DETROIT (WXYZ) — The eighth and final Rocket Classic has begun at Detroit Golf Club with some of the best in the sport playing in the tournament.
Tee shots started flying Thursday morning.
After a midseason dip, Ryan Gerard continued his recent resurgence. He shot 7-under in the opening round, putting him in a tie for second Thursday afternoon.
“Just kind of kept the pedal down in the middle of the round and hit a lot of good shots and made a few extra putts the last five or six holes and it was a golf course that was gettable this morning. I know it’s brand new and you’re not really sure what to expect coming from a scoring standpoint, but we felt early on that it was gettable. The greens are really soft. There’s not a lot of severity to some of the slopes. If you keep it on the green, you can kind of make hay, and I was lucky enough to roll in some putts,” Gerard said.
Rickie Fowler, the 2023 Rocket Classic champion, shot 7-under in the opening round, putting himself in a tie second as he chases a second title this year.
“I know where I’m at and all of that. Obviously would like to just play well and have a great week here. I think the earlier or sooner you could potentially lock up just being in the top 30, that would be great for me,” Fowler said.
On Thursday, Peter Malnati sat atop of the leaderboard at 9-under.
The Rocket Classic is shaping up to be a competitive event heading into the weekend. Thousands of people are expected to attend the event.
