Detroit ― The U.S. Open champion has decided to skip Detroit.
J.J. Spaun, who won the U.S. Open at Oakmont (Pa.) Country Club last week in dramatic fashion, has decommitted from playing in the Rocket Classic at Detroit Golf Club, a tournament official confirmed Friday.
Spaun is playing in this week’s Travelers Championship, a signature event, in Connecticut. He’ll use next week to finally celebrate the breakthrough win of his career. The U.S. Open was his second PGA Tour win, and first major.
“Yeah, I need to enjoy this,” Spaun told reporters this week at the Travelers Championship. “Like Keegan (Bradley, Team USA Ryder Cup captain) told me that. … He said, ‘You need to enjoy this. Do your best to just enjoy it.’ It’s easy to kind of let it out the window and get right into the next week and forget about it for a while.
“I’m planning to enjoy it next week, that’s for sure.”
Spaun’s win at Oakmont skyrocketed him to No. 8 in the Official World Golf Rankings, making him the second-highest-ranked player who had committed to the Rocket, behind world No. 4 Collin Morikawa.
Now, former Masters champion Hideki Matsuyama is second-highest in the Rocket field, at No. 11.
“We congratulate J.J. Spaun on his win at the U.S. Open,” according to a statement from the Rocket Classic on Friday. “While he won’t be competing at this year’s Rocket Classic, we’re proud of the incredible momentum building around the tournament. The Rocket Classic continues to be one of the most exciting stops on the PGA Tour ― a place where top players compete and rising stars break through.
“Our field is shaping up to be one of our best yet.”
Most of the Rocket’s 156-player field was finalized Friday night. One spot will go Sunday to the winner of the John Shippen Men’s Invitational, and four more will be won at Monday’s qualifier at Fieldstone Golf Club in Auburn Hills.
Spaun, 34, made back-to-back birdies at Nos. 17 and 18 at Oakmont on Sunday to win the U.S. Open, including a dramatic 60-foot putt on the 72nd hole.
“I still haven’t really been able to enjoy it and not have any responsibilities,” said Spaun, who started the week with a media tour, including at the “TODAY” show in New York. “It would be nice to just sit on my couch at home and have the trophy sitting right next to me and watch some ‘SportsCenter’ or something. That’s kind of how I like to enjoy things, just kind of vegging out, especially after long weeks on the road and big tournaments.
“We’re getting closer to what I have in plan for the next few weeks.”
Other notable players who had previously committed to playing in the Rocket but now will not include world No. 14 Maverick McNealy; former U.S. Open winner Lucas Glover; Aaron Rai, who finished runner-up in 2024; and Jhonattan Vegas. Among late additions to the Rocket Classic field are Cameron Young, who has two top-10 finishes in his two appearances in Detroit, including a tie for sixth last season, as well as former U.S. Open champion Gary Woodland, former Masters winner Danny Willett, and Matt Kuchar.
The seventh Rocket Classic is scheduled for Thursday, June 26, through Sunday, June 29.
MORE: Final field for next week’s Rocket Classic at Detroit Golf Club
tpaul@detroitnews.com
@tonypaul1984
Want to comment on this story? Become a subscriber today. Click here.