Detroit, MI
Who’s going win the Rocket Classic? The News’ golf ‘experts’ take their best swings
Detroit ― Picking winners at professional golf tournaments is no breezy task. There are 156 players in the Rocket Classic field this week at Detroit Golf Club, and theoretically, anyone can get hot and win.
We’ve seen surprises over the years, like inaugural winner Nate Lashley and two-time winner Cam Davis, whose only two PGA Tour tournament victories (2021 and 2024) have come right here at Palmer Park.
We’ve seen the favorites win, like Bryson DeChambeau in 2020 and Tony Finau in 2022.
And we’ve seen the fan favorite win, with Rickie Fowler’s thriller in 2023.
In other words, good luck with those picks.
Our resident golf “experts” are taking their best swings, and trying not to shank ’em.
Tony Paul
▶ Favorite: It’s been a frustrating season for former U.S. Open champion Wyndham Clark, with his temp reaching a boiling point at the U.S. Open at Oakmont, where he destroyed a locker. But he’s got a decent history in Detroit, with a tie for eighth in 2022 and a tie for 17th in 2019, and he’s coming off one of his better showings of the season (and his best since March), finishing tied for 17th at the Travelers Championship. (Vegas: +3000)
▶ One to watch: Tom Kim used the Rocket as his springboard onto the PGA Tour in 2022, with a Sunday 63 vaulting the then-20-year-old to a seventh-place finish. He won the very next week, his first win on the PGA Tour. Kim is an electric player who’s not afraid to fire at the pins, leading to lots of low-scoring potential. If his iron game is on at Detroit Golf Club, he could turn around what’s been his toughest season on the Tour. (Vegas: +6600)
▶ Dark horse: Cameron Champ lost his PGA Tour card for 2025, so he’s had to claw for opportunities. The Rocket will be just his seventh appearance on the PGA Tour this season, but in two of the last three, the CJ Cup and the Canadian Open, he’s fared well, with a tie for 15th and a tie for ninth, respectively. It’s easy to forget, too, that he’s a three-time winner on the PGA Tour, who has a T12 and T20 in four showings at the Rocket. (Vegas: +12500)
▶ My pick: For this, we’ll go with another Cameron (one of three in the field this week, including two-time champ Cam Davis) ― Cameron Young, who, against all odds, hasn’t yet won the PGA Tour. He’s got four top-10s this season, including three in his last six starts, and he’s been in contention in previous years at the Rocket, a shorter course by Tour pro standards that he can manhandle so long as he keeps the driver somewhat on the grid. (Vegas: +2500)
John Niyo
▶ Favorite: Keegan Bradley keeps making life more difficult for the U.S. Ryder Cup captain. But the captain has no one else to blame, because the way Bradley is playing he just might have to name himself to the roster. Bradley is coming off a win at the Travelers Championship after a pair of top-10s in three starts before that. And since he seems to love Donald Ross courses, don’t be surprised if this turns into more than just a scouting trip. (Vegas: +1800)
▶ One to watch: Taylor Moore doesn’t know what it feels like not to finish in the top 10 in Detroit. That’s all he has done here in his first three years on tour, with last year’s T10 being his worst showing. Moore battled an injury earlier this spring and missed the cut in his last start three weeks ago, but his form coming in hasn’t mattered in the past. (Vegas: +8600)
▶ Dark horse: The Rocket Classic becomes a putting contest. And that certainly plays to one of the strengths in Harry Hall’s game, as the Englishman once again ranks among the Tour leaders in putting and birdie average. He also has posted top-25 finishes in his last five starts, including final-round 65 Sunday at the Travelers. (Vegas: +3500)
▶ My pick: Ben Griffin already has won twice this year, and his last five starts have all ended in top-15 finishes, including this past week at TPC River Highlands. Behind those aviator sunglasses he wears, there’s a golfer who seems as driven as anybody right now on the PGA Tour. He plays a lot, he can go low, and even though this will be his Detroit debut, Griffin figures to be in contention again this weekend. (Vegas: +2000)
Angelique S. Chengelis
▶ Favorite: Collin Morikawa is winless so far this season, but has a couple of runner-up finishes and is due for a breakthrough. What better place than Detroit, where he tied for second in 2023, losing in a playoff to Rickie Fowler. He’s a six-time PGA Tour winner, including wins at the 2020 PGA Championship and the 2021 Open Championship. His two runner-up finishes this season were earlier in the year, the second at the Arnold Palmer Invitational in March. Morikawa tied for 10th at The Players Championship and tied for 14th at the Masters. (Vegas: +1200)
