5 PGA Tour stars quit Rocket Classic at last | Golf News

The Rocket Classic suffered a number of important setbacks to its subject forward of the FedEx Cup playoffs, which spherical out the PGA Tour calendar.

The match is also getting into its closing yr under its current branding, as 2026 marks the last season that Rocket will serve as the title sponsor. Insurance firm Sompo is set to take over sponsorship, with the event relocating to Silverado Resort’s North Course in Napa, California, for the next two years.

However, a number of high-profile PGA Tour gamers have withdrawn from the sphere, costing themselves worthwhile FedEx Cup playoff factors. The stakes are significantly high with 21-year-old Jackson Koivun at the moment occupying the seventieth and closing playoff spot, with just one event remaining before the postseason begins.

Just three days before the opening spherical in Detroit, 5 gamers pulled out of the competitors. Notably, a $10 million purse wasn’t enough incentive to deliver Brooks Koepka or Jason Day to the tee.

Jason Day

Day has endured a tough season battling a back injury, managing just 11 cuts from 16 occasions, and beforehand withdrew from this yr’s U.S. Open. He also pulled out of last week’s match at TPC Twin Cities and the 3M Open, where Koivun claimed the title.

Brooks Koepka

Koepka has competed in 15 occasions this season, making just 10 cuts. The former LIV Golf star’s return to the PGA Tour has come with extreme penalties, including financial penalties and no sponsor exemptions into signature occasions.

Coming off a T-28 end at the Open Championship at Royal Birkdale, he finds himself outdoors the top-70 by just 14 factors, placing his FedEx Cup postseason prospects at risk and probably costing him a spot at the FedEx St. Jude Championship.

Maverick McNealy

McNealy will also sit out the Rocket Classic following a T-34 end at TPC Twin Cities. The 30-year-old has managed just one PGA Tour victory and two top-10 finishes throughout the current season.

Blades Brown

Teen sensation Brown eliminated himself from the alternate checklist to secure his place on the Korn Ferry Tour in Utah, locking up his PGA Tour card in the method. The 19-year-old has amassed just over $400K in earnings on the KFT, along with two top-10 finishes in the 2026 season. His most current start got here at the Corales Puntacana Championship.

Ben Kohles

The 36-year-old has competed in 10 occasions this season, making the cut in eight of them. Fresh off a top-10 efficiency at the 3M Open, Kohles opted to take a step back and skip this weekend’s Rocket Classic.