2024 Rocket Mortgage Classic: 5 Biggest Names Missing From the 156-Player Field

The PGA Tour will be moving to the Midwest suburbs of Detroit for the sixth edition of the Rocket Mortgage Classic. On Tuesday, the City of Detroit will witness the first practice round. Then, on Thursday, June 27th, the competitive rounds will start. The 156 players are ready and up for a blistering weekend in Detroit.

However, in the field of the 2024 Rocket Mortgage Classic, many top players’ names are missing. After playing one major and two signature events back-to-back, these top five players will be on a small mid-season break and miss the Rocket Mortgage Classic, probably to prepare better for the Troon Showdown!

Who are the top players opting out of the Rocket Mortgage Classic?

Surprisingly, the top 30 PGA Tour pros on the Official World Golf Rankings will be missing the 6th Rocket Mortgage Classic. These players will probably next play the Genesis Scottish Open at The Renaissance Club after the John Deere Classic. And for the time being, get a two-week getaway.

1. Scottie Scheffler: This season has been the biggest year for World No. 1. Scottie Scheffler. He added his name to the PGA Tour history books, which will be remembered for decades. Just yesterday, the 27-year-old won the Travelers Championship, the last signature event of the season. And he became the only golfer to win six times in one season since Tiger Woods did in the 2009 season.

With this, the 12-time PGA Tour winner earned $27 million in just six months and added his name to being the only player on the PGA Tour to earn that much money in on-course earnings. So, after a hectic schedule so far, Scheffler would be missing out on the Rocket Mortgage Classic and enjoying family time with his wife and firstborn, Bennett Scheffler.

2. Rory McIlroy: Just a week ago, Rory McIlroy left Pinehurst No. 2 heartbroken as Bryson DeChambeau cruised to a victory at the U.S. Open with 1 stroke, and the 35-year-old lost another chance to break the 10-year-long streak of no majors. Thus, the Northern Irishman released a statement saying that it was the “toughest day” of his 17-year-old career and withdrew from the Travelers Championship.

And now, he will not be playing the Rocket Mortgage Classic either. Interestingly, the 4-time major winner has never played the Rocket Mortgage Classic since it started in 2019. McIlroy’s next stop on the PGA Tour would be at the Genesis Scottish Open as the defending champion.

3. Ludvig Aberg: The Swede pro has emerged as an up-and-coming golfer and one of the star players on the PGA Tour in a short amount of time, all thanks to his incredible form. Notably, after his maiden victory at the RSM Classic in 2023, Aberg inched closer to his second win at the weather-disrupted, AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am and third victory at the 88th Masters.

Quickly charting the world rankings and making himself the fourth-best golfer, the 24-year-old played remarkably even at the U.S. Open. However, after losing the second-round lead, Aberg settled for a T12. Hence, the 1-time PGA Tour winner perhaps will be taking off to cool off the stress.

4. Xander Schauffele: The 2024 season proved to be the best one for Xander Schauffele till now. Not only was he fortunate enough to win his first major at Valhalla, but he also achieved the best rank of his career, which was second. Moreover, Schauffele has also qualified for the Olympics second time in a row and will be representing the USA in the Summer Olympics as a defending gold medalist in Paris.

But Schauffele’s phenomenal form doesn’t stop there. After his maiden major victory, he finished twice in the top 15, once with a T8 at the U.S. Open and a T13 at the Travelers Championship. To perform better and once again enter the winning circle, missing the Rocket Mortgage Classic may favor Schauffele.

5. Wyndham Clark: The 2023 U.S. Open winner has been in hot waters for his Summer Olympics qualification. Surprisingly, the golf fans were frustrated and wanted Bryson DeChambeau to replace him, as they deemed him as more deserving after the US Open victory. But why did the netizens doubt Clark’s form? It all stems from his performances in the three majors. Unfortunately, the 3-time PGA Tour winner missed the cuts at the Masters and the PGA Championship. Moreover, even at the US Open, Clark failed to defend his title and finished T56, near the bottom of the leaderboard.

However, at the 2024 Travelers Championship, Clark was successful in making some huge changes to his gameplay. Without focusing on the criticism, he rather worked to shoot low, and after carding 17 under 263, he finished T9. This was Clark’s first top-10 finish in the past six events.

Even though many top players will be missing the Rocket Mortgage Classic, there will still be some top-class players on the field, including the Travelers Championship’s runner-up, Tom Kim, the highest-ranked pro in the field, Cameron Young, and the defending champion himself, Rickie Fowler. From the 156 players’ field, who will take the RMC Trophy home? Share your prediction below.