Rickie Fowler Returns to Rocket Mortgage Classic to Defend Amongst a Youth Movement of Sponsor’s Exemptions

By Tom Lang

Rickie Fowler helps make life a little easier for Jason Langwell.

Langwell is the tournament director of the PGA Tour’s Rocket Mortgage Classic.

“Rickie won here for the first time last year (in a 3-man playoff), but he’s played well here, and become a fan favorite, an adopted child of Detroit,” Langwell said in a private interview. “Ticket sales have been awesome, the sponsors love knowing he’s going to be back as defending champ… and for many years to come.

“It does make my job so much easier, knowing you have a great player, a great name, a great person in Rickie associated with the event creates just a massive halo effect,” he added. “And frankly, it helps us with the broader field as well, because Rickie is not just a favorite of the fans but a favorite of the players on Tour. A lot of guys want to come back here because he’s here and want to see him take a victory lap.”

Other notables returning to the Detroit Golf Club for the 6th year, June 27-30 include:

Will Zalatoris

Tom Kim

Stewart Cink

Gary Woodland

Zach Johnson

Ryan Brehm (Traverse City)

Kevin Kisner 

Matt Kuchar

Even more players include: World No. 23 Cameron Young (runner up in 2022), No. 31 Akshay Bhatia, and four of the last eight PGA TOUR event winners in Chris Gotterup (Myrtle Beach Classic), Robert MacIntyre (RBC Canadian Open), Taylor Pendrith (The CJ CUP Byron Nelson) and Davis Riley (Charles Schwab Challenge) are set to play in this year’s Rocket Mortgage Classic.  

Flint native Willie Mack III will play in the PGA Tour’s Rocket Mortgage Classic for the second time after earning an exemption by winning THE JOHN SHIPPEN Men’s Invitational at Detroit Golf Club.

“I played in the U.S. Open a week ago and I’m probably more excited to play back in my hometown in Michigan,” Mack said. “This (was) my first cut made on the PGA Tout a couple of years (ago) so hopefully I can play well, be in contention, and represent everybody in Michigan.”

Youth Movement:

Three sponsor exemptions help advance the Rocket Mortgage mantra of ‘Future Stars Start Here.’

Start with teenage amateur Miles Russell of Florida. Langwell said the tournament team began talking about the 15-year-old when he made the cut and finished T20 at the LECOM Suncoast Classic on the Korn Ferry Tour.

“More youth are doing really well, and their energy and enthusiasm and high level of play that comes with all of that, it got us talking about it,” Langwell told me. “We saw what Miles did at the Korn Ferry event (in April) and so we connected with his family. He’s a 15-year old that’s humble, but has a really strong humble confidence about him. He’s the kind of kid going out there to win. 

“That’s the mentality we want and need from the players we give exemptions to, and he really impressed us,” Langwell added. “First, best and only is kind of a mantra of the Rocket Mortgage Classic – we like to be the first to do things, the best to do it and the only one that does things. We’ve never had a player in our field that wasn’t old enough to drive a courtesy car. We felt he’s a top player and fits the ‘future stars start here’ mantra.”

Another teen is Jackson Koivun who Langwell called the most decorated freshman in collegiate history.  Koivun, the NCAA 2024 national runner up and SEC Player of the Year, recently made the cut at The Memorial and is slated to represent the U.S. in the Walker Cup and Palmer Cup. He just finished his freshman year at NCAA team Champion Auburn, but making the cut in Detroit would mean he’s earned enough points to get a PGA Tour card for a year if he wants.

Then there is Neal Shipley of Ohio State, the low Am at both the 2024 Masters and U.S. Open. Prior to Shipley's performance at Pinehurst No. 2, there were only six golfers to finish as the low amateur at both the Masters and the U.S. Open in the same year: Ken Venturi (1956), Jack Nicklaus (1960), Phil Mickelson (1991), Matt Kuchar (1998) and most recently Viktor Hovland (2019). 

He’s also throwing out the first pitch at the Tigers game on Monday night, June 24.

Giveaways: on Friday of tournament week, the second round, the first 1,000 fans showing up get a Rickie Fowler Puma hat.

More information at: https://www.rocketmortgageclassic.com/