Chicago Golf Club
The renowned Donald Ross layout initially included six holes. That's correct; there were only six holes and a $10 yearly fee when it opened in 1899. In 1900, which was still 13 years before the club contacted Ross to create what is today known as Detroit Golf Club, three additional holes were added.
Ross ultimately created two courses: a North course and a South course. Only one hole from the South course is used on the Rocket Mortgage Classic course, a combination of the two (No. 1, which plays as the third hole for the PGA Tour event). The biggest names in Detroit have called Detroit Golf Club home throughout its existence, including Henry Ford, Justin Verlander, and Jerome Bettis. Even closer to the seventh hole, It is believed that Aretha Franklin recorded her 1998 album "A Rose is Still a Rose" in a home she owned."
Horton Smith, a two-time winner of the Masters, was the head club professional at Detroit Golf Club from 1946 until his passing in 1963. If you want to see a Tour event without having to spend all day wandering a challenging golf course, go to the Detroit Golf Club. With a standard deviation of topography change of just 2.18 feet, Ross' renowned Detroit design, which succeeded TPC Louisiana as the Tour's flattest course in 2019, entered the rotation in 2019.
Black guy John Shippen Jr. was born in 1879 to a formerly enslaved person who was emancipated following the Civil War.
He was also the first Black and American-born golf professional, and a competition named in his honor is now held in conjunction with the Rocket Mortgage Classic. Before the Rocket Mortgage Classic, there was a competition called the John Shippen National Golf Invitational, with the winner receiving a berth on the Tour. Wyatt Worthington II took home the trophy this year after shooting a final-round 65 in the two-round invitational to secure his place this week among the top players on the renowned Donald Ross layout.
The John Shippen was founded to expand on Black representation in the game of golf, uncover historical hurdles to that representation, and generate awareness, access, and opportunities for people of color in the sports industry.
Shippen received posthumous PGA of America membership in 2009.
Celebrity Scramble Area 313
A fan favorite during tournament week at the Rocket Mortgage Classic, the AREA 313 Celebrity Scramble returned in 2022 with some big names. Six four-player teams will compete in a three-hole exhibition match at the Detroit Golf Club on holes 14–16. These three holes are known as "AREA 313," after the area code for Detroit, but they also serve a fundraising purpose at the Rocket Mortgage Classic. During the competition, Rocket Mortgage will donate $2,500 to charity for a "3" or eagle on hole 14. A "1" on the par-3 15th will result in a contribution of $10,000.
A "3" or birdie on hole no. 16 will result in a contribution of $2,500. Any player who completes the tournament's holes 14–16 in a 3-1-3 fashion will have $313,000 donated in their honor to Rocket Mortgage Classic charity focused on digital access and closing the digital gap in Detroit.
The PGA Tour athletes in attendance included Will Zalatoris, Tony Finau, Jason Day, Justin Rose, and Rickie Fowler. The well-known individuals who participated were Barry Sanders, Tom Izzo, Calvin Johnson, Dylan Larkin, Maurice Allen, and Kelley James. Additionally, each AREA 313 celebrity scramble team included a competitor from The John Shippen National Golf Invitational.
Par can vary depending on the competition, and that is the case at the Rocket Mortgage Classic. At the first Rocket Mortgage Classic in 2019, the cut was five under, the lowest on the PGA Tour since 2016. That year, Nate Lashley won with a four-round score of 25 under par. The superintendent of the Detroit Golf Club, Jake Mendoza, was formerly employed by Winged Foot and Medinah. He said in 2020 that the green speeds in 2019 might have been conservative and expressed interest in accelerating the surfaces. Playing at 23 under, Bryson DeChambeau won the 2020 edition, and Cameron Davis came in second.
This week at Detroit Golf Club, three of the sport's most intriguing rising stars will hit the course. Let's start with Chris Gotterup, who recently completed a season at the University of Oklahoma, during which he was the recipient of the Haskins Award, which is presented annually to the top collegiate golfer in the country. Gotterup has continued his Tour success from earlier in his career, making four cuts in six starts, highlighted by finishes of T-4 at the John Deere Classic and T-43 at the U.S. Open. Cole Hammer, a former Texas Longhorn, is also in the field this week in Detroit, hoping to duplicate some of Gotterup's success. Hammer hasn't cut either of his Tour outings this year (Travelers Championship, 3M Open), but on the Korn Ferry Tour, he's made two cuts in three starts and most recently placed T-7.
Finally, we have Stanford University student Michael Thorbjornsen, who is still a novice. This year marks Thorbjornsen's third start on the Tour. If he makes the Rocket Mortgage cut, he'll have his hands full because the following week at Exmoor Country Club, just outside of Chicago, he'll be defending his Western Am championship.
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