Will Zalatoris lead the first wave of Rocket Mortgage Classic commitments
Detroit Five golfers in the top 50 rankings, including US Open and PGA Championship runner-up Will Xalatores, are among the first wave of commitments to next month’s Rocket Mortgage Classic.
It was announced Wednesday morning that Zalatores (world number 12), Tony Finau (17), Kevin Kesner (31), Cameron Young (32) and Justin Rose (47) will all commit to Detroit’s single stop on the PGA Tour scheduled for July 28. 31 at Detroit Golf Club.
Ambassador Ricky Fowler, Jason Day, Matt Kuchar and defending champion Cam Davis also announced their commitments on Wednesday.
This is the first wave of late-than-normal commitments for the Rocket Mortgage Classic, a delay attributable to two main factors: the advent of the Saudi-backed LIV Tour, which has drawn eight of the world’s top 50 players away from the PGA. tour, including former Rocket Mortgage spokesperson Bryson DeChambeau, and Rocket Mortgage Classic regular Patrick Reed; Plus a new tournament place on the calendar, right before the FedEx Cup Qualifiers start.
The controversial LIV Tour plays a championship versus Rocket, in New Jersey.
“We are excited to announce such an outstanding group of players will be joining us in Detroit this summer, and this is only the beginning of our player commitments,” RMC CEO Jason Langwill said in a statement Wednesday. “The commitment of golfers of this caliber to play in the Rocket Mortgage Classic reflects the momentum we are building and the desire of the top players to be a part of our event.”
Zalatoris, 25, is a headliner for early commitments, given his performance in the major tournaments since arriving on the PGA Tour last year. He has yet to crack a win, but has six places in the top ten in his eight matches in the Grand Slam. On Sunday, he lost with a shot to US Open champion Matt Fitzpatrick. He placed eight in the top ten in 18 PGA Tour Championships this season.
Finau, 32, is a two-time PGA Tour champion and has held five of the eight best places in a major in the past three years. This will be his second appearance at the Rocket Mortgage Classic, as he finished the tournament 53rd in 2020.
Kesner, 38, has won four times on the PGA Tour, most recently at the 2021 Wyndham Championship. He has played the Rocket Mortgage Classic every year, finishing third in 2020 and tied for eighth in 2021.
Young, 25, a fellow Wake Forest Zalatores, appears to be one of the game’s best rising players, finishing five of the top three this season, including a tie for third in the PGA Championship.
Rose, 41, is the biggest name announced on Wednesday, as the 2013 US Open champion and former world number one player. A five-time Ryder Cup participant, this will be his first Rocket appearance.
Today, 34, like Rose, is a former No. 1 player in the world, and a former major champion (2015 PGA Championship). This will be his third consecutive appearance in Detroit in which he finished in a tie for 14th place in 2021.
Kochar, 44, a five-time Ryder Cup player and five-time President’s Cup player with nine wins on the PGA Tour, will make his Rocket Mortgage Classic debut.
Davis, 27, broke down big in Detroit last year, claiming his first PGA Tour win in a five-hole playoff. He has three of the top 10 players this season.
Fowler, 33, has served as the unofficial host of the tournament since the inaugural event in 2019. The top five-time PGA Tour winner here was 12th in 2020.
Rocket Mortgage Classic officials are patiently awaiting commitments amid the changing golf landscape, with many big names — DeChambeau, Reed, Phil Mickelson, Dustin Johnson, Abraham Ancer and, most recently, Brooks Koepka — taking big bucks to play on them. The LIV Tour, a decision that led to their expulsion from the PGA Tour and cost them sponsorship. Rocket Mortgage knocked out DeChambeau after his exit. Mickelson, whose meat with the media brought national attention to RMC last year, reportedly received $200 million from LIV/
Fowler has expressed some interest in the LIV Tour, although he said he remains committed to the PGA Tour for now. Bubba Watson also disputed early reports about him joining the Saudi-funded tour and said he plans to play again in Detroit, where he has raised a lot of money for the tournament’s major charities. But Watson suffered a meniscus tear in late May. He was expected to be back by early July, but that remains to be seen for a later date.
Being the week before the FedEx Cup qualifiers started also resulted in complications. Many players wait to set their schedule until they have a clear picture of where they stand in the season-long points race, which awards $75 million in cash reward, and $18 million to the winner.
Also playing in Detroit will be PGA Tour holders from Michigan, Brian Steward (Jackson/Oakland) and Ryan Brehm (Traverse City/Michigan State).
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Twitter: @tonypaul1984
