Webb Simpson Has Unique Advantage at Rocket Mortgage Classic

The PGA Tour heads to the Detroit Golf Club this week for the Rocket Mortgage Classic.

While it may not be a big name tournament, or an event with a deep history, Detroit Golf Club presents something unique that we don’t often see on the PGA Tour’s schedule: A true Donald Ross designed course.

Donald Ross is one of the most famous golf course designers in the world, and golf nerds everywhere are familiar with his work. Ross designed courses are known for their tree-lined fairways, holes that use elevation, and “turtleback” greens that will cause the ball to roll off of them if you don’t land them in the right spot.

As a former member of one of the few Donald Ross designed courses in Canada, I can attest that they may not seem intimidating at first glance, but strokes can add up in a hurry if your iron game isn’t sharp.

If you ask professional golfers what course is a picture perfect example of a Ross designed course, many would say Detroit Golf Club, host to this week's Rocket Mortgage Classic.

Webb Simpson talked to the media about how much he loves playing on a Donald Ross designed course.

“I’ve always loved a Donald Ross design. I grew up in Raleigh, an hour from Pinehurst where Donald Ross is famous there. I love playing golf courses every once in a while that you can go make birdies. You know, most of the weeks on the PGA Tour, they’ve very challenging and tough to make birdies, but this week is a great mix of the fairways are pretty wide, but there is rough, it is penal if you miss the fairways and the pins have been very tricky. These greens are constantly moving all different directions. So yeah, that’s what I enjoy about it, kind of old-school, dog leg golf course with big trees. I know the members are proud of their golf course, as they should be.”

WynnBET has Webb Simpson set at +1700 to win the event, and he’s a great bet at those odds considering the weaker field. Simpson has only competed twice since the beginning of April, and three of those events were majors. He finished T12 at the Masters, T9 at the RBC Heritage, T30 at the PGA Championship, and he missed the cut at the US Open.

He has yet to get a win in the 2021 PGA Tour season, but this week’s Rocket Mortgage Classic seems like a prime spot for him to do just that. He finished 8th at last year's edition of the tournament, and he did not compete in the event in its first year of existence in 2019.

If you need further proof of how much he loves Donald Ross courses, here is the list of how golfers in the field perform at them and it’s none other than Webb at the top of the list.