Detroit — Wyndham Clark began last week by officially committing to playing in this summer’s Rocket Classic. He capped his week with a second U.S. Open championship.
Clark’s win means two of this season’s three major winners (so far) are scheduled to tee it up at Detroit Golf Club from July 30-Aug. 2. PGA Championship winner Aaron Rai also is committed to the Rocket Classic.
“Wyndham Clark is one of the top, top players,” Rocket Classic tournament director Mark Hollis said last week, shortly after getting a text message Clark would compete in Detroit this summer.
“We’re looking forward to having him here.”
It’s worth noting PGA Tour player commitments are subject to change until the Friday before tournament week. Last year’s U.S. Open champ, J.J. Spaun, decommitted to the Rocket Classic, which was two weeks later.
Clark, 32, is now a five-time winner on the PGA Tour, with two U.S. Open titles, and has risen to No. 8 in the Official World Golf Ranking. That makes him the third-highest-ranked player in the Rocket field, behind No. 3 Cameron Young and No. 5 Russell Henley. No. 11 Xander Schauffele, a two-time major champion, also is committed to playing the final installment of the Rocket Classic, his first time playing in Detroit.
Other top-25 players who’ve committed to the Rocket include Rai (No. 16), who won his first major title earlier this year, and Si Woo Kim (25). Other major winners include Hideki Matsuyama (28) and Keegan Bradley (38).
Rocket Classic officials are hoping the timing of this year’s tournament, as the second-to-last event before the PGA Tour playoffs, will lead to some big-name late additions as players on the playoff bubble or players looking to improve their playoff positioning opt to add a tournament at the 11th hour.
“This will be our strongest field we’ve had to date,” said Nic Barlage, CEO of Rock Entertainment Group. “I do think where it falls on the schedule is very helpful for us.”
This will Clark’s fourth time playing the Rocket Classic. His best finish is a tie for eighth in 2022, before he won the first of his two major championships. Clark does have a growing list of ties to Michigan. His girlfriend is Emily Tanner, 31, a Walled Lake Central High School alum and Michigan State graduate, and his caddie is David Pelekoudas, whose father, Dan, played basketball at the University of Michigan in the 1980s.
The season’s first major winner, Masters champion Rory McIlroy, isn’t going to play the Rocket (he never has). The season’s fourth major is the British Open, is two weeks before the Rocket, at Royal Birkdale in England.
This will be the eighth and last Rocket Classic, with Rocket Companies declining to exercise its option for 2027.
2026 Rocket Classic commitments
When is the 2026 Rocket Classic?
When: July 30-Aug. 2
Where: Detroit Golf Club
2025 champion: Aldrich Potgieter
Tickets: Starting at $31.30; details at RocketClassic.com
tpaul@detroitnews.com
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This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Two of season’s first three major champs are playing in Rocket Classic
Reporting by Tony Paul, The Detroit News / The Detroit News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Tony Paul, The Detroit News | USA TODAY Network
