Tickets are now on sale for this year’s Rocket Mortgage Classic. And while the tournament — which will welcome golfers such as Will Zalatoris, Jason Dufner, and Luke Donald to Detroit Golf Club from June 28 to July 4 — is certainly the star of the show, it’s not the only draw. Along with hosting the PGA Tour, Rocket Mortgage will present the inaugural John Shippen National Invitational for Black Golfers, the Area 313 Celebrity Scramble, and many other events for golf fans.
The country’s top amateur and professional Black golfers will compete in The John Shippen National Invitational, which kicks off at 2 p.m. on June 27 with a private first round. On June 28, ticketholders can see the final round, shootout, and trophy presentation for the event at the Detroit Golf Club. The invitational — established by Intersport and named after John Shippen, Jr., the first American-born golf professional and the country’s first Black golf professional — aims to heighten recognition of Black golfers.
“Intersport is proud to announce that we have been attracting highly talented Black golfers from around the country to play in our inaugural event,” says Jason Langwell, executive vice president of Intersport and executive director of the Rocket Mortgage Classic. “We believe that The John Shippen provides a platform on which these deserving players will compete, in order to impact the unbalance of access, opportunities, and equity for Black golfers that has long-existed in the golf industry.”
Following the competition, The John Shippen Sports Business Summit will be held virtually from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on June 29 and 30. Geared toward high school and college students of color, the event will feature panels on the golf and sports industries that cover career paths and preparedness, customer service, entrepreneurship, diversity, and more. According to a press release, the summit was created by Intersport to address the lack of people of color in leadership roles in golf and other professional sports.
The Area 313 Celebrity Scramble, presented by CDW, will take place from 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. on June 29. Competing teams — professional golfers who are playing in the Rocket Mortgage Classic paired with celebrity athletes and entertainers including Michigan State basketball coach Tom Izzo and former Detroit Lions running back Barry Sanders — will play holes 14-16 at the Detroit Golf Club.
General admission tickets will not be sold for June 29. The only way for fans to gain access to the Celebrity Scramble is by pledging $313 or more to the Faces of Area 313 program, which is presented by Priority Health. The funding will benefit the tournament’s Changing the Course initiative, which supports Rocket Companies’ efforts to end the digital divide in Detroit. The goal is to raise more than $1 million, and the Celebrity Scramble is among several events and fan engagements planned by Rocket Mortgage Classic at Area 313 to give back.
“We are proud to make Area 313 the most charitable three holes in golf, though the real gratification comes from the lives we will be able to impact together,” says Jay Farner, CEO of Rocket Mortgage, in a press release. “The digital divide is a glaring, systemic issue in Rocket Companies’ hometown of Detroit, and we hope that our efforts will eventually make Detroit a model for digital inclusion that can be replicated nationwide. Everyone deserves the ability to learn virtually, visit online job boards, access telemedicine and take advantage of the opportunities equitable access to technology provides.”
Other events include the PGA Tour Practice Rounds, a Youth Golf Clinic presented by The Children’s Foundation, and the Delta Dental Pro-Am. Details, including ticket prices and a full schedule of events, are available online.
For more information, visit pgatour.com.
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