About this Video

• Video Title: Rocket Classic Mega Preview | Picks, Storylines, Best Bets
• Channel: The Second Cut Golf Podcast
• Speakers: Greg Ducharm, Mark Immelman, Rick RunGood
• Duration: 01:06:12

Introduction

This podcast episode provides a comprehensive preview of the Rocket Classic golf tournament. The hosts discuss storylines, betting strategies, and offer their picks for the tournament. They also delve into various golf-related topics, including swing thoughts and course restorations.

Key Takeaways

• Swing Thoughts: The hosts debate whether golfers should protect their swing thoughts from outside influences, comparing swing thoughts to medication – one shouldn't take another person's medication.
• Course Restoration: The Detroit Golf Club, host of the Rocket Classic, is undergoing a restoration. The hosts discuss the balance between preserving historical aspects and adapting to modern golfing standards, particularly regarding tree removal and fairway widening.
• Rocket Classic Field: This year's Rocket Classic boasts the strongest field in the tournament's history, featuring many top players seeking wins and aiming for Ryder Cup spots and FedEx Cup playoff positions. Several players are struggling despite strong statistics.
• Player Performance: The hosts analyze the performance of several key players, highlighting their strengths and weaknesses, and speculating on their chances of winning. Colin Morikawa's struggles despite good stats are discussed, as well as the pressure of high expectations.
• Betting Strategies & Picks: The hosts offer their picks for various betting markets, including matchups, positional bets, and outright winners. They emphasize the importance of considering factors beyond just overall rankings, like course fit and recent form.

The hosts offer betting strategies and picks across various markets:

Matchups:

• Mark: Max Homa (-105) over Davis Thompson. Rationale: Homa's recent strong performance and perceived edge over a less-consistent Thompson.
• Greg: Ben Griffin (even money) over Keegan Bradley. Rationale: Griffin's consistent strong performance across multiple statistical categories over the last five weeks, even despite a recent 14th-place finish. Bradley's recent win is noted but considered a less reliable indicator.
• Rick: Taylor Moore over Kirk Kjyama. Rationale: Moore's three consecutive top-10 finishes at Detroit Golf Club, outweighing Kjyama's recent form.

Positional Wagers:

• Greg: Stephen Jaeger for a Top 20 finish (+240). Rationale: Jaeger's success on driver-heavy courses and the suitability of Detroit Golf Club for his style of play.
• Rick: Matthew NeSmith for a Top 40 finish (+170). Rationale: A personal conversation with NeSmith indicated a positive outlook on his game.

Outright Winners:

• Mark: Rasmus Højgaard (45-to-1). Rationale: Højgaard's strong driving, improved short game, and suitability to the course. Also, Mark plans to bet on Højgaard in every tournament for the rest of the season.
• Mark: Patrick Cantlay (+1600). Rationale: Cantlay's status as a favorite and perceived inevitability of a win.
• Greg: Luke Liston (40-to-1). Rationale: Liston's ability to hit driver well, a factor considered crucial for the course, coupled with his recent strong putting performance.
• Greg: Kirk Kjyama. Rationale: Kjyama's recent good ball-striking and short game, combined with the course's suitability for his long driving ability, suggests an opportunity despite putting inconsistency.

Fantasy Golf: The hosts discuss several players for DraftKings lineups, emphasizing Patrick Cantlay in the 10K range, Harry Hall in the 9K range, Max Homa in the 9K range, and considering several players in the 7K range. They also mention Luke Liston as a high-upside player in DFS and outright markets, despite inconsistency. Ben An and David Skinns are mentioned as potentially valuable picks in the lower price ranges.

The hosts discuss several players they like for fantasy golf lineups (specifically DraftKings), highlighting these players and price ranges:

• Patrick Cantlay ($10,200): High praise and a strong recommendation for lineups. His recent consistent play (outside of Majors) and potential for a win make him a top choice.

• Harry Hall ($9,000 - $9,500 range): Praised for his exceptional putting and improved iron play, leading to a high birdie average which is considered a key factor for success at the Rocket Classic. His recent strong performances further support this pick.

• Max Homa ($9,000 - $9,500 range): Chosen for a matchup bet, Homa is also seen as a solid fantasy option due to his ability to drive the ball well and overall strong game.

• 7K Range Players: The hosts suggest loading up on several players from the 7K range, though they don't explicitly name specific players in this range at this point in the podcast. Later, several players from this range are discussed (Alex Noren, Ben An, Amelino Giro, Rio Hishitsune), with the hosts expressing interest in their upside potential.

• Luke Liston: Though not explicitly placed in a price range, Liston is recommended as a high-upside DFS option, despite some inconsistencies.

• Chris Gotterup: Mentioned as a good fantasy option due to his consistently strong recent performance and ability to perform well on driver-heavy courses.

• David Skinns: Mentioned in the later part of the podcast as a potential value pick in the mid-6000s range because he is a longer hitter than some may expect, and has shown recent improvements.

It's important to note that the exact pricing for the players might vary slightly depending on the update provided by DraftKings closer to the tournament. The hosts emphasize that lineup construction should take into account ownership projections and overall lineup balance.