The 2026 Rocket Classic arrives at a freshly restored Detroit Golf Club. A $16.1 million restoration led by architect Tyler Rae converted two former par 5s into long par 4s, rebuilt every green toward Donald Ross's original shapes, and removed the pond guarding the par-5 14th. Par 70, 7,328 yards — down from the par-72 layout every prior Rocket Classic champion actually played. Tree-lined corridors and quick, contoured greens make this as much a putting contest as a ball-striking exam.
Detroit Golf Club plays to a par 70 at 7,328 yards for the 2026 Rocket Classic (verified directly against pgatour.com's course-stats page — par and yardage confirmed hole-by-hole, not carried over from a prior year). The North Course is a Donald Ross design dating to 1899, and 2026 marks its most significant change since the tournament arrived in 2019.
What stats matter this week: SG: Approach and SG: Putting carry the two heaviest weights in the model, with SG: Around the Green close behind — a field that plays this low on quick, contoured greens rewards precise iron play and hot putting well ahead of raw distance.
Conditions this week: wind running around 10 mph with gusts up to 22 mph, temperatures ranging 62–89°F, and one day in the window carrying meaningful rain. Softer greens from that rain should favor players willing to be aggressive into the flag rather than those leaning on a firm-and-fast bounce.
Historical winning scores: Rocket Classic winners at Detroit Golf Club have finished between -18 and -26 since the event's 2019 debut (full table in Section 03 below) — but every one of those scores came on the old par-72 routing. With two strokes removed from par this year, this year's winning score won't be directly comparable to past years' — treat the historical range as context, not a target.
SG: Approach (20%), SG: Putting (17%), and SG: Around the Green (13%) combine for half the model's total weight this week — a low-scoring, short-game-driven field on quick Ross greens rewards precision over power. Course History and Course Experience sit at just 2% and 1%, reduced specifically because of the restoration (see Section 01).
Detroit Golf Club has hosted the Rocket Classic every year since 2019; 2026 is the 8th playing. Every score below was posted on the old par-72 routing — with the 2026 restoration removing two par 5s (four total strokes of par across the field over 72 holes), this year's winning score will not be directly comparable to the range below.
| Year | Winner | Score | To Par | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Aldrich Potgieter | 266 | -22 | Playoff |
| 2024 | Cam Davis (2nd win) | 270 | -18 | 1 stroke |
| 2023 | Rickie Fowler | 264 | -24 | Playoff |
| 2022 | Tony Finau | 262 | -26 | 5 strokes |
| 2021 | Cameron Davis | 270 | -18 | Playoff |
| 2020 | Bryson DeChambeau | 265 | -23 | 3 strokes |
| 2019 | Nate Lashley | 263 | -25 | 6 strokes |
Cam Davis is the only multi-time winner (2021, 2024). Given the thin, now-outdated historical sample, course history carries just 2% weight in this week's model — see Section 02.
Composite scores from the StrokesEdge Detroit Golf Club regression. Weights: SG:APP (20%), SG:PUTT (17%), SG:ARG (13%), Course-Fit Approach (10%), Course-Fit Short Game (8%), plus 9 secondary factors down to Course Experience (1%). All inputs from Data Golf's 2026 season data, blended 60/40 with a computed L30-day recent-form window.
The L2 filter requires SG: Approach ≥ -0.05, SG: Putting ≥ -0.10, Scrambling % ≥ 55, and Driving Accuracy ≥ -0.10. 52 of 134 scored players clear all four gates. The top three model outputs are shown below.
| Rk | Player | Score | APP | PUTT | ARG | Edge | L2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Emiliano Grillo | 66.7 | +0.304 | +0.411 | +0.079 | +2.36% | PASS |
| 2 | Ben Kohles | 66.2 | +0.672 | +0.175 | +0.065 | +1.93% | PASS |
| 3 | Chandler Phillips | 66.2 | +0.020 | +0.533 | +0.417 | +2.17% | PASS |
52 of 134 scored players clear every L2 gate (13 additional players sit on the Watch List, outside regression, for insufficient Data Golf sample). The full ranked field, L3 value screen against sportsbook odds, complete picks card, fades, and DFS lineups are in the Substack newsletter.
Every past week's analysis stays live as its own standalone page. Results tracked publicly at strokesedge.com/picks.html.
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Past performance does not guarantee future results.