Detroit — The field for the eighth and final Rocket Classic is nearly finalized.
All but a handful of spots in the 145-player field for the PGA Tour tournament at Detroit Golf Club are spoken for, with early headliners including Xander Schauffele and Brooks Koepka, each of whom is playing the event for the first time, as well as Rickie Fowler, the 2023 champion who has played in each of the first seven Rockets.
Then, on Wednesday night, the Rocket got word from three-time major winner and fan favorite Jordan Spieth that he, too, will be coming to Detroit to play in the tournament for the first time.
The list of commitments also includes four players ranked in the top 10 in the Official World Golf Ranking, led by No. 3 Cameron Young, No. 5 Russell Henley, No. 7 Chris Gotterup and No. 9 Wyndham Clark, this year’s U.S. Open champion. The field currently includes eight players ranked inside the top 20, and 54 players ranked inside the top 100.
The deadline for PGA Tour players to commit to the Rocket, the second-to-last tournament before the start of the PGA Tour playoffs, is Friday night. The Rocket is July 30-Aug. 2.
The final four spots in the field then will be determined at Monday’s 18-hole qualifier at The Orchards Golf Club in Washington Township, where the competition is open to the public and free to attend. The qualifier will feature several notable former PGA Tour players, as well as players with local ties. At last year’s qualifier, Brighton’s Otto Black and Grand Rapids’ Brett White were two of the players who Monday-qualified into the 2025 Rocket Classic.
So far, this year’s Rocket field has two local players — Detroiter Joe Hooks, who was given a sponsor’s exemption, and Ann Arbor native Patrick Wilkes-Krier, who won the 2025 Michigan PGA Championship to earn his spot.
The list of player commitments always is subject to change, and already has changed a bit. Sam Burns, who is ranked 11th in the world and had top-10 finishes at this year’s Masters, U.S. Open and British Open, decommitted after the birth of his second child earlier this month. Aaron Rai, world No. 20, also was committed until he won the PGA Championship in May, and then reevaluated his schedule for the rest of the season.
Who’s playing in the 2026 Rocket Classic?
Rocket Classic commitments, as of July 21:
When is the 2026 Rocket Classic?
When: July 30-Aug. 2
Where: Detroit Golf Club
2025 champion: Aldrich Potgieter
Tickets: Starting at $68; children 15 and younger get in free with a ticketed adult. Details at RocketClassic.com.
tpaul@detroitnews.com
@tonypaul1984
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Rocket Classic field almost set: Here’s who will tee it up in Detroit
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
