00:00We're here on Newswire on Sports Grid as we welcome in a regular host and analyst here on the grid, frequent contributor to this program and my partner in crime on weekends, Saturday and Sunday nights, Brady Cannon, who is on Twitter at Las Vegas golfer, joining us to talk what else? Golf, the Rocket Mortgage Classic is underway in Detroit. Brady, how's it going?
00:20Oh, it's very good. Another Thursday kicking off some golf action. Played a little first round leader action last night and got a couple guys in the hunt right now. So off to a good start here in what looks to be, yes, a birdie fest indeed. We've had quite the run on the PGA Tour, Adam, and you've been along for the ride the entire time hearing me blab about it on the weekends.
00:43The last seven weeks, we've had three signature events and two major championships. That's a pretty good run, a gauntlet of a schedule on the PGA Tour. And now we get to breathe easy a little bit. A couple of weeks in a row of a birdie fest. And that's that's what we're off to here. These guys are already on pace to take.
01:04I mean, the average winning score here in the first six editions of the Rocket Classic has been twenty two and a half under par. And we're right on pace for something like that.
01:15We had Keith Stewart on with us from Read the Line yesterday, and we're chatting about how this is obviously not a signature event. It's certainly not a major. It's a lesser event. However, not unimportant, because while you don't have the Scotty Schefflers, the Rory McIlroys, you do have, you know, quite a few guys of name because they're trying to pick up points for the playoffs.
01:34And improve their position. So it's by no means a meaningless tournament as we look at it right now. And, you know, a lot of guys are nearly done with round one. And at the moment, your co-leaders, five guys are at six under with that birdie fest.
01:48Victor Perez, Andrew Putnam, Minwoo Lee, Lee Hodges, Zach Johnson as well. But many of the expected favorites, you know, we haven't seen these guys yet. Patrick Cantlay.
01:59I did mention Minwoo Lee, Colin Morikawa, Ben Griffin, who was a guy that Keith was really high on yesterday as a top ten play at the very least.
02:07Who stood out to you going into the tournament?
02:08Well, Victor Perez is one of my guys. So I like the start that he's off to. He's been playing really good golf as of late.
02:17Finished 19th at the U.S. Open at Oakmont a few weeks ago. Also, during that time, he ranked ninth in that field for strokes gained approach.
02:27So the iron play has been really good for the Frenchman. I've also got Stefan Jaeger and Davis Thompson, Chris Kirk and Cameron Young.
02:38I think the entire Sports Grid crew is on Cam Young this week. Mike Carver, Cam Stewart and the aforementioned Keith Stewart.
02:45Now, those guys are all yet to tee off. Now, Cantlay, you mentioned, was off to a pretty good start.
02:52And, yeah, he's only one off the lead right now. Morikawa, not so much. The last time I looked, he was just one under par, which is really like shooting over par at this point with the pace that these guys are setting so far.
03:05Keegan Bradley was off to a pretty good start, of course, fresh off the win last week.
03:10We've got a lot of golf left, but we also may have some weather in the forecast, Adam, and that could really throw a wrench into this first round.
03:18They're expecting here probably in the next half hour to full hour that we could get some scattered thundershowers and they may last throughout the afternoon.
03:28So as far as making any in-game wagers right now, I would probably hold off because this weather could turn things on a dime and you might have a delay, possibly a restart.
03:41I don't know if we're going to finish round one. So a lot to be decided here.
03:46I probably wouldn't be so urgent to or in a hurry anyway to spend my money just yet.
03:53So that in mind, are we just in a holding pattern when it comes to any potential in-tournament investments or is there a decent buy spot that you see right now?
04:02Well, you know, some of these guys that are off to a good start, it could be an advantage for them.
04:07You know, Victor Perez, again, was a guy I liked pre-tournament who was in the neighborhood of 80 or 90 to 1.
04:14Right now, he is tied for the lead and he's at 45 to 1.
04:18So maybe you take a stab with him because you're still getting a very juicy number.
04:23Who knows what's going to happen to the rest of the day to these guys that have yet to tee off if we do run into some weather.
04:29No matter what, he's off to a very good start.
04:32So you could have him in a very good position.
04:35All these guys that are at 6-under.
04:37Minwoo Lee, you know, the course makes sense for Minwoo Lee.
04:41He's not a very accurate driver of the golf ball, but he is a big hitter.
04:45And this course absolutely plays to the bombers.
04:48So Minwoo Lee was a popular selection this week.
04:51And right now, he is following suit.
04:53So he's another guy.
04:54Now, the price is a little short there at 18 to 1.
04:57But if you are going to get involved in-game, I'd definitely go with one of these guys that are off to a great start against everybody else who knows what's going to happen for them.
05:07As Brady said, just a birdie fest so far.
05:10And how low can they go?
05:12That's going to be the question over the course of the next few days.
05:15Again, no one has even completed the opening round.
05:17And we have a collection of five-unders, six-unders.
05:21Brady Cannon, your, of course, host and analyst at Sports Grit and one other outlets.
