
Imago
PGA Tour logo sign is shown at the PGA Tour Grill Thursday, Dec. 12, 2024 at Jacksonville International Airport in Jacksonville, Fla.

Imago
PGA Tour logo sign is shown at the PGA Tour Grill Thursday, Dec. 12, 2024 at Jacksonville International Airport in Jacksonville, Fla.
The Rocket Classic returns to Detroit Golf Club in just two days. A 145-player field featuring big names such as Cameron Young, Xander Schauffele, and Jordan Spieth will compete for a $10 million purse. However, before the players even tee off on Thursday, the PGA Tour, which sanctions the event, has already replaced the tournament with a new one featuring a new Japanese sponsor, per Sports Business Journal.
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As part of the structural overhaul set to take effect in 2028, Japan’s global insurance group Sompo has signed a multi-year agreement with the PGA Tour. Under the deal, the Japanese insurer will sponsor a full-field tournament in 2027, followed by a Championship event in 2028 and later tournaments. Despite the development, the tournament does not yet have an official name.
The event will be held from July 28-August 1 next year at the Silverado Resort in Napa Valley, California. The venue previously hosted the PGA Tour’s Procore Championship, which was dropped from the 2026 schedule after title sponsor Procore Technologies declined to renew its two-year deal following the 2025 season. And the Rocket Classic, which debuted in 2019, appears to be following a similar path.
The new event will take the Rocket Classic’s place after Rocket Mortgage declined to extend its deal with the PGA Tour last month, ending a 13-year-long partnership. The decision came amid changes to the PGA Tour’s tiered structure, rising costs, and the completion of goals. This means this week’s tournament will be the Rocket Classic’s final edition in the Detroit area. However, Detroit may not become the home of the new Sompo-sponsored event.
As of the time of writing, it remains unclear where the 2028 edition of the event will be held. However, Sports Business Journal has reported that the tournament could move to Denver, Seattle, or San Francisco, given the PGA Tour’s interest in expanding its presence in Western markets. Meanwhile, the event will be broadcast on linear television through CBS and the Golf Channel, as well as on the PGA Tour’s streaming platform.
The structural overhaul, of course, includes splitting players into two tiers: the Championship Series and the Challenger Series. According to SBJ, the American tour has been seeking more than $30 million in sponsorships for its elite tier. And it appears to have found them. Sompo, which has never sponsored a golf event, will host a tournament next year before the changes come into effect.
So, this could mean the Japanese insurer may have secured a favorable deal in return with the PGA Tour. The development comes after the Travelers Championship became the first tournament to be designated as part of the Championship Series. The four major championships, along with the Players Championship, will also form part of the elite tier.
Not to forget, PGA Tour CEO Brian Rolapp previously revealed that the top tier had already secured between 10 and 15 tournaments. That said, this week’s Rocket Classic will be the final edition of the event, as Sompo, which also sponsored several players at Wimbledon this year, prepares to take its place.
Written by
Edited by

Abhimanyu Gupta


