The entire field is 823 strokes under par after two rounds at the Rocket Classic.

In less than 24 hours, the course record at Detroit Golf Club was tied by four players, set by two at the end of Round 1, and then reset this morning by Jake Knapp (61), With a cutline of 6-under par, I guarantee all of your pre-tournament predictions have not panned out. Scoring volatility can be a deterrent for some golf bettors, but I believe if you look through the birdie barrage, you will see a couple of places where you can back a couple of players to win over the weekend.

Thirty-six holes in, and we know what it takes to separate yourself from the field. The guys contending at the top of the leaderboard have gotten there with excellent iron play and a super-hot putter. Nearly 75% of the strokes gained differential has come from the contenders in those two categories. As we inspect our options for the next 36, let’s keep that perspective in mind.

Another advantage of a tight leaderboard is a positive odds board for outrights. Our three leaders alone show a great deal of variance. Chris Kirk (+650) tops the betting board, while Andrew Putnam (+900) sits third, and Philip Knowles (+4000) has 18 players above him. Knowles played the par 5s in 7-under in Round 2, with three eagles and one birdie. Of those three, I’m sticking with Kirk. He's has been the most consistent player, carding two 65s, and his Strokes Gained: Approach and SG: Putting aggregate gains are the best of anyone in the top 20.

Kirk was a pre-tournament pick for me because he excels on wedge-heavy approach contests. A T12 at the U.S. Open, and I was certain he would show up in Detroit. Another Friday draw is Aldrich Potgieter (+2000). Potgieter ranks fifth in Strokes Gained: Total for the tournament through two rounds. Winners of the Rocket Classic have exemplified the tournament name. Cam Davis, Tony Finau and others have been bombers. Potgieter is the longest player on TOUR and exciting to watch when he’s on. That length will be a huge advantage over the weekend and something I will invest in at 20-1.

Knowles is gaining more strokes around the green through two rounds than he is off the tee and on approach combined. At a scoring fest like the Rocket, that’s not a recipe for Sunday afternoon success and a fade for me. Jackson Suber (+2500) is sitting just one shot back in fourth place. A top-10 iron player this season on the PGA TOUR, his two-day weekend scoring average is ranked 139th on TOUR. The average winning score in six editions of the Rocket Classic is 22-under, and the guys are well on their way to getting there. I fear Suber’s only weapon is his approach play, and the rest of his game will not allow him to keep up with this record scoring.

We’ve seen 12 sub-64 rounds in two days. How far back is too far … I wouldn’t look past double digits under par. After all, there are 29 players at 10-under or better and all within four shots of the lead. Our weekend warriors, Kirk and Potgieter, will need more sub-par scores to win. I know they can keep pace, but the question is, can another player go even deeper than Knapp did this morning?

* Fanduel odds

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