Detroit will no longer host the PGA Tour’s Rocket Mortgage Classic after this week’s tournament marks its eighth and final edition at Detroit Golf Club. Rocket Companies, the Detroit-based mortgage lender, announced last month that it would not renew its sponsorship for 2027, ending more than a decade of professional golf within Detroit city limits.
The decision came amid ongoing uncertainty surrounding the PGA Tour’s evolving schedule and landscape. Despite months of negotiations, Rocket opted against exercising its contract option for next year. Nic Barlage, CEO of Rocket Entertainment Group, described the move as a pause rather than a complete exit from golf, leaving open the possibility of returning in the future.
The Rocket Classic has been the only PGA Tour event played inside the city of Detroit, attracting prominent players each year. Rickie Fowler, who has participated in every iteration of the tournament and served as a longtime ambassador for Rocket, recalled the event’s significance and the excitement it generated. Fowler’s most recent victory came at last year’s Rocket Classic, where he clinched the title with a birdie on the 18th hole in regulation and again in the playoff.
This year’s field is among the strongest in the tournament’s history, featuring four players ranked in the top 10 of the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) and eight among the top 20, with more than half of the top 100 in the world participating. World No. 3 Cameron Young, a multiple winner this season and runner-up at the British Open, leads the field. Young praised Detroit Golf Club as a favorable venue with memorable moments.
Significant upgrades to Detroit Golf Club have been unveiled for the final Rocket Classic. Following a $16.1 million renovation started after last year’s event, the course’s Donald Ross greens have been expanded and raised to allow more pin placements, with over 100 bunkers increased in depth and new fescue plantings enhancing both challenge and aesthetics. Traditional Ross features, such as cross-ditches, have been restored, and two former par-5 holes have been converted into long par-4s, reducing the course to a par 70. Members approved the renovation in 2024 with hopes of hosting more events, making this final year bittersweet for groundskeepers and staff.
On the same day as the tournament’s final round, the PGA Tour announced the Rocket Classic’s replacement for 2027: a new tournament sponsored by insurance company Sompo at Silverado Resort’s North Course in Napa, California. That event will be part of the newly established Championship Series starting in 2028 but will relocate to an as-yet-undisclosed venue the following year.
Despite losing the tournament, PGA Tour officials reiterated that Detroit remains a key market under consideration for future events as they continue to seek new sponsors and venues in the area. Meanwhile, former players and tournament organizers expressed regret over the event’s departure but retained hope that professional golf might return to Detroit in the years ahead.
The Rocket Classic has produced memorable champions such as Tony Finau, Bryson DeChambeau, and this year’s field-contenders, often marked by dramatic finishes and extended playoffs. While the tournament’s future is uncertain, Detroit’s reputation for resilience leaves room for optimism about a potential comeback.