Detroit golf fans turn out despite poor air quality, smoke

DETROIT — I was on the hunt at the Rocket Mortgage Classic on Thursday.

Not for birdies or eagles or aces. Not for marquee players and groups. I was looking for something much, much harder to find: masks.

With smoke from Canadian wildfires continuing to cause a pungent haze over the Great Lakes region, the skies above Detroit Golf Club resembled the parking lot of a cannabis dispensary at 4:20 p.m., or any just about any random scene from your favorite “Cheech and Chong” movie.

I figured this meant fans would dig out their favorite masks from 2020 and don them as a precaution while they walked around the course. After 45 minutes on the front nine, it was clear it was going to be easier to find Waldo than a masked fan.

I saw about a dozen volunteers or tournament staff wearing masks, but I encountered just two fans who were masked: a man and a woman who were dating. It was her first tournament and his third, and he never considered missing it because of poor air quality. I’m confident this relationship is going the distance.

At 3 p.m., the government’s official air quality index at airnow.gov — the one the PGA Tour uses — measured 210 and was considered “very unhealthy.” When the AQI reaches 300 for a sustained period, the tour considers suspending play.

So I’ve got to hand it to all those unmasked Detroiters who waited a year to turn out by the thousands for Michigan’s premier golf event Thursday. Yep, they’re a hearty bunch.

Honestly, I didn’t find the air quality Thursday to be as noticeable or bothersome as it was Tuesday night or Wednesday morning. As I walked around, I wore a mask for 15 minutes. I noticed an improvement in the quality of air I inhaled, but it wasn’t drastically different.

Sam Ryder, who was tied for second after he shot 7-under-par 65, dealt with air-quality issues in previous tournaments in Minnesota and California. He said it wasn’t a factor Thursday.

“Not really,” he said. “I mean yeah, it’s a little different. We kind of had that, played in that kind of haze yesterday. It seemed actually a little bit better today.”

Air quality would probably rank low among concerns for PGA Tour players. Wind and rain are much stronger factors, because they affect the flight paths of shots. If…