The PGA Tour's penultimate stop ahead of the FedEx Cup Playoffs is at the Rocket Mortgage Classic in Detroit, Michigan.
The likes of Patrick Cantlay, Tony Finau, and Will Zalatoris top the Rocket Mortgage Classic odds board, but our outright predictions for the week go beyond those notables and focus on a couple of youngsters looking to make a late-season splash at what usually becomes a birdie-fest at Detroit Golf Club.
We're giving you three names to target for this week's action — including a favorite, sleeper, and longshot.
Rocket Mortgage Classic outright picks
- Favorite: Cameron Young (+1,800)
- Sleeper: Maverick McNealy (+4,000)
- Longshot: Emiliano Grillo (+6,600)
Picks were made on 7/26/2022 at 12:00 p.m. ET.
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Rocket Mortgage Classic outright picks
Among the favorites: Cameron Young (+1,800)
Cameron Young will most assuredly win PGA Tour Rookie of the Year but limiting his season to that status may be cutting his game short. He's been one of the most dominant golfers — not just rookies — in 2022 with his first Tour win being the only thing needed to cap off an incredible season. That could very well come this week.
Cam has been around the hoop so many times this season but that first victory has somehow eluded him. Since the start of the 2021-22 Tour season, he's finished runner-up four times including the Open Championship just two weeks ago as well as two other T3 finishes, one being the PGA Championship.
If you don't already know, the youngster's biggest asset is his driver, ranking second in strokes gained off the tee and seventh in driving distance (317.6 yards). He's gained more than a stroke per round off the tee in 10 of his last 14 starts. Those are absurd numbers that afford him huge advantages.
And while the other parts of his game — specifically his iron play and putting — can run hot and cold at times, he still finds ways to piece it together on the backs of his driving, as his incredible results indicate.
The Rocket Mortgage Classic is not only among the weaker fields of the year, but two of the three winners here in Detroit were first-time Tour winners, paving the way for guys like Young, Willy Z, Davis Riley, or others (see below) to break through in a serious way ahead of the FedEx Cup Playoffs.
While Willy Z probably has more upside, he's been a little more hit or miss outside of the major championships this year. Give me Cam Young and his slightly bigger number.
Sleeper to watch: Maverick McNealy (+4,000)
Along the similar lines of a talented youngster in line for his first Tour victory, I present to you Maverick McNealy. While he may not have the career upside of a Cam Young or a Will Zalatoris, Mav's game is more than good enough to win on Tour, especially in a watered-down field like this one.
He enters the week after finishing just T49 at last week's 3M Open but posted two Top-10 finishes and a Top-20 in his three previous starts.
Mav is an average ball-striker (70th in strokes gained tee-to-green, 104th on approach) but relies more so on a putter that's gained strokes in nine of his last 12 starts, including +1.12 per round at the Scottish Open, +1.47 at the John Deere, and a field-best +2.09 at the Genesis Invitational earlier in the year.
He's made two starts here in Detroit to the tune of T8 and T21 finishes, gaining strokes on approach both times while gaining more than a shot on the field off the tee in 2021.
He's proven he can play well even if he's not striking it well, but with how strong his flatstick is, even a decent week of tee-to-green play should surely get Mav back into the mix this weekend.
Longshot worth a look: Emiliano Grillo (+6,600)
With this event often-times turning into a birdie-fest, there's room for a longshot to get hot and snag a late-season victory, but how about someone who's already hot?
Emiliano Grillo enters the week with T2 finishes in two of his last three starts (other was a missed cut by two shots at St. Andrews) and looks to continue his steady climb up the FedEx Cup points list, where he's up to 53rd from 92nd just a week ago.
In all three of those events (including the MC), he's gained strokes on approach and with the putter, two figures that'll be critical for going low this week.
The Argentinian has just one win — the 2015 Frys.com Open — in his near seven-year PGA Tour career. With some good form and a lighter field, maybe now is the time for him to reenter the Winner's Circle seven years later.