▶ One to watch: Keegan Bradley is the captain of the U.S. Ryder Cup team, but he also arrives in Detroit with plenty of momentum, coming off a win at the Travelers last Sunday. Bradley has entered 15 events this season and has five top-10 finishes. He finished tied for 21st in Detroit in 2023 and had his top finish here in 2021, tied for 14th. (Vegas: +1800)
▶ Dark horse: Luke Clanton, 21, the former No. 1-ranked amateur in the world who played collegiately at Florida State, has tremendous upside. He made his PGA Tour debut as an amateur at the Rocket Classic in 2024 and finished tied for 10th He has made 11 of 15 cuts and has two runner-up finishes in his brief time on Tour. (Vegas: +3300)
▶ My pick: Patrick Cantlay might not be the most popular golfer out there, and he missed the cuts at the U.S. Open and the PGA Championship but, he’s coming off a strong finish at the Travelers Championship, where he tied for 12th. Cantlay tied for second in Detroit in 2022. (Vegas: +1400)
Craig Yuhas
▶ Favorite: Collin Morikawa just missed winning two years ago, losing in a playoff to Rickie Fowler and Adam Hadwin. He has had a good year with nine top-25 finishes out of 13 events, including two runner-up finishes. He has a good chance to get victory No. 1 on the season this week in Detroit. (Vegas: +1200)
▶ One to watch: Akshay Bhatia nearly won last year, but he struggled late to finish second. There likely will be some motivation to make up for a missed opportunity. (Vegas: +4500)
▶ Dark horse: Hadwin, the longtime PGA Tour pro from Canada, has come close here (he lost in that playoff to Fowler in 2023), but has come up just shy of winning the Rocket. He flies under the radar at most events, but has game enough to win on the PGA Tour. (Vegas: +15000)
▶ My pick: In the last year, Max Greyserman has turned his game up a notch. He has four runner-up finishes and has made a ton of cuts. I like guys at this event that are on the “verge” of breaking through. This could be the week he breaks down the door. (Vegas: +3500)
tpaul@detroitnews.com
@tonypaul1984
Every seat in the Michigan Senate is up for election this year, and eight of those districts are in Wayne County.
In the 4th, 5th and 8th Districts, only one Republican and one Democrat filed for election, meaning those candidates will automatically be nominated and move on to the November ballot. Here are The Detroit News endorsements in the five contested Senate primaries in Wayne County:
1st District (Southwest Detroit and parts of Downriver, including Taylor, Melvindale and Lincoln Park): Two Detroit Democrats are competing for this seat: Abraham Aiyash and Justin Onwenu.
Aiyash is a former state representative who is hoping to return to the Legislature after a two-year absence. He is a progressive whose policy positions align with Democratic socialists.
Onwenu is an attorney who served the Mike Duggan administration as Detroit’s first Director of Entrepreneurship and Economic Opportunity, helping small businesses get a start in the city. Before attending Columbia Law School, where he was president of the student body from 2023 to 2024, Onwenu worked to combat air and water pollution in Detroit, Ecorse and River Rouge.
In the Senate, he promises to be a supporter of legislation to strengthen neighborhoods by lowering property taxes and investing in infrastructure.
He also supports stronger transparency and ethics rules for lawmakers. Justin Onwenu gets our endorsement in the 1st District Democratic primary.
Patrick O’Connell of Ecorse is unopposed in the Republican primary.
2nd District (Northwest Detroit, Dearborn Heights and part of Dearborn): The district is currently represented by Sylvia Santana, who made an unsuccessful bid to be nominated for the Michigan State University board.
The Democratic primary features two Dearborn residents who are hoping to replace Santana: Erin Byrnes and Abbas Alawieh.
Alawieh describes himself as a political strategist, community organizer and pro-peace advocate. He is supported by the Michigan Democratic Party’s Progressive Caucus and aligns with many of its anti-growth positions.
Byrnes is currently a state representative in her second term. Like her opponent, she is well to the left of center on the political spectrum. In the Legislature, she has pushed for utility rate controls.
The two Democrats are similarly positioned. Our choice in the 2nd District is Erin Byrnes, based on her legislative experience.
Harry Sawicki of Dearborn Heights is unopposed in the Republican primary.
3rd District (Detroit, Warren and Madison Heights): The contest to replace incumbent Stephanie Chang has drawn a long list of candidates. The 3rd District starts near Downtown Detroit and stretches north through the center of the city into southern Oakland and Macomb counties.
