Rocket Mortgage Classic Preview: Bradley booming towards Bethpage

As summer heats up, the PGA Tour rolls into Detroit Golf Club for the 2025 Rocket Mortgage Classic – a fan-friendly, birdie-filled week that continues to grow in stature since its debut in 2019.

Sandwiched between the U.S. Open and The Open Championship, this event often provides a change of pace: a scoring fest on a wide-open Donald Ross design that invites aggressive play and low numbers.

Detroit Golf Club is a par-72 measuring just under 7,000 yards, but its generous fairways, soft greens, and minimal rough mean one thing: there are low scores to be had. The key this week? Wedge control, streaky putting, and the ability to take full advantage of gettable par 5s. Historically, winning scores have reached 20-under or better and we can’t see that changing in 2025.

While some of the top names are resting for the links-style test of Royal Portrush, the Rocket Mortgage Classic is still loaded with hungry contenders looking to capitalise on a softer field. We’re highlighting two players in contrasting styles but both with strong cases to contend this week in Motor City.

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Keegan Bradley – 14/1

Few players on Tour have had as consistent a season as Keegan Bradley, and he’s flying high heading into Detroit. The 2025 Ryder Cup captain has rediscovered his confidence, notching ten top-20 finishes this year, including a his recent victory at Travelers – secured by a clutch birdie on the 18th hole.

Bradley thrives on confidence, and when he’s feeling it, he’s dangerous on any layout. While not known as a traditional “birdie-fest” player, his improved putting over the past two seasons has turned him into a complete threat. He ranks inside the top 25 in strokes gained: off the tee, and his ball-striking remains among the most dialed-in on Tour.

Bradley also has history here, making the cut every year he’s played in Detroit and having some impressive finishes. If he finds a spark on the greens, don’t be surprised if he’s on the leaderboard come Sunday.

Matt Fitzpatrick – 33/1

When you think of Matt Fitzpatrick, you think of tough major setups — but don’t be fooled. The Englishman has the precision, patience, and putting to tear up a layout like Detroit Golf Club.

Fitzpatrick enters this week fresh off a strong showing at the Travelers, where he finished T17. He’ll also know he has to string a run of performances together on Tour if he’s to automatically secure a place in Luke Donald’s Ryder Cup team at Bethpage later this year, with many Europeans in the hunt to be one of the captain’s picks.

What Fitzpatrick brings is control off the tee, into greens, and with the flatstick. That’s a recipe that plays well anywhere, but especially in a scoring shootout where making bogeys is the fastest way to get left behind.

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