PGA Tour announces it will head back to Detroit in 2019 after 10-year hiatus
After Quicken Loans stopped sponsoring the Quicken Loans National in the Washington, D.C. area, that event seemed to be in a transitional period with a murky future. Then the tournament cut ties with Congressional Country Club, and suddenly the entire event seemed as if it could be in doubt. It will be played as The National at TPC Potomac at Avenel Farm in 2018, but its home after that seemed ambiguous ... until Wednesday.
Quicken Loans stepped in and will actually once again sponsor the tournament, which will head to Detroit in 2019 and be played within Detroit at Detroit Golf Club for the first time ever. The Detroit area was a mainstay for the PGA Tour for several decades but hasn't hosted an event since the Buick Open in 2009 at Warwick Golf and Country Club.
PGA Tour officially announces Quicken Loans returns as sponsor of The National as event moves to Detroit in 2019. Will be played at Detroit Golf Club next June & will be first PGAT event in Michigan since 2009. — Will Gray (@WillGrayGC) May 30, 2018
"This tournament will not only bring together some of the best golfers in the world, it also highlights the breathtaking revitalization happening throughout Detroit," said Quicken Loans CEO Jay Farner in a statement.
Quicken Loans' corporate headquarters are in Detroit, and it seem as if the company steered this tournament from out of the D.C. area over to Detroit, which they probably did for a variety of reasons.
"It's a market we always wanted to go back to, and we're thrilled that we will now have that chance," said PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan.
He added: "Given that an integral part of our mission is to generate significant charitable and economic impact in communities in which we play, this is such a perfect fit. The revival of Detroit, in part thanks to the leadership at Quicken Loans and its family of companies, is incredible and we're thrilled to be part of it with this new event."
It remains to be seen where this event will fall on a revamped schedule, but it seems pretty solid in the middle of the year as various other tournaments scramble for sponsors and to entrench themselves in the heart of a loaded PGA Tour season.
It also remains to be seen whether Tiger Woods, whose TGR Foundation has played host for the past few years in D.C., will continue to play a major role or whether his foundation will even be a part of the event. Here's The Detroit News.