The big story this week: the renovation and changes to Detroit Golf Club. Your best bet to catch up on all of that? Follow Ron as he walks around the course for 3 days and tweets a ton. A good thread to start with:

That said, I don’t know that we’ll actually see an uptick in difficulty (outside of the fact that it’s a par 70 compared to the old par 72 setup), since the rough appears to be pretty tame and reports from Ron and others are saying that the new greens are softer than expected.

Driving distance, strong iron play, and a little bit of ARG prowess should still see a winner test the mid-to-high teens for a winning score as we (maybe) say goodbye to this course on the tour rota.

A deeper look from Ron’s preview piece:

Detroit Country Club

In its final year hosting the Rocket Classic, Detroit Golf Club will look and play completely different after the Donald Ross design underwent a complete restoration led by Tyler Rae. The goal was to restore Ross’s original scale, strategy and character, while updating the course for modern play.

Exactly how much tougher Detroit GC will play under tournament conditions remains one of the biggest storylines of the week, but the days of a pure birdie fest appear to be over. Birdies should still be available, particularly for players who drive the ball well, but the restoration and revised scorecard are expected to produce a far more balanced test than the course offered during its first seven Rocket Classics.

One of the most dramatic changes is to the scorecard where it will play as a par 70 (7,328 yds), down from the par 72 that it played for the first seven years. During that span, the winning score ranged from -18 to Tony Finau‘s tournament record -26 in 2022. Aldrich Potgieter claimed last year’s title at -22 under after a playoff. Instead of four par 5s, now there are only two. The largest scoring shift comes on the former par 5 seventh and 17th holes. They ranked as the two easiest holes on the course in 2025, with the seventh averaging just 4.39 strokes and the 17th 4.42. Both have now been converted into lengthy par 4s, with the seventh measuring approximately 505 yards and the 17th stretching to roughly 537 yards.

Rather than offering routine birdie opportunities, both holes now project among the toughest on the course. The seventh has been transformed most dramatically, with the removal of the large tree near the green, a completely relocated green site well to the right of the original, and a new bailout area occupying the former green location. Together, those changes fundamentally alter the strategy and are likely to swing multiple strokes across the field over the course of the week.

The added length is evident throughout the scorecard. Detroit Golf Club now features four par 4s measuring at least 500 yards, while the closing 18th has been extended to approximately 470 yards after previously playing around 455. The increased length, combined with firmer conditions and more demanding green complexes, should place a greater emphasis on long iron play than in previous editions of the Rocket Classic.

The holes used for the Rocket Classic are a composite routing with 17 holes coming from the North Course and one from the South Course. The par 3s continue to provide excellent variety. The fifth plays just 156 yards and the 15th 163 yards, presenting two realistic birdie opportunities. In contrast, the ninth stretches to 205 yards and the 11th to a daunting 246 yards, creating two of the toughest one shot holes on the course and placing a premium on long iron and hybrid play.

Model

As I said, I still just want bombers with good long irons and a sprinkle of ARG. Not a ton of surprises up top… the favorite fits the course pretty well here.

Davis Thompson sneaking in on some strong ball-striking is interesting if you have the balls to bet on a guy who cannot putt (I do).

Full model and rankings on the site along with other expert rankings and, of course, the ability to build your own model (or five).

Betting

I don’t like betting Xander; honestly, I think the only time I’ve ever won money on him is the Olympics in Japan (I had a prop “American wins Gold” that I was leaning on Morikawa with that he accidently cashed for me). Still, he looks good out here this week and fits the course extremely well.

Also found a reasonable price on Gerard (who modeled well with his strong ball-striking) and Thompson as a bit of a longer shot.

Penge DID NOT model well, but he’s long off the tee, played well at the Open, and most importantly, we’re getting over 100/1 for a guy who had three wins in Europe last year.

Xander Schauffele +2129
Ryan Gerard +4456
Davis Thompson +7194
Marco Penge +11687

How to Watch

Television

• Thursday, July 30: 3 pm - 6 pm (Golf Channel)

• Friday, July 31: 3 pm - 6 pm (Golf Channel)

• Saturday, August 1: 1 pm - 3 pm (Golf Channel), 3 pm - 6 pm (CBS)

• Sunday, August 2: 1 pm - 3 pm (Golf Channel), 3 pm - 6 pm (CBS)

Streaming

• Thursday, July 30: 7 am - 6 pm (ESPN+)

• Friday, July 31: 7 am - 6 pm (ESPN+)

• Saturday, August 1: 7:30 am - 6 pm (ESPN+), 3 pm - 6 pm (Paramount+)

• Sunday, August 2: 7:30 am - 6 pm (ESPN+), 3 pm - 6 pm (Paramount+)

Featured-group, marquee-group, and featured-hole coverage streams all four rounds on PGA Tour Live (ESPN+), starting hours before the television windows open. Paramount+ simulcasts the CBS weekend windows.

All times ET.

Weather

Some chances of rain on Saturday, but those seem to be diminishing as the week rolls on. Thursday and Friday look similar, and wind doesn’t appear to be playing a big factor at all this week.

It will be pretty hot, but trending the opposite of last week, cooling down a bit for the weekend.

News and Notes

I thought we’d lost Napa forever, and now it’s suddenly being bumped up to a main event!?

It’s football season, and this crossover stat felt like it needed to be shared.

More LIV news. Not looking great for the continued existence of the rogue league.

And finally, the Open is at St. Andrews next year, but in 2028 will return to Royal Lytham & St. Annes. If you want to get an early look at the venue we haven’t seen in the Open rotation since 2012, this weekend is your chance.

As always, bet responsibly, have fun, and RIP Rocket.

Twitter | YouTube | Website | The Rabbit Hole