The field for the 2022 Rocket Mortgage Classic is set and while the PGA Tour’s previous head-to-head matchup with a LIV Golf event pitted a weak John Deere Classic lineup against an emerging LIV Portland contingent, the upcoming battle for golf viewership will ramp up next week.
Rocket Mortgage Classic officials announced 151 of the 156 players Friday evening after the second round of the 3M Championship in Minneapolis, with five spots up for grabs over the next few days.
The Rocket Mortgage Classic tournament set for July 28-31 at Detroit Golf Club will feature six of the top-30 players in the world golf rankings, led by Patrick Cantlay at No. 4. Behind him sits No. 13 Will Zalatoris, No. 17 Tony Finau, No. 19 Cameron Young, No. 21 Max Homa and No. 27 Kevin Kisner.
Cantlay is the reigning FedEx Cup champion and PGA Tour player of the year. He has seven career Tour wins and had four wins in 2020-21, the most in a single year of his career. He has seven second-place finishes in his career among 41 top-10 finishes.
Finau has represented the U.S. in its past two Ryder Cup teams.
The second-highest ranked player in the field, Zalatoris was runner-up at both the PGA Championship and U.S. Open this season. He’s still searching for his first Tour victory, and has four second-place finishes and 16 top-10s in his career. Last year in Detroit, Zalatoris finished last among the 77 players to make the cut at even-par 288, shooting 6-over on the weekend.
Nate Lashley and Cam Davis, Rocket Mortgage Classic winners in 2019 and 2021 respectively, are both in the field this year, as is Rocket Mortgage-sponsored Rickie Fowler. 2020 tournament winner Bryson DeChambeau is off the Tour after joining the new rival league, LIV Golf.
Ramping up: 2022 Rocket Mortgage Classic features new viewing areas, youth golf zone
Earlier this week, the tournament announced commitments from Homa, No. 72 Webb Simpson, No. 130 Cameron Champ and U.S. Ryder Cup captain and major winner Zach Johnson. In total, the field features 29 of the top-100 players in the world and 11 former major champions, including Adam Scott, Jason Day, Stewart Cink, Gary Woodland and Keegan Bradley.
Five spots in the RMC Rocket Mortgage Classic are still to be claimed, as one will go to this weekend’s winner of the John Shippen National Invitational at Detroit Golf Club, and four to qualifiers from The Orchards in Washington Township on Monday.
Detroit’s forecast for Thursday shows early rain showers in the morning with mostly cloudy conditions later in the day. There will be a high of 84 with westward winds up to 15 mph. Conditions are expected to improve Friday and Saturday with sunny skies and under 10 mph winds. Sunday’s final round could feature 15 mph winds once again with partly cloudy skies.
Tournament ticket prices range Thursday-Sunday from $70-90 for fans, depending on the desired date. Parking passes cost $25 daily, are not included with tickets and must be purchased online beforehand.
Tickets and parking are free for Detroiters on Tuesday (Youth Golf Clinic and Area 313 Celebrity Scramble) and Wednesday (Pro-Am).
Chandler Engelbrecht is a reporting intern at The Detroit Free Press and can be reached at CEngelbrecht@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @ctengelbrecht.
