Detroit Golf Club will look familiar when the Rocket Classic begins Thursday, but the way it plays should be noticeably different.
The $16.1 million renovation that was completed around Thanksgiving is making its tournament debut this week, and players are already expecting a tougher test than the one the PGA Tour has seen in the event's first seven editions at Detroit Golf Club. The course has been reworked back toward Donald Ross' original vision, and the most obvious change for the Rocket Classic field is that it will now play as a par 70 instead of a par 72.
Two holes now demand more
Nos. 7 and 17 were both converted from par 5s to par 4s, cutting down two of the easiest scoring chances in a tournament that has long been known as a bomber's paradise. The renovation also brought more than 100 bunkers into play, while the course now stretches to 5,400 square feet on one green and 6,700 square feet on another as part of the broader redesign.
That shift should matter quickly. Cameron Young said he thinks the changes are cool and expects the course to be a bit more challenging. Xander Schauffele said the course looks pretty, but he does not expect scores to be as low as they have been in past years. Aldrich Potgieter made a similar point, saying it is playing a lot longer.
A tougher winning score
Early signs suggest the renovated layout is already getting a positive reception. Sam Moynihan, the director of agronomy at Detroit Golf Club, said Tuesday morning that feedback since Sunday and yesterday had been really positive. He also said that if the winning score is south of 15 under par, that would be a really big win.
That would be a meaningful change from recent Rocket Classic history. In 2020, the winning score was 23 under par, and a 15-under finish would reflect a course that asks more questions on a week-by-week basis. Moynihan's point was not that low scores are impossible, but that the renovation should make them harder to come by.
For a tournament that has been played at Detroit Golf Club for seven straight years, the timing of the change matters. This is the eighth and final Rocket Classic, and the new setup gives the event a different identity right at the end of its run in Detroit.
For more on how the field is shaping up, Brooks Koepka set for first Rocket Classic appearance as PGA Tour field takes shape.
