RADIO
As the 2023 season continues, the PGA Tour heads north to Detroit, Michigan for the Rocket Mortgage Classic. After a recent two-week stretch that included the U.S. Open and the elevated Travelers Championship, golf fans will notice a slightly weaker field of entrants teeing it up this week, though it should be noted that this is one of the stronger turnouts in the relatively brief history of the event.
In this article, you will find my 2023 Rocket Mortgage Classic Power Rankings, which dives into the top 10 golfers who are primed to make a significant impact in this year's edition of the Michigan-based event. From seasoned veterans to rising stars, these players have demonstrated exceptional form in 2023 and should be considered serious contenders at Detroit Golf Club this week.
Hopefully, these rankings provide some insight into the current landscape of the PGA Tour and the upcoming tournament. Players have been evaluated on recent performances, statistical analysis, and course history. With a unique field of competitors, including major champions and previous Rocket Mortgage winners, this event promises to be a fun tournament for golf fans.
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#10. Austin Eckroat
The former collegiate star continues to turn heads at the professional level. Eckroat's game has progressed beautifully over the past two years and we've seen a noticeable spike in his results over the last few months.
Since missing six consecutive cuts during a tough stretch earlier this year, Eckroat has now made the cut in eight of his last nine starts. Over this period he's logged a pair of top-five finishes, as well as a top-10 result at the U.S. Open. He heads to Motown off yet another impressive outing at the Travelers Championship.
The 24-year-old grades out third among this week's Rocket Mortgage Classic entrants in Strokes Gained: Total and sixth in SG: Tee To Green over his last 24 measured rounds. He's an explosive young player that can rack up the number of birdies that will be needed at Detroit Golf Club this week.
Climbing into the top-10 💪@AustinEckroat fires an impressive 6-under on the front @USOpenGolf. pic.twitter.com/GHzHg2kyYn
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) June 18, 2023
#9. Chris Kirk
While there's been a noticeable dip in Chris Kirk's recent output in comparison to his red-hot form to start the year, there's reason to be optimistic that the 2023 Honda Classic champion can get back on track this week.
Kirk has been a consistent machine at Detroit Golf Club since 2020, going T17-T12-T21 across his last three Rocket Mortgage Classic starts. The UGA alum isn't that far removed from playing very high-level golf, and he should find this week's shortish Donald Ross layout much more manageable than the behemoth-type golf courses he's been faced with as of late.
PGA Tour victory No. 5.
Chris Kirk wins the Honda Classic on the first playoff hole. 💯 pic.twitter.com/qIlYlWFKWz
— GOLF.com (@GOLF_com) February 26, 2023
#8. Max Homa
Golf is a weird game, and nothing illustrates that better than Max Homa's roller coaster ride from "one of the best players in the world" in January and February, to "guy that can't make cuts" in June.
While Homa's truth is almost undoubtedly closer to the former, there's little denying that the social media star has indeed continued to struggle in major championships and in select events outside of the West Coast.
However, the Californian has actually found some success in Motown in recent years, posting back-to-back top-25 finishes in the Rocket Mortgage Classic. That course history - and a second-round 65 at the Travelers - is cause for optimism about Homa's prospects this week.
#7. Sungjae Im
The talented young Korean has always been a golfer that's tough to nail down statistically, as the different facets of his game can vary wildly from week to week with little warning or explanation.
With that in mind, it is still probably fair to say that Im has been in a bit of a rut lately, as prior to the Travelers Championship he had missed the cut in three of four starts.
However, in true Sungjae fashion, he opened with rounds of 65-67 at TPC River Highlands to sail into the weekend. This should send Im to Detroit Golf Club - where he posted a T8 in his last Rocket Mortgage start - with some nice positive momentum.
#6. Collin Morikawa
Few players have frustrated backers more in 2023 than Collin Morikawa. The two-time major champion appears to have lost, well, something following a historic collapse down the stretch in the Sentry Tournament of Champions, the first event of the calendar year.
Although he's bounced back to log four top-10 finishes since the trainwreck at Kapalua, Morikawa has struggled to find consistency, an ailment that can largely be attributed to his abysmal work on-and-around the green.
While his ball striking continues to be among the best on the PGA Tour, Morikawa ranks a putrid 128th in this week's Rocket Mortgage Classic field in SG: Putting over the last 24 rounds, a chink in his armor that makes him very difficult to trust week in and week out, which is something that feels weird to say about one of the best iron players on the planet.
#5. Tom Kim
The Korean exploded onto the professional scene in 2022, capturing two PGA Tour wins in less than two months before closing out the year with a debut in the President's Cup.
Young Tom Kim has faced some tough realities in 2023, as he's struggled to replicate his success of late last year. However, Kim's game has begun to show signs of life as of late. He put forth his best iron performance of the year (+7.5 SG: APP) en route to a T8 in the U.S. Open two weeks ago, and the irons again looked crisp at the Travelers.
The young star now heads to a Detroit Golf Club layout on which he fired a final-round 63 in last year's edition en route to a seventh-place finish.
#4. Rickie Fowler
It was fair to wonder how Fowler would respond to the emotional letdown of a tough final round at the U.S. Open, an event where it looked at one juncture as though he had a firm grasp around his first major championship.
Though things eventually unraveled at LACC, the 34-year-old displayed lots of moxie at the Travelers Championship by firing a brilliant third-round 60, for what was his lowest career round on the PGA Tour.
In addition to his rekindled 2023 form, Fowler has been a frequent flyer at Detroit Golf Club, playing in all four editions of the Rocket Mortgage Classic, with a T12 in 2020 standing as his best result in the event.
#3. Justin Thomas
Just a week removed from shooting an embarrassing second-round 81 in the U.S. Open, Thomas' game appeared to wake up at the Travelers Championship. Following a sleepy opening-round 70, JT fired a Friday 64, then went even lower in the third round with a 62.
While Thomas' final result at Travelers is still TBD as of this writing, it feels safe to say that he's rediscovered something at TPC River Highlands, which makes him a very dangerous player at the Rocket Mortgage Classic in what will be his first-ever start at Detroit Golf Club.
#2. Hideki Matsuyama
The Japanese superstar heads to Detroit a bit under the radar, as Matsuyama hasn't really moved the needle much in 2023. That said, the 2021 Masters champion has been sneaky-good in recent months after battling a nagging neck injury over the early portion of the year.
Matsuyama comes in as the top-ranked player in this week's Rocket Mortgage field over the last 24 rounds in Strokes Gained: T2G and gained strokes with the irons in every start since mid-February. As usual, his putter has been what's kept good results from being great, as he's lost an average of 1.6 strokes with the flat stick over his last five starts.
We can also take comfort in the fact that Matsuyama has some experience at Detroit Golf Club. Prior to being forced to W/D in 2021, 'Deki had posted a T21 and T13 in two Rocket Mortgage Classic starts.
Hideki Matsuyama (T39) thru 2 rounds:
SG Approach: 1st
SG Putting: 146th pic.twitter.com/C0XwIrOOa2— Mark Fox (@ThePluggedLie) June 17, 2023
#1. Tony Finau
The defending Rocket Mortgage Classic champion, Finau steamrolled the field in last year's edition, finishing five shots clear of the nearest finisher. It was a particularly hot stretch for Finau, as he'd won the previous week at the 3M Open and would raise another trophy in Houston just over three months later.
While he hasn't kept up that torrid winning pace in 2023, the Utah resident did pick up another victory at the Mexico Open in April. Since then he's played solid, if unspectacular golf, gaining an average of 6.4 strokes tee-to-green across his last five starts.
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