Michigan has not had a PGA Tour event since the Buick Open was last played in the state in '09GETTY IMAGES
Quicken Loans officials said that the PGA Tour's annual DC-area event, The National, is "ready to move" to Detroit Golf Club in June '19, with the Detroit-based company as title sponsor, according to a front-page piece by Bob Wojnowski of the DETROIT NEWS. The Tour has "been absent from the state since the Buick Open left Warwick Hills in Grand Blanc" in '09. It is the "latest bold move by Dan Gilbert’s company." Quicken Loans CEO Jay Farner said that it was "imperative the tournament be held in Detroit, reflecting the commitment to the ongoing revival." Tour officials have "vetted the DGC, signed off on modifications to the two 18-hole courses, and are ready to move." An announcement is "expected in the next couple of days." Quicken Loans CMO Casey Hurbis said, “We’re in the final stages of finalizing the agreement. We’ve met with the PGA, the DGC and their executive membership, and they’re very excited.” Wojnowski notes the plan is to "make this a unique stop on the PGA Tour, connecting the four-day golf tournament with downtown concerts and culinary events that could span several weeks in the early summer." Farner "wouldn’t say how much Quicken will spend in the four-year deal." To "help lure The National, Quicken sponsored the event" from '14-17 in DC, where it was "hosted by Tiger Woods." It is "unclear if Woods would retain a relationship in Detroit" (DETROIT NEWS, 5/8). In Detroit, Tony Paul notes the Quicken Loans Foundation "will be the primary charity" befitting from the tournament in '19 and beyond, though Quicken officials "do plan to meet with Woods next month to gauge his interest in being involved in the efforts in Detroit" (DETROIT NEWS, 5/8).
MORE FOR MICHIGAN: In Detroit, Paul & Charboneua cite a source as saying that the LPGA later this week will announce a new annual event in Michigan to be "held at Midland Country Club" beginning in '19, with Dow Chemical as "presenting sponsor." The source said that the tournament "will have a unique twist" as a two-person team tournament, similar to the PGA Tour's Zurich Classic in New Orleans. It is "not yet clear where the tournament will fall on the LPGA's calendar." The Midland event "will be the eighth LPGA Tour tournament in Michigan history, with two other tournaments still ongoing" (DETROIT NEWS, 5/8).
