BY GEORGE EICHORN
We are less than a week away from the biggest golf event to hit Detroit in history! The Rocket Mortgage Classic is a PGA TOUR event, June 25-30, at the Detroit Golf Club course near Palmer Park. It’s a par-72 with a length of 7,334 yards. U.S. Open champion Gary Woodland headlines a solid field coming to town…the first-ever inside the city limits.
Five of the top 12 finishers at the U.S. Open last weekend at Pebble Beach (Calif.) are here. Woodland, Xander Schauffele (tied for 3rd), Chez Reavie (T3), Chesson Hadley (T9) and Victor Hovland (T12). Hovland, was the low amateur at the U.S. Open, scoring a record score for an amateur, carding a 72-hole total of 280, breaking Jack Nicklaus’ record set in 1960 by two strokes.
Woodland’s Open victory gives the Rocket Mortgage Classic six major championship winners, totaling seven major wins – Woodland, Patrick Reed (2018 Masters Champ), Dustin Johnson (2016 U.S. Open ), Jimmy Walker (2016 PGA Championship), Jason Dufner (2013 PGA Championship) and Bubba Watson (2012 and 2014 Masters champ). Also a fan favorite here will be Rickie Fowler, one of the TOURS’s top 10 in the 2018-19 season standings.
Tickets for the round three on June 29 are sold out, however, tickets are still available for Tuesday-Friday, June 25-28, and Sunday, June 30. Purchase tickets at www.RocketMortgageClassic.com. For the latest news on additional potential sellouts and other information, follow the Rocket Mortgage Classic on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter @RocketClassic. CBS-TV (Detroit channel 62) will televise the final two rounds live with Jim Nantz anchoring.
Appropriately named for Detroit’s famed area code, the AREA 313 Celebrity Challenge will officially open the most unique and exciting three-hole stretch on the PGA TOUR with a fun and spirited competition featuring PGA TOUR stars and celebrities. Scheduled from 3-5 p.m. on June 25, the competition will feature three teams of golfers taking on holes 14-16 at Detroit Golf Club, playing a scramble format to see if either of them can be the first to register scores of 3 (eagle), 1 (ace), 3 (birdie) on the three-hole stretch.
At press time, the three AREA 313 teams participating are: Team Rickie (with Justin Abdelkader, Blair O’Neal & Kid Rock), Team DJ (with Jerome “The Bus” Bettie, Dylan Larkin & Paige Spiranac), and Team Bubba (with Tom Izzo, Jimmy Howard & Troy Mullins) and will go head-to-head.
Tickets for Tuesday are just $10, and kids 15 and under receive free admission with a ticketed adult (limit four kids per adult). Active duty and retired military also receive complimentary tickets, and veterans can purchase reduced-priced tickets.
During tournament play Thursday-Sunday, the first PGA TOUR player to score 3–1-3 on holes 14-16 cumulatively over the four days of tournament play will win $313,000, with help to be donated to several are charities. The Children’s Foundation will have their mascot, CHAMP, walk inside the ropes during the event with two members of the Little Champions program, which honors children who have overcome major obstacles in their young lives.
Also of note is the inaugural Rocket Mortgage Classic 5K Walk/Run! Taking place Sunday, June 23, 8:00 a.m., in downtown Detroit, this race is the kickoff to a week of amazing events. Start and finish lines are near Campus Marius Park. After the race, there will be an exclusive after-party in Campus Marius. Runners are welcome to the after-party with drink specials at Parc restaurant and a Cadillac display in Cadillac Square to play the 15th hole of the Rocket Mortgage Classic on our OptiShot golf simulator. Golfer Stewart Cink will be on site to meet fans and runners.
Reach George Eichorn at geichorn@yahoo.com
