{"id":795923,"date":"2026-07-31T18:30:13","date_gmt":"2026-07-31T18:30:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/795923\/"},"modified":"2026-07-31T18:30:13","modified_gmt":"2026-07-31T18:30:13","slug":"keegan-bradley-thinks-the-changes-to-the-rocket-classic-golf-course-are-among-the-best-hes-ever-seen","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/795923\/","title":{"rendered":"Keegan Bradley thinks the changes to the Rocket Classic golf course are among the best he\u2019s ever seen\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"\/ Follow us on Google Discover <\/a> <\/p>\n

Keegan Bradley is off to a hot start at the Rocket Classic.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s been a difficult season for Bradley after the highs of 2025. He\u2019s 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\u2019 time. <\/p>\n

An opening round of 65 in Detroit is just what the doctor ordered then, as he\u2019s four shots back of the leading Peter Malnati, who shot a 61 on Thursday. A win this week would be massive for Bradley\u2019s season and his confidence. <\/p>\n

It\u2019s a new-look Rocket Classic this week after a number of changes were made to the golf course. They clearly suit Bradley\u2019s eye, and he raved about the changes after his opening round. <\/p>\n

\"KeeganPhoto by Gregory Shamus\/Getty ImagesKeegan Bradley praises changes made to Detroit Golf Club for Rocket Classic <\/p>\n

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.\u00a0<\/p>\n

He said, \u201cThey\u2019re pretty soft. They were soft today, but I don\u2019t know. They\u2019re brand new greens; they probably \u2013 they roll great, they\u2019re great greens. It was soft; it certainly was softer than I expected, but I don\u2019t know, maybe that\u2019s how they have to be when they\u2019re brand new like this.\u201d<\/p>\n

He continued, \u201cI just played really well. Made a lot of putts, best putting round I\u2019ve 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ahead of this year\u2019s Rocket Classic, Detroit Golf Club completed a $16.1 million restoration led by architect Tyler Rae to honor Donald Ross\u2019s original vision. <\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

MORE ROCKET CLASSIC STORIES<\/p>\n

Bradley said this renovation is among the best he\u2019s ever seen: \u201cThere\u2019s a couple really difficult holes. Before they were par 5s, you could kind of get them, but it was \u2014 the course, they\u2019ve done a great job, it\u2019s a really great redo. It\u2019s one of the best redos I\u2019ve seen.\u201d<\/p>\n

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. <\/p>\n

It\u2019s therefore nice to see these changes pay off, at least in the mind of Bradley. <\/p>\n

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