For the fourth straight year, Detroit Golf Club has drawn global attention thanks to the Rocket Mortgage Classic.
The PGA Tour event launched in 2019 and now, after navigating through the COVID-19 pandemic for the last two years, appears to be back in full swing. The work behind putting the tournament together hasn’t been easy — especially as the golf world remains in flux.
During the RMC’s opening round of play Thursday, former President Donald Trump voiced his support for Saudi Arabia-backed LIV Golf during its pro-am tournament at Trump’s golf club in New Jersey.
Trump avoided addressing issues regarding Saudi Arabia’s human rights record, specifically its connections to the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
Phil Mickelson, Patrick Reed and Dustin Johnson have all departed the PGA Tour to join LIV Golf alongside Bryson DeChambeau, the 2020 RMC champion and former Rocket Mortgage ambassador. Still, as LIV Golf grows, the Detroit Golf Club is razor-focused on making the RMC the best it can be.
Rocket Mortgage Classic: Scores | PGA Tour Live on ESPN+
“Needless to say, it’s interesting,” club president Jason Drumheller said. “You look at LIV Tour, and a lot of the guys who have been with the PGA Tour have went there, and a lot people have opinions on it. I always think, ‘People do things for different reasons.’ The partnership we’ve had with the PGA Tour, the partnership we’ve had with Rocket Mortgage, it’s been great and successful. … Obviously, when you see players (leaving), especially players that would come here, you think, ‘I hope the field still remains (strong) and continues to get better.’
“And, for us, it has.”
Among its 156-player field, the RMC features six of the top-30 players in the world, including No. 4 Patrick Cantlay, No. 13 Will Zalatoris, No. 16 Tony Finau, No. 19 Cameron Young, No. 20 Max Homa and No. 27 Kevin Kisner. Kisner is the only player from that group to miss the cut.
Because of the uncertainties surrounding LIV Golf, Drumheller is curious about how “everything is going to play out” with it and the PGA. Regardless, he’s more concerned with working with the tournament’s title sponsor to help Detroit prosper.
Drumheller, 40, is the youngest president in the club’s history, which began in 1899. He started working with the club in 2010 and has held numerous titles within the organization since. Drumheller said the DGC’s board is more like a “team,” and believes the…
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