DETROIT (WXYZ) — Phil Mickelson is no longer playing in Detroit's Rocket Mortgage Classic, but tournament officials say Rickie Fowler, Patrick Reed, Bryson DeChambeau and Bubba Watson have reaffirmed their commitment to Detroit's PGA Tour event.
The event was moved to July 2-5 after being postponed amid the COVID-19 pandemic, and will feature 156 of the top PGA Tour players – including 13 of the top 50 in the World Golf Rankings.
“It’s meaningful, both for the Rocket Mortgage Classic and the city of Detroit, to have the players reaffirm their commitment to playing in the event,” said Jason Langwell, the Executive Director of the Rocket Mortgage Classic. “You can really feel the excitement among the players, not only to get back to playing golf, but in their desire to participate in the meaningful Changing the Course initiative. Everyone wants to play a role in helping to end the digital divide in Detroit, and there’s a strong sentiment of this year’s Rocket Mortgage Classic demonstrating how much good sports can do for a community.”
The field of participants features fan favorites and top players, including:
- Rafa Cabrera Bello, ranked 47th in the world and a five-time winner on the European Tour.
- Cameron Champ, one of the longest hitters on the PGA TOUR, who averaged more than 317 yards per drive through the 2019 Rocket Mortgage Classic and has won an event each of the last two seasons.
- Bryson DeChambeau, the fifth player in history to win both the NCAA Division I championship and the U.S. Amateur in the same year. A five-time winner on the PGA TOUR, he is currently the 12th-ranked player in the world.
- Rickie Fowler, the world’s #29-ranked player, is a five-time PGA TOUR winner and has represented the United States at the Ryder Cup on four occasions and three times at the President’s Cup.
- Lucas Glover, the 2009 U.S. Open champion and three-time PGA TOUR winner.
- Lanto Griffin, currently No. 8 in the FedExCup standings. Griffin has enjoyed a terrific start to the 2019–20 PGA TOUR season by finishing in the top-20 at A Military Tribute at The Greenbrier, the Sanderson Farms Championship, the Safeway Open, the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open and the Bermuda Championship. He earned his first PGA TOUR victory this past October at the Houston Open.
- Viktor Hovland, the former top-ranked amateur who has ascended to 56th in the Official World Golf Rankings in less than one full year as a professional. Hovland earned his first professional victory at the 2020 Puerto Rico Open.
- Sungjae Im, the 2018-2019 PGA TOUR Rookie of the Year and current FedExCup points leader who claimed his first victory earlier this season in March at The Honda Classic.
- Nate Lashley, the defending Rocket Mortgage Classic champion. Lashley got into the field last year as the third alternate after an attempt to Monday qualify, and was ranked 353rd in the world at the start of last year’s tournament. He shot 63-67-63-70 to win the 2019 Rocket Mortgage Classic, earning $1,314,000.
- Davis Love III, a PGA TOUR veteran who has owns 21 career victories, including the 1997 PGA Championship, and has represented the U.S. on six Ryder Cup teams and six President’s Cup teams
- Graeme McDowell, a four-time PGA TOUR winner who became the first European in 40 years to win the U.S. Open in 2010 at Pebble Beach.
- Patrick Reed, the 2018 Masters champion an eight-time winner on the PGA TOUR who is currently the sixth-ranked player in the Official World Golf Ranking.
- Scottie Scheffler, the 23-year-old who was the 2019 Korn Ferry Tour Player of the Year.
- Charl Schwartzel, a two-time PGA TOUR winner including the 2011 Masters in which he overcame a four-stroke deficit with a round of 66, two strokes ahead of the competition to don the Green Jacket.
- Vijay Singh, the World Golf Hall of Famer and 44-time PGA TOUR winner. Among his victories are three wins at the Buick Open in Michigan and three major championships.
- Cameron Smith, a two-time PGA TOUR winner, claiming his most recent victory this past January at the Sony Open in Hawaii.
- Brandt Snedeker, who won the 2012 FedExCup with a victory in the season-ending TOUR Championship. He has nine total career PGA TOUR wins and was the 2007 Rookie of the Year.
- Harold Varner III, a fan favorite who has one PGA TOUR win, claiming the 2016 Australian PGA Championship. He was tied for second heading into the final round of the PGA Championship but fell to eventual champion Brooks Koepka.
- Bubba Watson, has 12 career wins on the PGA TOUR including wins at the 2012 and 2014 Masters tournaments.
- Danny Willett, the 2016 Masters champion became only the second Englishman to achieve the feat and the first European in 17 years to win at Augusta National.
- Aaron Wise, who claimed his first PGA TOUR win at the AT&T Byron Nelson in May 2018 on his way to earning Rookie of the Year honors that same season.
- Matthew Wolff, the 21-year-old second-year pro who earned his career victory at last July’s 3M Open.
Two of former college golf stars Sahith Theegala and Peter Kuest will also play in the tournament on sponsor exemptions.
WXYZ will provide coverage all weekend long of the tournament.
