Sleeper picks: Rocket Mortgage Classic

Ryan Armour … As one of the shortest knockers on the PGA TOUR, you’d expect the 43-year-old to have a puncher’s chance at Seaside and Waialae where he recorded top 25s earlier this season, but he didn’t permit his weakness to slow him down at the big ballpark of Muirfield Village where he finished T22 on the first Sunday of June. He’s coming off a T54 at the Travelers Championship, but he co-led the tournament after an opening 64 and ranked inside the top 25 in fairways hit, greens in regulation, proximity to the hole and strokes gained: putting for the week. Currently 96th in the FedExCup, but already fully exempt through next season, so he can step on the pedal in Detroit. K.H. Lee … The rookie from South Korea rose to another level after a forgettable 10 starts to open the season, but since the Genesis Open, he’s 12-for-14 with four top-15 finishes, including a T13 at last week’s Travelers Championship where he was one of the six co-leaders after 18 holes. For the week, he ranked inside the top 20 in fairways hit, greens in regulation and scrambling. The 27-year-old also put himself in position at Muirfield Village four weeks ago in co-leading at the midpoint, so it’s evident that his comfort level is directly proportional to his climb in the FedExCup where he’s currently 79th. Michael Thompson … Once he locked up his 2019-20 card earlier this season, he eased off the gas and retreated into a familiar rhythm of a lighter schedule. To wit, this is his first start since a T14 at the Memorial Tournament presented by Nationwide. It ended a mini-slump stretching four starts and he’s still an impressive 68th in the FedExCup. He’s always profiled as a strong putter, a skill that will come in handy when he’s missing the smaller greens at Detroit Golf Club, but he’s also among the most accurate off the tee on the PGA TOUR. Stephan Jaeger … The 30-year-old has soft hands around greens, but he’ll need to pile up a few more scoring opportunities at Detroit Golf Club this week if he’s going to be a threat. However, he’s battled from outside the top 160 in the FedExCup to his current position of 136th with a T17-T14-T30 surge in his last three starts, so he has momentum. Chip McDaniel … As @sault0885 put it best on my Twitter, “Chip must be thrilled to have a day off.” Indeed, a whirlwind would be a downgrade given what the 23-year-old product of the University of Kentucky has experienced in recent weeks. McDaniel started the month as a sectional qualifier (in Springfield, Ohio) for the U.S. Open. He made the cut at Pebble Beach, finished 78th and then flew overnight to Boston. After landing, he drove to Ellington, Connecticut, for the open qualifier for the Travelers Championship and survived a 9-man playoff for three spots in the tournament proper. Operating no doubt on a combination of adrenaline and fumes, he managed a T43 at TPC River Highlands that included a third-round pairing with Brooks Koepka. Naturally, McDaniel had entered the open qualifier for this week’s Rocket Mortgage Classic, but when one of the last two sponsor exemptions became available, he received one. You gonna bet against this guy? NOTE: Sleeper is a relative term, so Rob uses unofficial criteria to determine who qualifies. Each of the following usually is determined to be ineligible for this weekly staple: Winners of the tournament on the current host course; winners in the same season; recent major champions; top 50 in the Official World Golf Ranking; recent participants of team competitions.

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