Follow us on Google Discover Keegan Bradley is off to a hot start at the Rocket Classic.
It’s been a difficult season for Bradley after the highs of 2025. He’s currently 76th in the FedEx Cup standings and is playing at the Rocket Classic in a bid to make it to the playoffs in a couple of weeks’ time.
An opening round of 65 in Detroit is just what the doctor ordered then, as he’s four shots back of the leading Peter Malnati, who shot a 61 on Thursday. A win this week would be massive for Bradley’s season and his confidence.
It’s a new-look Rocket Classic this week after a number of changes were made to the golf course. They clearly suit Bradley’s eye, and he raved about the changes after his opening round.
Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty ImagesKeegan Bradley praises changes made to Detroit Golf Club for Rocket Classic
Bradley struck the ball well on his opening day at the Rocket Classic, but that was helped by how receptive the greens have been. The 40-year-old said he was surprised by how soft they were after the redesign of the golf course.
He said, “They’re pretty soft. They were soft today, but I don’t know. They’re brand new greens; they probably – they roll great, they’re great greens. It was soft; it certainly was softer than I expected, but I don’t know, maybe that’s how they have to be when they’re brand new like this.”
He continued, “I just played really well. Made a lot of putts, best putting round I’ve had in a while. Then drove it nice, hit some good iron shots. It was just one of those rounds that just was really solid, really good all the way around.”
Ahead of this year’s Rocket Classic, Detroit Golf Club completed a $16.1 million restoration led by architect Tyler Rae to honor Donald Ross’s original vision.
The North Course shifted from par 72 to 70 as holes seven and 17 became long par 4s. Renovations also added deeper bunkers, enlarged greens, and removed the 14th-hole pond.
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Bradley said this renovation is among the best he’s ever seen: “There’s a couple really difficult holes. Before they were par 5s, you could kind of get them, but it was — the course, they’ve done a great job, it’s a really great redo. It’s one of the best redos I’ve seen.”
Golf courses are constantly having to undergo renovations to keep up with the ever-increasing distances in modern golf, and a lot of the time it has little to no effect. At the CJ Cup this year, Wyndham Clark won with a score of 30-under despite changes made to TPC Craig Ranch.
It’s therefore nice to see these changes pay off, at least in the mind of Bradley.
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