DETROIT — Less than 30 days from the 2022 Rocket Mortgage Classic, the tournament’s executive director, Jason Langwell, is approaching the event’s fourth year like it’s actually the second.
The RMC excitedly debuted in 2019, but momentum was thwarted by COVID-19 at a fanless 2020 event. This time last year, Langwell wasn’t certain about attendance arrangements as coronavirus lingered over Michigan. Though fans were allowed, their experience was still modified compared to 2019.
Following “three Year 1s,” Langwell hopes to produce a strong “Year 2,” from July 28-31 at the Detroit Golf Club, bolstered by a new date chosen to lure more big-name players. He referred to previous challenges as “disguised opportunities” that taught tournament officials what they needed to make this year’s event their best.
The Rocket Mortgage Classic released its initial nine-player field Wednesday, with some past notables missing: Phil Mickelson, Patrick Reed and Dustin Johnson have all left the PGA Tour for Saudi Arabia-backed LIV Golf. So has Bryson DeChambeau, the 2020 RMC champion and former Rocket Mortgage ambassador who was dropped after committing to LIV.
In a Q&A with the Free Press, Langwell discussed the commitments of Will Zalatoris, Tony Finau and Rickie Fowler, the impacts of the tournament date change and LIV Golf.
Q: You moved the Rocket Mortgage Classic from the July 4 weekend to the end of the month to hit the window between the British Open and the FedEx Cup. How has that specifically affected commitments?
A: “The players tend to look at their world and the decisions they make for schedule as kind of windows between majors. And with ours being in a different block, if you will, we definitely picked up some players that we wouldn’t have otherwise.
“(Matt Kuchar’s) someone who plays a lot early, tends to try and take as much time in the summer off to be with his family. … (Justin Rose) is a good example of a guy who similarly plays a lot early. But during the windows we’ve been in historically, he heads across the pond to play a lot of golf overseas and get ready for the Open Championship. So we haven’t had that window, but now on the heels of this, where he’s at, kind of looking where he’s at from a FedEx Cup points standpoint, the window works better for him.
“But then we have those that are returning back that I would say play a little more steadily. And really, it’s more about picking the places they feel like…
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