2025 Rocket Classic First Round Leader Picks: 5 Golfers to Target Thursday
Looking to bet the First Round Leader market at the 2025 Rocket Classic? Matt Mackay breaks down five golfers to target on Thursday, including Keegan Bradley, Ben Griffin, and a 120-1 longshot with elite Round 1 stats.
Matt MacKay - June 25, 2025, 3:00 PM EDT
5 Minute Read2025 Rocket Classic First Round Leader Picks: 5 Golfers to Target Thursday
The 2025 Rocket Classic tees off from Detroit Golf Club early Thursday morning. The field of 156 golfers is wide open without Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy in attendance. As a result, Collin Morikawa is valued as the current betting favorite to win this event at +1400 odds.
Detroit Golf Club is a par 72 that runs 7,370 yards. It's been a birdie-fest since its debut on the PGA Tour in 2019. Relatively wide fairways and small Poa annua greens measure 12.5 feet via Stimpmeter. Water hazards are not frequent, although sand bunkers, four-inch bluegrass rough and tree-lined fairways are plentiful.
Oddsmakers have assigned long odds to all golfers in this week's First Round Leader betting market. We typically see a few golfers come out of nowhere with a hot start, before fading away into the weekend. Other times, the betting favorites will score low enough to climb atop the leaderboard in Round 1.
The First Round Leader betting market is an entertaining and potentially lucrative way to get action during Thursday's opening round. Morikawa leads all golfers at +3300 odds, followed by Keegan Bradley and Patrick Cantlay at +3500.
PGA handicapper Matt MacKay has five golfers to target in the 2025 Rocket Classic First Round Leader betting market before golfers tee off on Thursday. Follow Matt's X account for more PGA betting analysis and free picks.
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2025 Rocket Classic First Round Leader Odds
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2025 ROCKET CLASSIC DATE, TIME, AND WHERE TO WATCH
- Date: Thursday, June 26 - Sunday, June 29, 2025
- Time: 6:45 AM - 6:00 PM ET
- How to Watch: ESPN+, Golf Channel, CBS, Paramount+
2025 Rocket Classic First Round Leader
Keegan Bradley (+3500) Click here to see which sportsbook has the best Rocket Classic Odds
Fresh off of a thrilling comeback win at the Travelers Championship, Keegan Bradley will look to carry his momentum into Detroit Golf Club in Round 1. The U.S. Ryder Cup captain has shot 68 or lower in four of his previous six events played.
Bradley ranks 31st in Round 1 scoring average this season. He's also 10th in total strokes gained, 28th SG: Off-the-Tee, 22nd SG: Approach and 19th in total driving.
He's currently the second betting favorite in this market. Ranking 30th in proximity, 20th in putting average and 14th on par 4s is good enough to justify backing Bradley as the First Round Leader at +3500 odds.
Ben Griffin (+5000) Click here to see which sportsbook has the best Rocket Classic Odds
Ben Griffin has enjoyed a career year on the PGA Tour in 2025. The North Carolina native has two outright wins and hasn't placed worse than T14 in five consecutive events entering the Rocket Classic.
Griffin is 22nd in Round 1 scoring average this season. He's 15th in total strokes gained, including 34th SG: Approach, 35th SG: Putting and 17th at finding greens in regulation at 69.2 percent.
He's ranked 20th in scoring average (69.8), making minimal mistakes and leveraging his short game to drain birdies or save par. Griffin hasn't gone lower than 67 in two appearances at Detroit Golf Club but he's red hot entering Round 1.
Since the Truist Championship in early May, Griffin has gone 66-70-66-65-69-67 in Round 1. Expect him to produce another solid outing on Thursday, so let's jump on his current 50-1 odds in the First Round Leader betting market.
Harry Hall (+5500) Click here to see which sportsbook has the best Rocket Classic Odds
Harry Hall is becoming a popular pick in the outright winner betting market at the Rocket Classic. His putter is arguably the best on the PGA Tour this year, ranked second SG: Putting and first in putts per round.
Hall sits third on par 4s, fourth in birdie average (4.44) per round and second in scoring average. While the flat stick is his best club, the Englishman is also 11th scrambling, 25th sand save percentage and 66th at finding greens in regulation.
He's sixth in Round 1 scoring average in 2025. Detroit Golf Club offers a lot of birdie opportunities and I expect Hall will convert quite a few of them on Thursday, so let's bet on him to be the First Round Leader at +5500 odds.
Keith Mitchell (+6000) Click here to see which sportsbook has the best Rocket Classic Odds
We've seen Keith Mitchell put up ridiculously low scores in Round 1 in several events in 2025. He's currently leading the PGA Tour in Round 1 scoring average at 67.5, although Mitchell has missed the cut at the Rocket Classic in both previous appearances.
Mitchell's strength is his driver, ranked sixth SG: Off-the-Tee. Seventh in total driving and eighth in driving distance means he's a bomber off the tee box. He's also top 50 for SG: Approach and 22nd at finding greens in regulation.
30th putting average, third in scoring average (69.1), fifth on par 4s and fourth in birdie average means there's a lot to like when it comes to investing in Mitchell's First Round Leader prop. Bet on Mitchell to come out firing early to potentially cash another First Round Leader ticket at +6000 odds.
Andrew Putnam (+12000) Click here to see which sportsbook has the best Rocket Classic Odds
Certain golfers fly under the radar on the PGA Tour and Andrew Putnam is definitely one of them this season. His metrics are very good, especially for a course like Detroit Golf Club.
The 36-year-old American ranks 40th total strokes gained, 33rd SG: Approach, 23rd SG: Putting and sixth in driving accuracy. Putnam is also seventh at finding greens in regulation, converting over 70 percent of attempts.
Sits third for scrambling, 28th in sand save percentage and ninth for scoring average. Putnam also is eighth on par 4s. All of this has allowed him to play well during most opening rounds in 2025, ranked fourth in Round 1 scoring average.
At 120-1 odds, Putnam is my favorite longshot to back in the First Round Leader betting market at the 2025 Rocket Classic on Thursday.
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