PGA Tour Coming to Detroit?

[dennyjones]

Detroit — Another line — symbolic or otherwise — is about to be crossed. Another link in Detroit’s ever-expanding reach is about to be added.

Actually, it’s several links, connecting a venerable golf course to a revitalized downtown. For the first time, Detroit is poised to land a PGA Tour event, to be held at the Detroit Golf Club starting in June 2019. Quicken Loans officials revealed Monday to The Detroit News that The National, currently held in Washington, D.C., is ready to move to Detroit, with Quicken Loans as the presenting sponsor.

The PGA Tour has been absent from the state since the Buick Open left Warwick Hills in Grand Blanc in 2009. For that reason alone, its return is notable. It rises to historic when you consider where the event is headed, to the storied 119-year-old club at Seven Mile and Woodward, outside the downtown bubble but within the limits of a city whose boundaries continue to grow.

It’s the latest bold move by Dan Gilbert’s company, which has invested approximately $5.6 billion in downtown development since 2010. Jay Farner, CEO of Quicken Loans, said it was imperative the tournament be held in Detroit, reflecting the commitment to the ongoing revival.

“We’re heavily invested in Detroit, and this fits our broader mission,” Farner said. “We try to do stuff that’s never been done before, and do it big. We’re planning to make this really a Detroit event, celebrating all that’s going on here, and having golf be the center or focal point.”

More:PGA Tour poised to play in city of Detroit for first time

It’s a continuation of the civic philosophy that sports and entertainment generate energy and diversity, and yes, revenue. Golf may not be for everyone, just as the Grand Prix on Belle Isle isn’t for everyone, just as Tigers baseball or Pistons basketball isn’t for everyone, just as the Jazz Festival or a Kid Rock concert isn’t for everyone.

 

 

But in a major, vibrant city, there should be as many things as possible for everyone, and this is something few thought was possible. There are minor details to finish, but PGA officials have vetted the DGC, signed off on modifications to the two 18-hole courses, and are ready to move. An announcement is expected in the next couple of days.

“We’re in the final stages of finalizing the agreement,” said Casey Hurbis, Quicken Loans chief marketing officer. “We’ve met with the PGA, the DGC and their executive membership, and they’re very excited. We’re very confident it’ll come together.”

How confident?

“We’re walking up the 18th fairway, we haven’t tipped our cap yet, but we’re just a wedge away,” Hurbis said with a smile. “We’re dang close to the green, with a two-shot lead, in the middle of the fairway.”

The plan is to make this a unique stop on the PGA Tour, connecting the four-day golf tournament with downtown concerts and culinary events that could span several weeks in the early summer. Visions that sprout from Gilbert’s enterprises are never small, from his so-far-unsuccessful gambit to bring Major League Soccer downtown, to his plan to build a $1 billion skyscraper, the city’s tallest.

[dennyjones]

From MLive 5/30/2018

DETROIT -- The PGA Tour is returning to Michigan in 2019.

Detroit-based Quicken Loans and the PGA TOUR announced Wednesday a long-term agreement to bring a new professional golf tournament to Detroit.  

The tournament, which is expected to be hosted by Detroit Golf Club, will be the first PGA Tour event in Detroit and the first in Michigan since 2009, when the Buick Open was hosted in Grand Blanc.

[Friz]

PGA announced yesterday that the tour is coming back to Michigan next year, and I for one couldn't be more excited.  Detroit Golf Club is the expected venue, a Donald Ross design that I have seen but never been able to play, its a beautiful course but am curious what, if any, changes will be needed to make it a proper test for tour players.  Currently looks like this will be played at the end of June 2019, not sure if this will even be a blip on anyone else's radar yet, but I live in the Metro Detroit area and am already counting down the days to see this tournament live.

 

https://www.pgatour.com/news/2018/05/30/quicken-loans-sponsor-new-pga-tour-event-detroit.html

 

[NoName]

3 hours ago, Friz said:

PGA announced yesterday that the tour is coming back to Michigan next year, and I for one couldn't be more excited.  Detroit Golf Club is the expected venue, a Donald Ross design that I have seen but never been able to play, its a beautiful course but am curious what, if any, changes will be needed to make it a proper test for tour players.  Currently looks like this will be played at the end of June 2019, not sure if this will even be a blip on anyone else's radar yet, but I live in the Metro Detroit area and am already counting down the days to see this tournament live.

 

https://www.pgatour.com/news/2018/05/30/quicken-loans-sponsor-new-pga-tour-event-detroit.html

 

Wonderful news !!!!! Can't wait !!!!!