Latest news with #DetroitGolfClub
Fashion Network
08-07-2025
- Business
- Fashion Network
Eastside Golf opens first US retail store at Detroit Metropolitan Airport
Lifestyle brand Eastside Golf has opened its first U.S.-based retail store inside Detroit Metropolitan Airport. The 300-square-foot space, operated in partnership with Paradies Lagardère, offers a curated selection of the brand's signature apparel and accessories, including its signature Swingman sweatshirts, tracksuits, performance polos and bucket hats. Founded in 2019 by former Morehouse College golf teammates Olajuwon Ajanaku and Earl Cooper, Eastside Golf has been recognized for reshaping the game's image and appeal through authentic storytelling, collaborations, and fashion-forward design. "I came up with the idea for Eastside Golf while I was working in finance in Detroit," explained Ajanaku, Eastside Golf's founder and creative director. "I remember showing Earl a sketch of our Swingman logo, and he suggested I put it on a T-shirt. I did, and I was stopped so many times while I was walking around Detroit by people asking where I got this shirt. At that point, I knew there was something there and Eastside Golf was born. With that history, it just feels right to open our first store here.' "Detroit, and the state of Michigan, will always have a special place in my heart," added Cooper, co-founder of Eastside Golf, who was born in Flint and spent years working as a PGA Teaching Professional at the Detroit Golf Club. "I was born in Flint, and became the first-ever Black PGA Teaching Professional at the Detroit Golf Club. To be able to open our first store in a city that has so much meaning for both Olajuwon and me feels like a full circle moment for our brand.' The store's launch follows a strong year for Eastside Golf, which has expanded its retail footprint through new partnerships with Nordstrom, Dick's Sporting Goods, Golf Galaxy, and House of Sport. It also operates a store in Tokyo in collaboration with High Draw and launched in PGA Tour Shops in 2024, leading to a presence in 10 PGA Tour locations.
USA Today
03-07-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
John Deere Classic live updates: Leaderboard, odds at TPC Deere Run
Gentleman, start your tractors: The 2025 John Deere Classic started on Thursday in Silvis, Illinois. The par-71 course at TPC Deere Run will play at 7,289 yards and the tournament includes a purse of $8.4M. A year ago, Davis Thompson won the event for his first PGA Tour victory. He was the 24th golfer to make the JDC his first PGA Tour win. He will return to TPC Deere Run to attempt to defend his title. Aldrich Potgieter, who shot 22 under at Detroit Golf Club and took home a win at the Rocket Mortgage Classic, is in the field. Here's a look at the action during the opening round: John Deere Classic tee times for Thursday Where to watch, stream, listen John Deere Classic 2025 This is the TV channel, streaming and radio schedule, with Golf Channel, CBS, PGA Tour Live on ESPN+, Paramount+ and PGA Tour Radio on SiriusXM all teaming up for the coverage. All times listed are ET. Need a break? Play the USA TODAY Daily Crossword Puzzle Odds to win 2025 John Deere Classic Tournament odds from BetMGM as of Wednesday: What is the purse, prize money at John Deere Classic? The John Deere Classic purse is $8.4 million, with $1.512 million going to the winner in addition to 500 FedEx Cup points. Where is the John Deere Classic played? The D.A. Weibring and Chris Gray designed TPC Deere Run is located in Silvis, Illinois. It is a par 71 course that will measure 7,289 yards for the tournament. It is the No. 2-ranked golf course in Illinois in the Golfweek's Best 2025: Top public-access golf courses in every state list.
USA Today
01-07-2025
- Automotive
- USA Today
Former Michigan State golfer James Piot finishes at T73 in Rocket Classic shooting -7
Former Michigan State golfer and 2021 US Amateur champion James Piot played in his hometown's PGA Tour event at the Rocket Classic in Detroit, going to the Detroit Golf Club and making history by competing in the PGA Tour following a stint in LIV. For Piot, a Canton (MI) native, he made his first career cut on the PGA Tour, getting in on the six-under number. After an even par third round, Piot came out on Sunday and fired a 71 (-1) round, making him a clean seven-under for the tournament, which notches him a finish at T73 for the tournament. The T73 finish on the leaderboard comes with a $19,000 payout in earnings, the first payout for Piot on the PGA Tour. With the complications between his transition from LIV back to the PGA, it is unclear when he will be given the opportunity to make another start on the PGA Tour. Contact/Follow us @The SpartansWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Michigan State news, notes and opinion. You can also follow Cory Linsner on X @Cory_Linsner
USA Today
30-06-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
The Rocket Classic will have a new spot on the PGA Tour schedule in 2026
The Rocket Classic is getting a new tee time in 2026. While the full PGA Tour schedule has yet to be released, the Rocket Classic will be moving back in the schedule. The new dates of July 30-Aug. 2 will push the tournament after the British Open, which is scheduled for July 16-19 at Royal Birkdale next year. The new dates, announced during the Sunday, June 29, final round, works well for both tournament and club. Tournament organizers have long struggled to attract the most popular golfers to the event. Part of that is the tournament is not a 'signature' event on the tour, a status that is unlikely to change anytime soon due to cost. But it was also partly because of its position on the schedule, where it is preceded by the U.S. Open and the Travelers Championship (a signature event) and succeeded by the Scottish Open, all events with much bigger purses than the Rocket. This combination has resulted in many top golfers choosing to skip the event to rest and prepare for the bigger events, which has in turn made Detroit a less prestigious tournament to the chagrin of its organizers. With the new late July/early August date, golfers who are near the cut line of the FedEx Cup playoffs may choose to play the tournament, which will strengthen the field. For the club, the new dates will allow them to complete renovations on the course. Detroit Golf Club plans to spend $16.1 million dollars renovating greens and bunkers as well as removing the pond on the 14th hole. The course will also be lengthened by 300 yards. With the extra weeks, the course will have more time to mature and will thus play faster, which both the golfers and the PGA Tour like. The movement of the tournament also means that it may be more likely to stay in Detroit. The organizers' unhappiness with the position on the schedule has long been a sticking point, and the Classic is only under contract through 2026, though there is an option for Rocket Companies to extend through 2027. Getting a new date and increasing the strength of the field will likely help the tournament remain in Detroit.
