PGA TOUR REPLACES ROCKET CLASSIC WITH SOMPO-SPONSORED EVENT

The PGA Tour has secured a multi-year sponsorship agreement with Sompo, a Japanese insurance group, to replace the Rocket Classic starting in 2027. The new tournament will begin as a full-field event in 2027, followed by a Championship event in 2028 and subsequent tournaments. The Rocket Classic, which debuted in 2019 at Detroit Golf Club, will conclude this week after Rocket Mortgage declined to extend its sponsorship deal with the PGA Tour, ending a 13-year partnership.

The decision by Rocket Mortgage came amid structural changes to the PGA Tour's tiered system, rising operational costs, and the completion of sponsorship goals. The inaugural Sompo-sponsored event will take place from 28 July to 1 August 2027 at Silverado Resort in Napa Valley, California, a venue that previously hosted the PGA Tour's Procore Championship. Procore Technologies had similarly declined to renew its sponsorship after the 2025 season. The new Sompo tournament does not yet have an official name, according to reports.

This week's Rocket Classic features a 145-player field competing for a $10 million purse, with notable participants including Cameron Young, Xander Schauffele and Jordan Spieth. The venue for the 2028 Championship event edition remains unconfirmed. The changes form part of the PGA Tour's broader structural overhaul scheduled to take effect in 2028.