{"id":60916,"date":"2026-07-30T19:04:06","date_gmt":"2026-07-30T23:04:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/sport\/rocket-classic-rickie-fowler-patrick-cantlay-impress-as-peter-malnati-leads-after-threatening-59-round-in-detroit-golf-news\/30\/07\/2026\/"},"modified":"2026-07-30T19:04:16","modified_gmt":"2026-07-30T23:04:16","slug":"rocket-classic-rickie-fowler-patrick-cantlay-impress-as-peter-malnati-leads-after-threatening-59-round-in-detroit-golf-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/sport\/rocket-classic-rickie-fowler-patrick-cantlay-impress-as-peter-malnati-leads-after-threatening-59-round-in-detroit-golf-news\/30\/07\/2026\/","title":{"rendered":"Rocket Classic: Rickie Fowler, Patrick Cantlay impress as Peter Malnati leads after threatening 59 round in Detroit | Golf News"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Rickie Fowler and Patrick Cantlay are in contention after the first round of the Rocket Classic in Detroit as leader Peter Malnati threatened a sensational sub-60 score.<\/p>\n

Malnati shot a career-best nine-under 61 to tie the tournament’s record for the first round to take a two-shot lead over Fowler and Ryan Gerard, with Cantlay and Patrick Fishburn another shot back.<\/p>\n

When Malnati stood on the first tee, his caddie suggested leaving the driver in his bag to play it safe and set up a solid start.<\/p>\n

Malnati, though, went against the advice and used his driver to put a tee shot in the middle of the fairway that set up his first of seven birdies on the front nine.<\/p>\n

“Even in the beginning before I knew it was going to be a special day, I didn’t feel the same level of like anxiety,” he said.<\/p>\n

“I don’t think I took advantage of a super easy course. I played great.”<\/p>\n

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\n Peter Malnati hits from the 18th tee during the first round of the Rocket Classic (AP Photo\/Jose Juarez)
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With thoughts of a sub-60 round crossing his mind, he made a 55-foot putt for birdie at the 11th and was nine under through 13 holes before missing some putts down the stretch in a bogey-free round.<\/p>\n

Detroit Golf Club underwent a $16 million renovation, including converting a couple of par-5 holes into par-4s and adding a lot of bunkers, in an attempt to restore Donald Ross’ vision for it more than a century ago, while making it more challenging.<\/p>\n

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Fowler and Ryan Gerard shot 63s, putting them two shots back and one stroke ahead of Cantlay and Fishburn.<\/p>\n

Michael Brennan surged up the leaderboard after starting two over through four holes with eight straight birdies – one shy of the PGA Tour record.<\/p>\n

He finished with a 65, putting him four strokes back with a pack of players that includes Keegan Bradley, who appeared to be mocked by some spectators who pretended he hit a hole in one on the par-three fifth.<\/p>\n

Open runner-up Cameron Young has work to do on one under while US Open champion Wyndham Clark is on one over.<\/p>\n

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Fans erupted as Keegan Bradley hit this tee shot on the fifth hole of the Rocket Classic despite the ball not going in!<\/span>
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Despite significant changes at the course, Malnati and many other players still went low at a tournament that has been a birdie fest since 2019, when a Detroit-based mortgage company ended a decade-long drought in Michigan without a PGA Tour stop that dated to Tiger Woods winning the last Buick Open.<\/p>\n

The PGA Tour is moving to a new model for 2028, effectively creating two tours, and Detroit organizers are taking an exit. The Rocket Classic wasn’t interested in continuing to spend $15 million a year to be part of the second tier and didn’t want to double the costs to be part of the elite tier.<\/p>\n

“It’s definitely been a bummer to kind of come into this knowing it was the last one,” said Fowler, a Rocket Mortgage spokesman and the tournament’s 2023 champion.<\/p>\n

Watch the second round of the Rocket Classic from 7pm, live on Sky Sports Golf. Get Sky Sports<\/a> or stream golf with no contract<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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Rickie Fowler and Patrick Cantlay are in contention after the first round of the Rocket Classic in Detroit as leader Peter Malnati