USA Today
29-06-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
5 things to know about Aldrich Potgieter, the 54-hole leader at the 2025 Rocket Classic
Aldrich Potgieter slept on the 54-hole lead at the 2025 Rocket Classic in Detroit after a third round in which he made five consecutive birdies (Nos. 4-8) and tied his longest consecutive birdie streak on the PGA Tour. It also marks his first time recording two rounds of 7-under or better in the same event on Tour (62/R1, 65/R3). Potgieter made his Tour debut at Detroit Golf Club two years when he just 18 years old. 'That was kind of a big step for me to come out here by myself with my caddie and kind of play some of these events. So it was a good learning curve. And I didn't make the cut, so there was definitely a chip on my shoulder that I needed to get that done this week.' Here are 5 more things to know (not counting this one. His name is pronounced: ALL-drick POT-gee-tur). Young and the Restless Potgieter is a native of South Africa and was born in Mossel Bay, where 2010 British Open champion Louis Oosthuizen grew up. Potgieter attended the Louis Oosthuizen Junior Golf Academy before his family moved to Australia at a young age. At age 17, Potgieter won the 2022 British Amateur Championship, becoming the second youngest winner in the history of the championship. He turned professional in 2023 and became the youngest winner in Korn Ferry Tour history by winning The Bahamas Great Abaco Classic in 2024, at age 19. At 20 years, 9 months, 16 days on Sunday, he would become the seventh-youngest PGA Tour winner since the start of 1983, and would become the youngest Tour winner from South Africa since 1983, surpassing Garrick Higgo, who was 22 years, 1 month, 1 day old when he won the 2021 Palmetto Championship at Congaree. Bombs away Potgieter isn't just long off the tee – he's the longest player on Tour. The 5-foot-10-inch, 210-pound South African leads all players in driving distance this season at 326.6, or a full six yards longer than No. 2 in the standings Rory McIlroy, and is 26 yards longer than the Tour average. Potgieter also led the Korn Ferry Tour in Driving Distance in 2024 'I think it just kind of came naturally. I haven't done too much to get the distance that I got, it's just kind of been given to me. So happy with it, and just trying to control it, that's kind of the big thing we're trying to work on,' he said this week. 'Kind of did everything as a kid, didn't just focus on golf, so that kind of helped me build that strong foundation at the start, and I think that happened at the right time during my growth spurt that it helped me a lot.' Thanks to his with at the British Amateur, Potgieter earned an invitation to the 2023 Masters, where he was paired in the first two rounds with past champion Charl Schwartzel, who said of Potgieter's prodigious length: "It's incredible how far the guy hits the ball. It's scary." An ace that was wild Schwartzel wasn't joking about Potgieter's length. But for further proof, it's worth re-telling the story of the 2023 John Deere Classic Monday qualifier at Pinnacle Country Club in Milan, Illinois. Potgieter not only drove the green at the 403-yard, par-4 17th hole, but his drive found the bottom of the cup for a rare ace on a par 4. He didn't see the ball go into the hole and had no idea it was in until his caddie in the fairway ahead of him lost his mind. Close but no cigar Potgieter has been in position to win after 54 holes before on the PGA Tour this season. He stood solo third at 7 under through three rounds of the Farmers Insurance Open, two shots back of 54-hole leader Harris English. But the weather turned ugly and he didn't handle it well, tumbling to a 78 and T-15 finish. He fared better when he held the 54-hole lead at the Mexico Open in February. His short game was a bit spotty but he managed to post a final-round 71 to force a playoff with Brian Campbell. On the second playoff hole, Campbell hit a tee shot that was veering out of bounds, but his ball hit a tree and bounced back into play. Campbell then birdied the hole to defeat Potgieter and claim the title. Potgieter missed seven of his next eight cuts after his runner-up finish, but finished T-6 in his most recent start at the Charles Schwab Challenge. For the season, the rookie entered the week having made just four cuts in 13 starts. He entered the week 73rd in the season-long FedEx Cup race and 123rd in the Official World Golf Ranking. Mentored by a champion Potgieter began to put American golf fans on notice of his abilities by winning the 2023 Junior Invitational at Sage Valley and competing on the 2022 Junior Presidents Cup team in Charlotte. In the latter, past Players Championship winner and two-time Tour champion Tim Clark served as captain of the International Team. Clark, a fellow South African, had spoken on the phone to the talented junior golfer but that week marked their first time meeting. Potgieter made a point to sit next to Clark every day on the team bus and soaked up as much knowledge from Clark as possible. Clark later welcomed Potgieter to his home in Scottsdale, Arizona, in early 2024, shortly after he failed to earn his Tour card at Final Stage of Q-School. 'I do believe this was a good thing for him in a way, and it gives him a big appreciation for what a lot of people go through to become a professional golfer,' Clark told PGA in 2024. Clark, who will be eligible for PGA Tour Champions next season after turning 50 in December, has continued to be a mentor figure for Potgieter. Perhaps a phone call ahead of Sunday's final round in the Motor City may be just the thing to make sure all of Potgieter's pistons are firing as he pursues his maiden Tour title.
