Six PGA Tour stars will hit golf balls off a Downtown Detroit rooftop on July 28

On July 28, six of the best golfers in the world will stand on a downtown Detroit rooftop and take aim at a patch of grass five stories below. Golf balls, real ones, will fly through the Hudson's Detroit corridor, across Nick Gilbert Way, and land on a 40-by-40-foot custom-built green at the far end of the plaza.

The Rocket Classic announced "Par 3 in the D" this week, a first-of-its-kind rooftop shootout taking place two days before the final Rocket Classic tees off at Detroit Golf Club on July 30. Keegan Bradley, Tony Finau, Rickie Fowler, Russell Henley, Xander Schauffele and Cameron Young will each get three attempts from the rooftop of Bedrock's historic Traver | UBS building at 1217 Woodward Avenue.

The shot plays approximately 100 to 110 yards with an elevation drop of 50 to 60 feet. Each player has three tries to find a green no wider than a backyard putting surface. The green is being built in partnership with Detroit-based Rhino Recreational Construction. Details on the event's charitable component are coming in the weeks ahead.

The players' tee shots will carry across Nick Gilbert Way, named for Dan and Jennifer Gilbert's son Nick, who died in 2023 at the age of 26. Nick was a devoted fan of the Rocket Classic. That stretch of Woodward carries some extra meaning on July 28.

This is the eighth and final Rocket Classic. After nearly 13 years as a PGA Tour title sponsor, Rocket Companies will not renew past this season, ending a partnership that began outside Washington, D.C., before coming to Detroit in 2019. The company invested more than $100 million in the tournament during its Detroit run.

The field going out on this last one is as strong as any. Xander Schauffele, Cameron Young and Russell Henley are all ranked in the world's top 10. Keegan Bradley captained the 2025 U.S. Ryder Cup squad. Fowler and Finau are both past Rocket Classic champions. YouTube golf personality Brad Dalke is also in the field on a sponsor exemption, making his PGA Tour debut. Tournament director Mark Hollis said the early commitments are "a strong signal that 2026 is shaping up to be the best field in tournament history."

The main tournament runs July 30 through August 2 at Detroit Golf Club. Grounds tickets start at $31.30, a nod to the 313 area code. A Community Day on July 29 offers free admission and parking, and anyone 15 or under gets in free alongside a ticketed adult.

The Par 3 in the D gets downtown Detroit into the action before a single round is played at the Golf Club. It is the kind of send-off that fits this city: unexpected, set against the physical landscape of a rebuilt downtown, and worth coming out to see.