Detroit — The field for the Rocket Mortgage Classic, the PGA Tour’s first and only annual stop inside the city limits of Detroit, has been slower to develop than in recent years.
But tournament officials announced some additional names Monday, a week before the golf world descends on Detroit Golf Club for the sixth playing of the Rocket, set for June 27-30.
Among the new commitments are Cameron Young, who is No. 23 in the world and tied for second here in 2022, and Akshay Bhatia, who is ranked No. 31. Young is the highest-ranked player in the field, so far. Also announced Monday were major championship winners Stewart Cink, Zach Johnson and Gary Woodland, and four of the last eight winners on the PGA Tour this season, Chris Gotterup, Robert MacIntyre, Taylor Pendrith and Davis Riley.
Fan favorite Joel Dahmen, made popular by his appearances in the Netflix “Full Swing” series, has committed, as have Austin Eckroat and Joel Knapp, who both also won on the PGA Tour this season. Veterans Matt Kuchar and Kevin Kisner will play in the 2024 Rocket, as well.
Previous commitments have included defending champion and longtime Rocket pitchman Rickie Fowler, as well as Tom Kim, Will Zalatoris, Min Woo Lee, major winner Webb Simpson and 15-year-old Miles Russell. Coming to the Rocket for the first time will be former British Open champion Francesco Molinari, who went viral Friday when he made a hole-in-one on his 18th hole to make the cut on the number at the U.S. Open.
The tournament will feature a 156-player field, which will be mostly finalized at 5 p.m. Friday, with the exception of the John Shippen winner, who will be crowned at DGC on Sunday afternoon, and four players from next week’s Monday qualifier at The Orchards in Washington Township.
Currently, the Rocket has commitments from 12 players inside the top 50 in the world golf rankings, but, again, none in the top 20. The Rocket’s place on the 2024 schedule has been a bit problematic. The three previous tournaments have included two signature events, the Memorial and this week’s Travelers Championship in Connecticut, sandwiched around the U.S. Open.
That means, most of the best players in the world will have played at least three weeks in a row (they’re required to play signature events or risk being fined, and they’re not skipping the U.S. Open), and some more than that, heading into the Rocket Mortgage Classic. As of 1 p.m. Monday, just 15 of the 72 players who are in the limited-field Travelers Championship have committed to playing in Detroit.
The Rocket, which first was played in 2019, has had its share of big names check in throughout the years, but it’s never been able to put together what would be considered by any reasonable analyst to be a loaded field. Its inability to be anchored to a set weekend on the PGA Tour calendar hasn’t helped.
That said, all that hasn’t stopped the Rocket from producing great drama in five previous playings, including three marquee champions in Bryson DeChambeau in 2020, Tony Finau in 2022 and Fowler in 2023, plus a pair of playoffs, including Cam Davis’ win in 2021 and Fowler’s in 2023.
Rocket week kicks off Sunday with the final round of the John Shippen, and continues Tuesday with the AREA 313 Celebrity Scramble and youth clinic, and Wednesday with the pro-am. Admission and parking are free for pre-tournament days, which also serve as practice rounds, and tickets for tournament days, Thursday-Sunday, start at $65. Admission is free to kids 15 and younger, with a ticketed adult, and for active and retired military members.
Rocket Mortgage Classic commitments
(World ranking in parentheses, if in top 50)
Akshay Bhatia (31)
Ryan Brehm
Stewart Cink
Joel Dahmen
Thomas Detry (48)
Nick Dunlap
Austin Eckroat (50)
Rickie Fowler (49)
Chris Gotterup
Nicolai Hojgaard (44)
Stephan Jaeger (42)
Zach Johnson
Tom Kim (26)
Chris Kirk (30)
Kevin Kisner
Joel Knapp
Matt Kuchar
Min Woo Lee (36)
Robert MacIntyre (45)
Francesco Molinari
Taylor Pendrith
Davis Riley
Miles Russell
Webb Simpson
Gary Woodland
Cameron Young (23)
Will Zalatoris (41)
tpaul@detroitnews.com
@tonypaul1984
