The 2026 edition of the Rocket Classic has a lot going for it. It has a newly renovated, Donald Ross-designed host course in Detroit Golf Club. It has a star-studded field featuring top pros like Cameron Young and Xander Schauffele. And the tournament has a defending champion, Aldrich Potgieter, who is among the most talented young stars around.
Unfortunately, this week’s event will likely be the last Rocket Classic ever.
Between the title sponsor’s departure from the tournament and the PGA Tour’s impending schedule overhaul, the beloved event is off the schedule next season, and the chances of it making the cut for the PGA Tour’s new top tier in 2028 and beyond are low.
Those realities had Potgieter lamenting the loss of the tournament where he made his breakthrough during his pre-tournament press conference on Tuesday in Detroit.
Rocket Classic replaced with new Napa event in 2027
While the Rocket Classic may already be an afterthought for the average golf fan, it’s quite a different story for the people at Detroit Golf Club and local golf fans.
And it couldn’t be further from an afterthought for Potgieter.
Last year, the 21-year-old South African pro, who leads the PGA Tour in driving distance, captured his first PGA Tour victory at the Rocket Classic.
It was the breakthrough moment for the promising pro who is expected to do great things in the game over the coming decades.
But after this year, Potgieter likely won’t get to do great things at Detroit Golf Club ever again.
In June, Rocket Companies announced it would no longer sponsor the event following the eighth edition this week. Then on Tuesday, the PGA Tour announced a new tournament with a brand-new sponsor that would replace the Rocket Classic in 2027, the Sompo Championship in Napa, Calif.
The picture doesn’t get better beyond next season. Starting in 2028, the PGA Tour plans to split the competition into two tiers: the Championship Series, featuring the best players, and the Challenger Series, featuring lower-ranked players.
Outside of the majors and the Players Championship, there will be fewer than 20 regular Tour events that get included in the Championship Series, and they will require deep-pocketed sponsors to put up $20 million purses.
It’s conceivable that the Tour could create a new event at Detroit Golf Club, but even if that happened, it would be more likely to end up in the Challenger Series. That means Championship Series stars like Potgieter, Young and Schauffele wouldn’t be allowed to play it.
Aldrich Potgieter on end of Rocket Classic: ‘It’s going to be pretty tough’
Potgieter will never forget the Rocket Classic, even if it’s coming to an end. Detroit Golf Club will always hold a hugely important place in his career as the site of his first PGA Tour win.
The fact that Potgieter won’t be able to relive those memories annually and in person is a tough pill to swallow, as the pro explained to reporters on Tuesday at the final Rocket Classic.
“Yeah. I mean, it’s sad to see the tournament not being here next year,” Potgieter said.
Saying goodbye to the tournament that made him is even tougher given the lifelong memories he has of last year’s event, which he shared alongside his dad.
“We have so many good memories, me and my dad being out here last year, getting that first victory, getting over the line,” Potgieter said. “It’s going to be pretty tough to not see that on the schedule next year.”
Making the sting even worse is the much-heralded restoration that Detroit Golf Club’s course underwent ahead of this year’s tournament, though Potgieter added that at least the membership will get to enjoy the renewed course for years to come.
“I think having some of the golf course changes, it looking so good and playing so nicely, I think looking for this year it’s kind of sad to not have it again,” he said. “I’m happy they got a new nice golf course for the members out here to enjoy as well, and I’m looking forward to see what it’s going to play like this year.”