
Doug Ghim Less Than 69.5 strokes
Ghim is one of the TOUR’s more consistent ball-strikers, but asking him to break 70 on a renovated Detroit Golf Club is a tougher assignment than it first appears. The course now plays as a par 70, with two former par 5s converted into demanding par 4s that should reduce the number of easy birdie opportunities compared to previous editions. While Ghim finished T-19 here last year, lower scoring is far from guaranteed on the updated layout.
Still, a round of 1-under or better remains well within his range of outcomes. He’s typically been a strong starter and also ranks 46th on the PGA TOUR in Round 1 Scoring Average, putting him squarely above average in that category. He was also playing well prior to posting a couple of missed cuts, landing a T-6 at the John Deere and a T-15 in Canada. Overall, I like Ghim’s profile for this new setup and would target him as a fast starter for Thursday with this total.
Chris Gotterup More Than 4.0 birdies or better
Few players arrive in better form than Gotterup. The world No. 7 has already won three PGA TOUR titles this season, highlighted by his victory at the John Deere Classic, before adding finishes of T-11 at the Genesis Scottish Open and T-18 at The Open Championship against elite fields. He’s also made all three career cuts at Detroit Golf Club, including a T-26 finish last year.
Gotterup’s combination of length off the tee and aggressive scoring makes him one of the most likely players in the field to string together birdie runs, and needing five birdies feels well within reach on a course that continues to reward attacking golf despite its recent renovation. Overall, this total feels like an overreaction to the Detroit Golf course changes, a venue I still expect will play relatively easy overall.
What is DraftKings Pick6?
Pick6 is a peer-to-peer fantasy variant where you build a lineup (your “Pick Set”) of 2+ players and select whether you believe each will outperform their listed stat projection. Enter your Pick Set in Pick6 contests to compete against other users. Get enough picks correct and win a share of cash prizes.
How to Play
Create a Pick Set
Create a Pick Set by choosing 2+ players from the same sport and Pick Group (a set of picks available from a group of competitions). For each player, simply select if you think they’ll have more or less than their listed stat projection. In each Pick Set, you can not pick the same player twice and you must pick players from at least two different teams.
Enter an Amount
Once you finalize your Pick Set, choose your entry fee amount. Your entries will be automatically distributed into available contests, subject to your confirmation.
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When the games go live, use the My Picks tab to follow your picks in real time to track how your players are performing against their projections and how they stack up against other users.
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