Inaugural Rocket Mortgage Classic Field Set

Inaugural Rocket Mortgage Classic Field Set

The inaugural Rocket Mortgage Classic field should be exciting to any golf fan. It features nine major champions and 77 PGA TOUR winners. Fifteen of those have won in the 2018-1019 season. Ten are currently ranked in the top thirty in FedEx Cup Standings. One is a World Golf Hall of Famer.

Top current players in the Rocket Mortgage Classic field include:

• No. 2 Dustin Johnson – 2016 U.S. Open champion and 20-time PGA TOUR winner
• No. 12 Gary Woodland – 2019 U.S. Open winner
• No. 14 Rickie Fowler – Five-time PGA TOUR winner; 2015 THE PLAYERS champ
• No. 22 Bubba Watson – 2012 & 2014 Masters champion; 12-time PGA TOUR winner
• No. 25 Patrick Reed – 2018 Masters champion and six-time PGA TOUR winner
• No. 27 Kevin Kisner – 2019 WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play champion
• No. 28 Hideki Matsuyama – Five-time PGA TOUR champ; 2017 WGC-HSBC winner
• No. 36 Cameron Smith – 2017 Zurich Classic winner
• No. 38 Billy Horschel – 2015 FedExCup champion
• No. 44 Brandt Snedeker – 2012 FedExCup champ, 2007 PGA TOUR Rookie of the Year
• No. 48 Chez Reavie – 2008 RBC Canadian Open winner; T3 at the 2019 U.S. Open

The World Golf Hall of Famer is the Big Easy, Ernie Els. It might be worth a ticket just to take an up close look at his beautiful swing.

Mike Weir, the 2003 Masters’ champion will play on a sponsor’s exemption. It’s a nice gesture to invite a player from just over the river.

Other notable players include:

• Luke Donald – Former No. 1 player in the world
• Jason Dufner – 2013 PGA Championship winner
• J.B. Holmes – 2019 Genesis Open winner
• Charles Howell III – 2001 PGA TOUR Rookie of the Year
• Billy Hurley III – 2016 Quicken Loans National winner
• Curtis Luck – 2016 U.S. Amateur champion (played at Oakland Hills CC)
• Keith Mitchell – 2019 Honda Classic winner
• Jimmy Walker – 2016 PGA Championship winner

The Rocket Mortgage Classic will be played June 27-30 at the historic, Donald Ross-designed Detroit Golf Club, with the inaugural winner set to earn the $1,314,000 top prize and 500 FedExCup points.

In addition to the more recognizable names, there are three players with Michgian ties:

• Joey Garber – Born in Petoskey, Mich.
• Lee Houtteman – Michigan PGA section champion
• Brian Stuard – Born and raised in Jackson, Mich. Graduated from Napoleon High School in 2001. Played collegiately at Oakland University in Rochester, Mich.

The Rocket Mortgage Classic also awarded sponsor exemptions to three players who will make their second professional start on the PGA TOUR – 2019 Masters and 2019 U.S. Open low amateur Viktor Hovland (the world’s top-ranked amateur before turning pro earlier this week), 2019 NCAA Division I Individual champion Matthew Wolff and Zach Bauchou – and Justin Suh, the world’s No. 2-ranked amateur in May who is set to make his third pro start.