2024 Rocket Mortgage Classic: Power Rankings, Defending Champion, Prize Money, and Major Details

The final signature event on the PGA Tour’s 2024 season finally came to an end at TPC River Highlands. And to everyone’s surprise or not-so-surprising result, Scottie Scheffler emerged victorious once again. Well, Detroit can now get ready to welcome the next event on the men’s circuit, The Rocket Mortgage Classic, as it is all set to kick off on June 27.

Many of the top golfers, including Scheffler, Rory McIlroy, and Xander Schauffele won’t be teeing it up at the tourney. Regardless of their absence, the golf world can expect a thrilling display of golf at the Detroit Golf Club, as the field of athletes hopes to take home a cut of the $9.2 million prize purse.

Top contenders for the Rocket Mortgage Classic

The sixth edition of the Rocket Mortgage Classic will consist of a total of 156 golfers duking it out on the greens, as per the PGA Tour’s official announcement. The field includes fully exempt members of the circuit, professionals who got in via Open Qualifiers, past champions, and winners of various other contests in the circuit. And out of the whole list, there are bound to be some favorites who might end up winning.

1. Rickie Fowler: The 35-year-old had emerged triumphant at the 2023 Rocket Mortgage Classic. He holed a birdie on the par-4, 18th, at the Detroit Golf Club to force a three-man playoff between him, Collin Morikawa, and Adam Hadwin. The American pro birdied the 18th once again to clinch his sixth PGA Tour title while garnering a cut of $1,584,000. 2024, however, hasn’t been too kind to the golfer, as he couldn’t manage a single top-10 finish from 17 starts. His best this season came from the 2024 RBC Heritage, where the athlete finished at T18 with a score of 9-under overall. But it would be unwise to underestimate the golfer, seeing as how he had come out successful last year at the course.

2. Tom Kim: The South Korean pro has turned a lot of heads recently with his scintillating performance at the 2024 Travelers Championship. The T2 finish at the event came after going head-to-head with current world No. 1 Scheffler in a playoff, allowing him to climb to No. 16 on the OWGR. Moreover, Kim also boasts another amazing finish at the RBC Canadian Open, where he placed T4, making it two top-10 placements from 19 starts. He would be looking forward to continuing his momentum from the final signature event and thereby clinching a victory at the Rocket Mortgage Classic.

3. Cameron Young: The 27-year-old is the next top-ranked golfer in the field after Kim. Even though he doesn’t have a win on the PGA Tour as a professional golfer, the American still boasts an amazing record in the circuit, especially this season. He boasts 5 top-10 finishes in 2024 from 16 starts, the best of which came at the 2024 Valspar Championship, where he placed himself at T2. That’s not all. He also carded a T3 finish at the 2024 Hero Dubai Desert Classic, which saw McIlroy emerge victorious. He is surely a golfer to look out for in the field.

4. Chris Kirk: The golfer had kicked off the season in style back at the Sentry when he claimed the title of champ over the likes of Sahith Theegala and Jordan Spieth. He won the event while carding a 29-under 263 to claim his sixth win on the circuit, the last of which came at the 2023 Honda Classic. Kirk, since then, has carded another top-10 finish at the RBC Heritage, where he finished at T10. Although he hasn’t had much success since then with three missed cuts, the current No. 33 is, without a doubt, one of the top-ranked golfers at the Rocket Mortgage Classic.

5. Akshay Bhatia: The 22-year-old has a total of 2 top-10 finishes this season. But there’s a catch. One of the two is a victory at the 2024 Valero Texas Open, where he scored a 2o-under overall to claim the trophy and the winner’s cut. His second top-10 finish came from his 19th start in 2024 at the Travelers Championship. The American pro did so by carding an 18-under overall, all the while finishing at an impressive T5 at the signature event. He would surely look to keep his momentum going and clinch a third win on the circuit at the Detroit Golf Club.

A test for the PGA Tour Pros at the Detroit Golf Club

The two 18-hole courses, designed by Donald Ross, remain an integral part of the club’s history. It was opened in 1899, following which numerous golfers and professionals have had the luxury of playing the signature layout. Especially so through the Rocket Mortgage Classic, which saw all five of its previous editions being played out at the Detroit Golf Club.

The PGA Tour Pros, this time around, will also tee it up at the par-72, 7334-yard course on June 27. The fans can, thus, expect a lot of drama to take place over the weekend in Detroit as the golfers attempt to dish out their best in clinching the iconic title of champion at the 2024 Rocket Mortgage Classic.