Rocket Mortgage Classic 2023 leaderboard, scores: Rickie Fowler well positioned to compete after Round 1
Rocket Mortgage Classic 2023 got a head start on Thursday at the Detroit Golf Club with loads of low scores. Many players are threatened to post rounds in their low 60s, none better than Peter Kuest in the second qualifying round. The 25-year-old was then contested in the afternoon by Taylor Moore, but Kuest was near-perfect in Round 1, scoring nine birdies and a weak point on the way to 64.
Kuest makes up the story of the day — and potentially the week — if he continues to do well, but Rickie Fowler’s revival remains one of the top headlines of the year. Fowler was back at it again with a 5 under 67 having eight birdies. Having just set a record 62 at the US Open and beaten 59 at the Travelers Championship, Fowler’s firepower was as clear as day in the smoky Detroit skies.
He’s well-positioned to contest his sixth career win, which will be his first since the 2019 WM Phoenix Open. Consistently finding his way into the top 20 midway through the season, the 34-year-old finished late contest runs and looks set to pay off the recent close-ups.
Young shooters Ludvig Aberg and Sam Bennett both lead with a score of 7 under. Former youngster and now two-time major champion Collin Morikawa navigated the Donald Ross design in a 6-under style to find a spot on the first page of the leaderboard.
Leaders
1. Peter Kuest, Taylor Moore (-8)
Kuest may have some slots on the Korn Ferry Tour – although he has yet to start this year – but he continues to try his hand at the PGA Tour. He made the most of his opportunity with a sponsor exemption at Byron Nelson and the end of T14. Since then, the BYU product has been shortlisted for the Canadian Open and will at least be a way for him to earn another paycheck if his game from Thursday continues.
“It feels good,” Kuest said. “We have one more round tomorrow, so we’re going to get ready for that and then take it one step at a time. We played really solid, we did it all pretty well. We’ve taken the lead, hit a bunch of lanes, hit a bunch of greens, rolled a few shots. Just keep it simple.”
other candidates
T3. Sam Ryder, Aaron Rai, Ludvig Aberg, Sam Bennett, Dylan Wu, Justin Suh, Adam Schenk (-7)
T10. Doug Pin, Collin Morikawa, Adam Hadwin (-6)
T14. Rickie Fowler, Trey Mullinax, Callum Tarren, Nate Lashley, Taylor Pendrith, Charley Hoffman, Kyle Westmoreland, Nicolai Hojgaard, Ryan Moore, Bret Stegmaier (-5)
Morikawa has been almost two years since his last win at the 2021 Open. He’s had some close calls since then and his stats show he’s having a great season — it’s his best season in terms of total strokes. okay — but the two-time major champion is a perfectionist. Anything that lacks maximum precision with his ironclad play is a failure in his eyes. It was his approachable play that pulled him on Thursday, but strong efforts on and around the green took the 26-year-old through 18 years.
“I didn’t think I hit well until today, until this week,” Morikawa said. “Yes – just like the good shots are good, the good shots are just as good, but the missed shots are worse. That’s the problem, the missed shots are only in positions that I would never have. put yourself in, it’s just blind luck there trying to compensate and reduce. And you just play from there. Like I said today, it’s an easy 6 under, it could have been a lot lower, but that’s what I want, my game should really be like that. any.”
Fowler’s literal race to the club
Fowler’s tendency to go low has traveled from Los Angeles to Connecticut (where he narrowly missed 59) and has made his way to Detroit. The five-time winner of the PGA Tour hit ages 7 to 16 and intends to post another round in the low 60s for the third week in a row. But before it could, Fowler’s body gave way to bodily functions. He must eventually settle down at 67, but if nature is the only thing holding him back then he should take his chance.
“Honestly, I had to go to the bathroom quite badly, luckily I just had a drug test so I went straight in,” Fowler said. “There weren’t many bathrooms in the last five holes so I was a bit shaken when I walked in, and can’t necessarily blame the ending, but that didn’t help. Still a good day, lots of good stuff. ho, got off to a good start, and that’s really all you’d hope for on Thursday to get the tournament going is on track.”
The Next Wave of PGA Tour Talent
Bennett and Aberg have officially made their public debut. Bennett won the US Amateur before competing in both the Masters and the US Open. Aberg was the first winner of the PGA Tour U and has performed brilliantly in his first two professional runs, finishing in the top 25 on both occasions.
Bennett is a dog, plain and simple. He kicked a goatee, didn’t have the best spin or the fastest clubhead speed, but he got the job done. Aberg is much more conventional. The Swedes digest fairways and greens, and pick birdies when the opportunity arises. He got his chance to play against European Ryder Cup captain Luke Donald on Thursday, and he certainly impressed by enjoying one of the best driving performances of the PGA Tour season.
2023 Rocket Mortgage Classic updated odds and picks
Odds via Caesars Sportsbook
- Collin Morikawa: 15/2
- Taylor Moore: 17/2
- Rickie Fowler: 11-1
- Ludvig Aberg: 11-1
- Aaron Rai: 14-1
- Justin Suh: 14-1
- Adam Schenk: 14-1
- Adam Hadwin: 22-1
- Dylan Wu: 25-1
- Sam Bennett: 25-1
- Sungjae Im: 25-1
There are still plenty of golf matches left, so grab your chance with the PGA Tour winner just four strokes away. Sepp Straka was listed at 55-1 after round 68, which saw him place fourth in the field for tees to green. The big Austrian has fallen out of the top 100 on grass, but the smoother surface presented on Friday morning should help him convert more bird-eating opportunities.
