Rocket Mortgage Classic Tees off in Detroit

Detroit Golf Club, Detroit, MI — July 28, 2022

The Rocket Mortgage Classic at the Detroit Golf Club began this morning at 6:45 am as Ryan Moore, Aaron Baddeley, and Jonathan Byrd arrived at the first tee to begin play. After their opening nine, Moore was two-under-par while Baddeley and Bird sat even on the round.

Sam Ryder and last week’s PGA Tours’ Basol Championship winner Tony Finau were the early leaders at five under at the turn. Opening day was greeted with beautiful weather, a course in excellent condition, and red numbers on the leaderboard as players took advantage of the perfect conditions.

Finau started on the 10th hole, his 31 on the back nine featured five birdies. Three more on the front nine allowed him to post a first-round score of 64.

Taylor Pendrith, the 31-year-old professional golfer from Canada, also started on number 10. Seeking his first win on the Tour, Pendrith made birdies on the 10th, 12th, 13th, and 17th, before yielding a bogey on 18 to post an opening nine score of 33. A bogey-free front nine with five circles on his card resulted in a 31 to tie Finau for the lead at eight-under. Two strokes ahead of five players tied for third at six under 66.

Defending Rocket Mortgage Classic champion Cam Davis played in the group with Tony Finau. Davis shot four under to join the players tied for 22nd position.

The Afternoon Groups

High clouds moved in near the conclusion of the morning rounds and a light sprinkle fell. But, not enough to break out the umbrellas. However, the wind picked up significantly. It will be interesting to see if the breeze changes how the players attack the course and if scores go up in the afternoon session.

When all the scores were posted only five golfers in the top 21 on the leaderboard came from the players who started their rounds after the noon hour. They finished in a group of 14 tied for eighth at five-under-par.

Notables

Webb Simpson posted a round of six-under-par and sits in a tie with four other players for third place.

Jason Day and Matt Kuchar are in a group at three under, tied for 33rd. Gary Woodland, Will Zalatoris, and Patrick Cantlay are another stroke back at two under. Cameron Young, fresh off a second-place finish in The Open is at one under and possibly in danger of missing the cut.

Crowd favorites, Rickie Fowler(+1) and Davis Love III(+6) will need a major turnaround on Friday to avoid spending the weekend at home.

First Round Leaderboard at The Rocket Mortgage Classic