MEDIA CONTACTS:
Greg Ball, 760.271.9183, gregb@bzapr.com
Damian Secore, 951-454-6047, damians@bzapr.com
DETROIT (April 22, 2021) – Defending champion Bryson DeChambeau and fellow major championship winners Jason Day and Bubba Watson have committed to play in the third annual Rocket Mortgage Classic – the first PGA TOUR event ever held in the city of Detroit – when it returns to historic Detroit Golf Club June 28-July 4. Other early player commitments include fan favorites Rickie Fowler and Harold Varner III.
“The Rocket Mortgage Classic has quickly cemented itself as one of the favorite events on TOUR for some of the best players in the world,” said Jason Langwell, Executive Director of the Rocket Mortgage Classic. “Bryson is smashing records with his powerful drives and, simply put, has been the most fascinating golfer on the PGA TOUR since he won our tournament last year. All of our early committed players have tremendous resumes and will put on a tremendous show for the fans here in Detroit while helping us raise critical funds to help close the digital divide in Detroit.”
These world-class PGA TOUR golfers and fan favorites are capable of providing fireworks inside the ropes over July 4th weekend at the 2021 Rocket Mortgage Classic:
Watson played an instrumental role in the 2020 Rocket Mortgage Classic’s goal of Changing the Course, an effort to bridge the digital divide in Detroit. He organized a 9-hole televised event the Wednesday of tournament week with fellow PGA TOUR golfers that helped raise $1 million.
This year, the Rocket Mortgage Classic is doubling down on its charitable focus – aiming to raise more than $1 million through fan engagements and returning initiatives at its highly-acclaimed, three-hole stretch, AREA 313, which is the epicenter of fan activity during tournament week. AREA 313, which will soon be “The Most Charitable Three Holes in Golf,” is named in honor of Detroit’s famed area code and is comprised of the 555-yard par-5 14th hole, the 160-yard par-3 15th hole and the 446-yard par-4 16th hole.
“All proceeds raised through AREA 313 will be directed to the Changing the Course initiative, and these contributions will be invested into organizations and infrastructure that seek to bridge the digital divide and offer digital connectivity to all Detroit residents,” said Laura Grannemann, Vice President of the Rocket Community Fund. “We are unconditionally committed to Changing the Course, as it is vital for us to support our local community and provide necessary technology, digital access, digital literacy and educational training for Detroiters now and in the future.”
New to the Rocket Mortgage Classic in 2021 is the “Faces of AREA 313 Presented by Priority Health” program. It will enable companies and community members to pledge $313 or more for their face, that of a fellow fan, first responder, frontline worker or loved one lost from the COVID-19 pandemic to be prominently displayed on an electronic videoboard or along the hospitality structures within the three-hole stretch. Each donation will be matched dollar for dollar by Priority Health, which has pledged $50,000 to the initiative. Faces are available by visiting RocketMortgageClassic.com, and each purchase is accompanied by a ticket that allows fans access to the event Monday, June 28 and Tuesday, June 29.
The Rocket Mortgage Classic directs its net proceeds to community partners and, in partnership with its title sponsor Rocket Mortgage, last year unveiled its new Changing the Course initiative, a multi-year campaign with a vision that every Detroit resident has access to the internet, technology and digital literacy training they deserve. The COVID-19 pandemic shined a light on a number of unaddressed underlying issues in Detroit, internet accessibility being one of the most severe.
Through the Changing the Course initiative, the Rocket Giving Fund, the 501(c)(3) host organization of the tournament, disbursed $2.1 million to the Connect 313 Fund, which was developed in advance of last year’s tournament by the Rocket Mortgage Classic in partnership with the City of Detroit and the United Way for Southeastern Michigan – with additional engagement from community, philanthropic and business stakeholders. The PGA TOUR event raised more than $2.7 million overall in its sophomore iteration.
The Connect 313 Fund is rooted in the City’s digital inclusion strategy and is a coordinating mechanism for all digital inclusion stakeholders driving collectively toward the singular vision of bridging the digital divide. In addition to coordinating a city-wide, data-driven digital inclusion strategy, the Connect 313 Fund will make investments into Detroit-based nonprofit partners to increase access to technology, internet and digital literacy resources.
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About the Rocket Mortgage Classic
The Rocket Mortgage Classic made history in 2019 as the first PGA TOUR event ever held in the city of Detroit, and has continued to make a positive and lasting impact on the city and its residents through its multi-year Changing the Course campaign, established in 2020 to end the digital divide in Detroit and ensure digital accessibility for all city residents. The Rocket Mortgage Classic was the most awarded event during the 2018-19 PGA TOUR season, being recognized for “Best Special Event” (then known as the AREA 313 Celebrity Challenge) and “Best Tournament Sales” as well as being honored with the first “Fair Way Award” for its diversity and inclusion initiatives. More information is available at RocketMortgageClassic.com and on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram (@RocketClassic).
About Quicken Loans / Rocket Mortgage
Detroit-based Quicken Loans, the nation’s largest home mortgage lender, enables the American Dream of homeownership and financial freedom through its obsession with an industry-leading, digital-driven client experience. The company closed $145 billion dollars of mortgage volume across all 50 states in 2019. In late 2015, Quicken Loans introduced Rocket Mortgage, the first fully digital mortgage experience. Currently, 98% of all home loans originated by Quicken Loans utilize Rocket Mortgage Technology.
Quicken Loans moved its headquarters to downtown Detroit in 2010. Today, Quicken Loans and the Rock Family of Companies employs more than 19,000 full-time team members in Detroit’s urban core. The company generates loan production from web centers located in Detroit, Cleveland and Phoenix and operates a centralized loan processing facility in Detroit. Quicken Loans ranked highest in the country for customer satisfaction for primary mortgage origination by J.D. Power for the past 10 consecutive years, 2010 – 2019, and also ranked highest in the country for customer satisfaction among all mortgage servicers the past seven consecutive years, 2014 – 2020.
Quicken Loans was once again named to FORTUNE magazine’s “100 Best Companies to Work For” list in 2019 and has been included in the magazine’s top 1/3rd of companies named to the list for the past 17 consecutive years. In addition, Essence Magazine named Quicken Loans “#1 Place to Work in the Country for African Americans.”
For more information and company news visit QuickenLoans.com/press-room.
