Rocket Mortgage Classic field commitments: Will Zalatoris, Tony Finau are in

The 2022 Rocket Mortgage Classic announced nine player commitments Wednesday, headlined by Will Zalatoris and Tony Finau.

Justin Rose, Jason Day, Cameron Young, Rickie Fowler, Matt Kuchar, Kevin Kisner and RMC defending champion Cam Davis have all agreed to play so far. The tournament is scheduled for July 28-31 at the Detroit Golf Club.

Zalatoris is No. 12 in the latest Official World Golf Ranking and finished runner-up at the U.S. Open and PGA Championship. Last season in Detroit, he finished last among the 77 players to make the cut, shooting even-par 288 for the tournament after rounds of 2-over 74 and 4-over 76 on the weekend.

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Finau is ranked No. 17 and has represented the U.S. on its past two Ryder Cup teams.

“We are excited to announce such an accomplished group of players joining us in Detroit this summer, and this is only the beginning of our player commitments,” said Jason Langwell, executive director of the Rocket Mortgage Classic.

“Having golfers of this caliber commit to play in the Rocket Mortgage Classic speaks to the momentum that we are building and the desire of top players to be part of our event. It is also terrific to have their support for our Changing the Course initiative to end the digital divide in Detroit.”

Day will playing in his third straight Rocket Mortgage Classic after finishing 14th in 2021, while Rose will be making his debut. Both are former World No. 1's and own 12 and 10 PGA Tour victories, respectively.

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Young is in his first full PGA Tour season and boasts three-top five finishes entering his first RMC. Kuchar is a veteran with nine PGA Tour titles, but this is also his first start in Detroit.

A five-time PGA Tour winner and Rocket Mortgage ambassador, Fowler has played in each of the previous three RMCs since its inception in 2019, his best finish (12th) coming in 2020. Kisner has also played in every Rocket Mortgage Classic and tied for eighth last year and finished third in 2020.

Davis won the 2021 RMC by shooting 18-under-par 270 and defeating 54-hole co-leaders Troy Merritt and Joaquin Niemann in a five-hole playoff. He has played in every Rocket Mortgage Classic and boasts three top-10 finishes this season.

Notably, the 2022 RMC will be without past players like Phil Mickelson, Patrick Reed, Dustin Johnson and ex-Rocket Mortgage ambassador Bryson DeChambeau, who have signed with Saudi-backed LIV Golf.

Before the departures, Langwell told WXYZ-TV that RMC officials had talked with Justin Thomas and Patrick Cantlay about playing in Detroit for the first time.

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Hideki Matsuyama, Joaquin Niemann, Sungjae Im, Max Homa, Harold Varner III and Keegan Bradley are former RMC participants who could still sign on.

The field will be finalized July 23.

Two factors that could help draw more of the top players into the field: This year's RMC is two weeks after The Open Championship, the season's final major, at St. Andrews Links in Scotland, and is the second-to-last regular season event before the start of the PGA Tour's FedExCup Playoffs — which will pay a record $18 million to the winner.

The previous three winners of the Rocket Mortgage Classic: Davis (2021; 18 under par), DeChambeau (2020; 23 under par) and Nate Lashley (2019; 25 under par).

Contact Mason Young: MEYoung@freepress.com Follow him on Twitter: @Mason_Young_0

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Rocket Mortgage Classic 2022 field: Will Zalatoris, Tony Finau are in