Today begins the Rocket Classic at Detroit Golf Club, one of the last two regular season tournaments of the year. All the bubble guys will need to step it up if they want to secure their spots in the upcoming St. Jude Championship.
One such player is Ken Kohles. He has been on a heater as of late. Kohles tied for third at the John Deere Classic, tied for fifteenth at the ISCO Championship (in lieu of attempting to navigate the Open Championships), and finished ninth at last week’s 3M Open. He sits at 88th place in the FedEx Cup standings entering this weekend.
It may be a long shot for him to eclipse the top 70 mark that he needs (almost 90 points back), but he has been rising steadily throughout the summer. Last week alone he jumped nine spots in the standings. A win for him this weekend or next would probably be enough for him to make the postseason. I bet he wishes he had played in more than just ten events up to this point in the season.
Jackson Suber is another one to watch. Currently he sits in 71st place and is less than five points out. He has shown a couple flashes of brilliance down the stretch, but struggles to stay consistent enough for him to be a lock. His opening round at Royal Birkdale a few weeks ago gained him a following despite falling off the first page of the leaderboard by Sunday afternoon. What makes this tournament so intriguing for him, however, is the sixth place finish he celebrated here last season.
A golfer in desperate need of a pick me up is AJ Ewart. His confidence level probably is not too high given his recent performances, but he too is currently on the outside looking. He was originally billed as the one of the rising stars coming into the season, but that just has not panned out. Maybe next year will be his year.
It is important to note that this Rocket Classic will be the final Rocket Classic. With the new changes to the PGA schedule taking effect next season, this tournament is one of a handful that has gotten the boot. A tournament that welcomes young players and gives bubble golfers a chance at the playoffs will certainly be missed by many.
