Detroit — A prominent face in the popular YouTube golf space will tee it up at the Rocket Classic.
The Rocket Classic, Detroit’s PGA Tour stop, is awarding a sponsor’s exemption to social-media influencer Brad Dalke to play in the tournament July 30-Aug. 2 at Detroit Golf Club. It will be Dalke’s PGA Tour debut. He was previously set to make is debut in the new Good Good Championship in November.
Dalke is a brand ambassador for the Good Good Golf team.
“We’re always looking for ways to connect with new audiences in Detroit and continue building one of the most fan-friendly events on the PGA Tour,” said Mark Hollis, tournament director for the Rocket Classic. “Brad has made a tremendous impact both on the course and through the way he connects with fans across different platforms. He’s a proven competitor, an engaging personality and someone who reflects where the game is headed.
“We’re excited to welcome him to Detroit.”
Dalke, 28, is one of the first social-media influencers to be offered and accept an invitation to play in a PGA Tour event. There have been invitations to others, like Grosse Ile native Grant Horvat, though Horvat has previously declined because of PGA Tour’s restrictions on creators being able to film their own inside-the-rope content.
The PGA Tour recently lifted many of those restrictions on content creators, finally recognizing the valuable visibility they bring, especially among young golf fans.
Dalke has nearly a million subscribers and followers across multiple platforms, including more than 400,000 subscribers on YouTube and more than 300,000 followers on Instagram.
“I couldn’t be more excited to make my PGA Tour debut at the Rocket Classic,” Dalke said Tuesday. “I’m grateful to the leaders at Rocket, the Rocket Classic and the PGA Tour for recognizing how golf is evolving and for embracing new ways to connect content creation with the professional game.”
In playing the Rocket, Dalke is returning to an area that holds a special place in his golf career. In 2016, he finished runner-up in the U.S. Amateur at Oakland Hills Country Club in Bloomfield Township, falling to Curtis Luck in the championship match. He won the 2015 Junior PGA Championship.
Dalke joined the Good Good Golf YouTube team three years ago, and last summer, he partnered with Francis Ellis and the late Cody “Beef” Franke, a Ferris State alum, to win the Internet Invitational and a share of the $1 million first-place prize. In 2025, Dalke’s team also won the Creator Classic before the PGA Tour’s Tour Championship.
Dalke has played three times on the PGA Tour, as an amateur, including the 2017 Masters and 2017 U.S. Open.
He also is scheduled to play in the BMW International Open on the DP World Tour in July.
Tickets for the Rocket Classic are on sale at rocketclassic.com.
2026 Rocket Classic commitments
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This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: YouTube golf star accepts invite to play in Detroit’s Rocket Classic
Reporting by Tony Paul, The Detroit News / The Detroit News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
