(WXYZ) — Flint's Willie Mack III and amateur Davis Thompson will get sponsor exemptions to compete in this year's Rocket Mortgage Classic.
Mack III made his PGA TOUR debut earlier this year on sponsor exemptions to the Farmers Insurance Open and Genesis Invitational. He's also the 2011 Michigan Amateur Champion.
Thompson is a senior at the University of Georgia and has made three previous starts on the PGA TOUR and also qualified to play in the 2020 U.S. Open. He's the fourth-ranked amateur in the world.
“As a young man who grew up nearby in Flint, my father and I attended the Buick Open at Warwick Hills to watch Tiger Woods and other players compete at the highest level for many years,” said Mack III, an honorary member of Detroit Golf Club. “Playing in the Rocket Mortgage Classic will be extremely meaningful to me because my father still lives in Michigan and will be able to watch me play on the PGA TOUR now. I am well aware of everything the Rocket Mortgage Classic is doing as part of the event’s Changing the Course initiative. The more I pursue my dream of reaching the PGA TOUR, the more I learn and want to push toward another dream of helping create more equality and diversity in the game I love.”
“The Rocket Mortgage Classic has always strived to support golf’s great young talent, and we are pleased to award these opportunities to Willie and Davis,” said Jason Langwell, Executive Director of the Rocket Mortgage Classic. “Willie has a successful track record on the mini-tour circuit and considers Detroit Golf Club a home course, so will certainly have plenty of local support. Davis has represented the United States at golf’s highest amateur levels and surely will have a bright future in professional golf.”
They join 2020 U.S. Open winner and reigning Rocket Mortgage Classic champion Bryson DeChambeau, Jason Day, Bubba Watson, Rickie Fowler and Harold Varner III in the event.
In all, 156 players will compete for a $7.5 million purse at the historic Detroit Golf Club from July 1-4.
Mack III and Thompson will join reigning Rocket Mortgage Classic champion and 2020 U.S. Open winner Bryson DeChambeau in the 2021 tournament field along with fellow major championship winners Jason Day and Bubba Watson, as well as fan favorites Rickie Fowler and Harold Varner III. The tournament will feature 156 players competing for a total purse of $7.5 million and a winner’s prize of $1.35 million.
Tickets go on sale May 27 at RocketMortgageClassic.com. Fans can purchase a maximum of four tickets per day, Wednesday through Sunday
Tickets to Wednesday’s Delta Dental Pro-Am at the Rocket Mortgage Classic will remain at a fixed price of $20, while competition round tickets will be subject to dynamic pricing – starting at $60 for Thursday, July 1; $70 for Friday, July 2; and $80 for each day on the weekend, Saturday, July 3 and Sunday, July 4.