Eleven Democrats, all from Detroit, are competing in the primary. They are: Mohammad Alam, a Bangladeshi immigrant and Army veteran; LeJuan Council, a property manager and small business owner; John Conyers III, son of the late congressman; LaTanya Garrett, a former state representative; Korey Hall, a former director of community affairs in the Whitmer administration; Adam Hollier, a former state senator; Gary Hunter, a former candidate for Detroit City Council; Kimberly Hill-Knott, former head of the Detroit Climate Action Collaborative; Toinu Reeves, an economist, Abraham Shaw, who owns an auto repair shop, and Eboni Taylor, a community advocate.
There are several interesting and impressive candidates in this race, including Conyers, who just wrote about his father. Garrett has legislative experience, as does Hollier, whom we’ve endorsed in his previous runs for public office.
But we are most impressed with Reeves, a newcomer to politics who brings top-notch credentials to the race. Reeves grew up on Detroit’s east side and is an economist who attended Wayne State University and Dartmouth College.
He serves as chair of the Economic Development Workgroup for Detroit’s District 4 Community Advisory Committee and on the Jefferson-Chalmers Community District Council. He is a former school teacher and autoworker.
Toinu Reeves offers fresh ideas and much-needed skills, and gets our endorsement in the 3rd District Democratic Primary.
Mark Ashley Price is unopposed in the Republican primary.
6th District (Redford Township, Farmington and Farmington Hills): Incumbent Mary Cavanaugh is defending her seat from a challenge from fellow Democrat Stephen Jensen, who shows no signs of a campaign. Both are from Redford.
Mary Cavanaugh, granddaughter of the late Detroit Mayor Jerome Cavanaugh, has served her district well and should be renominated for a second term.
Joi Pokerwinski of Redford Township is unopposed in the Republican Party.
12th District (Parts of Wayne, Macomb and St. Clair counties, including Algonac, the Grosse Pointes, St. Clair Shores, Harper Woods, Mount Clemens and New Baltimore): Incumbent Sen. Kevin Hertel of St. Clair Shores is unopposed in the Democratic primary. Five Republicans are competing in their primary to face him in November.
They are: Joseph Backus of St. Clair Shores, a prolific community volunteer who has run unsuccessfully for other offices; Patrick Biange of St. Clair Shores; John Goldwater of New Baltimore, an oil and gas entrepreneur; Eileen Tesch, the former mayor of Algonac who faced recall efforts, and Shelley Wright, a former general contractor and owner of a process serving company who says Donald Trump inspired her to politics.
John Goldwater has experience growing a business and creating jobs. He would also prioritize improving skilled trades training. The father of six is a conservative who describes himself as pro-life and a defender of the Second Amendment.
Our endorsement in the 12th District Republican primary goes to John Goldwater.
Photos by FOX 2 Photog Scott Federspiel
DETROIT (FOX 2) – A 16-year-old moped driver was hospitalized after a crash on Detroit’s west side on Wednesday night.
The backstory:
Detroit police say the teen disregarded a stop sign while going east on Vassar when he collided with a vehicle turning south on Outer Drive at about 9:30 p.m.
Photos by FOX 2 Photog Scott Federspiel
The boy was taken to a nearby hospital where he is listed in critical condition. The driver of the car, a woman in her 30s, was not injured.
The Source: Information for this report is from Detroit police.
Watch FOX 2 Detroit Live:
Chickens and geese that went missing from a local nonprofit’s Detroit site were found in the backyard of a nearby home, the director of operations said Wednesday.
The Full Circle Foundation, a Grosse Point Park-based nonprofit, said more than a dozen chickens and geese were believed stolen from a chicken coop on Detroit’s east side that also features the Full Circle Edible Garden.
The nonprofit provides training and job opportunities for young people with special needs.
Neighbors who learned from news reports about the missing flock found the “chickens were being held in the backyard of a vacant home not far from the Full Circle Edible Garden,” said Stephanie DiVirgil, director of operations. She said Ribbon Farm 4-H owns the flock.
“The homeowner was contacted, and she reached out to Full Circle to confirm,” said DiVirgil. “We were able to retrieve all of the chickens and geese that were found on the property, 19 in total.”
The foundation and Ribbon Farms 4-H are working to secure the site, including cameras, fencing and lights.
“We will likely start a fundraising campaign to have these items installed,” DiVirgil said. “We’ve gotten amazing support from the community, including offers to help pay for these additional security measures.”
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