Rocket Classic Dealt Blow as Five PGA Tour Golfers Withdraw in Less Than 24 Hours
Rocket Classic Dealt Blow as Five PGA Tour Golfers Withdraw in Less Than 24 Hours originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
The Rocket Classic's field of golfers will look different than originally expected. On Sunday, the PGA Tour announced that Christian Bezuidenhout had withdrawn from the event as the Travelers Championship concluded its final day. It would turn out to be the first in a series of withdraws.
Advertisement
The PGA Tour revealed five additional golfers have withdrawn on Monday bringing the total to six with the potential for more to come ahead of Thursday's first round. This news comes as the PGA Tour concluded its final elevated event at the Travelers Championship.
Stars like Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy are among the golfers who will not be competing at the Rocket Classic. There will still be some intriguing names with Rickie Fowler and Keegan Bradley, fresh off his Travelers Championship win, among the field of golfers.
Charley Hoffman putts on the 18th green during the final round of The American Express golf tournament at La Quinta Country Club. Abe Arredondo-Imagn Images
Charley Hoffman is the latest golfer to withdraw from the Rocket Classic with Hayden Springer set to replace him this week. Additional withdraws on Monday included Brandon Matthews, Eric Cole and Kevin Yu.
Tim Widing was announced as a withdraw on Sunday night as well. Newly added golfers include Harrison Endycott, Brandon Matthews, Joe Hook, Anders Albertson, James Piot and David Ford.
Advertisement
Collin Morikawa is the favorite to win the Rocket Classic amid a revamped field of golfers at +1200, per DraftKings. Patrick Cantlay (+1600) and Bradley (+1800) are closely behind Morikawa in the Rocket Classic odds.
Bradley was able to erase Tommy Fleetwood's one-stroke lead heading into the final hole to win the Travelers Championship.
"I had a putt to win the tournament, and I just went through my routine, all the stupid cliches that we all say," Bradley told reporters on Sunday. "I just went through my process, my routine. Tommy's -- sometimes I don't like when you see the players hit the putt.
"I saw his break a ton and then when I went and felt it with my feet, I felt it at a half degree, and his broke more like a one or maybe more. And I just decided to trust my read because I didn't feel it, and I played mine left center and it went in right in the middle, so what an incredible memory."
Advertisement
Related: Scottie Scheffler Gets Honest About Life Changes With Wife Meredith, Son Bennett
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 23, 2025, where it first appeared.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Fans Are Saying Mets Pitcher's New Nickname Has 'Saved the Season'
Fans Are Saying Mets Pitcher's New Nickname Has 'Saved the Season' originally appeared on Athlon Sports. The New York Mets are fresh off of a series loss to the rival Philadelphia Phillies, with their loss on Friday marking seven straight losses. While they snapped the streak on Saturday, a 7-1 loss meant eight defeats in their last nine. Advertisement With a June swoon similar to their crosstown rival Yankees, the Mets needed to change the course of their season in some way, with most impactful moves not happening until closer to the July 30 deadline. On Monday, the Mets signed pitcher Richard Lovelady to a major league contract after Lovelady opted out of a minor league deal with Minnesota. Richard Lovelady of the Toronto Blue Jays© Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images Lovelady, who has only pitched 1 2/3 innings in 2025, announced a new nickname that he wants the press to call him, and fans are loving it. Lovelady has requested to be called 'Dicky' which is a departure from the usual nickname of 'Dick' for people named Richard. It's impossible to say anything other than Dicky Lovelady has a fantastic ring to it. Anthony DiComo announced this news, and the tweet has racked up 2.4 million views and 11,000 likes. Advertisement Jon Heyman of the New York Post made the distinction that Lovelady will be referred to as 'Richard' in print and on the airwaves, but on social media, for example, Dicky it is. One fan wrote: "This saved the season." Another fan recalled the time that the Mets honored an Army veteran named Seymour Weiner, whose name generated lighthearted amusement on social media. Another fan tweeted: "dicky lovelady, what a name." Hopefully the resurgence of excellent baseball names such as Dicky Lovelady will fuel the Mets' turnaround as they look to get out of their swoon. Related: Former Mets GM Sends Clear Aaron Judge Message After Latest Win Related: Mets-Phillies Bidding War Predicted Before MLB Trade Deadline This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 24, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Tommy Fleetwood has touching moment with wife after crushing $3.6 million Travelers Championship finish
This was the other side of a thrilling moment for Keegan Bradley. While Bradley celebrated a home-area win at the Travelers Championship in Connecticut with 'U-S-A' chants serenading the Ryder Cup captain, Tommy Fleetwood left the 18th green after another heartbreaking near-miss at a PGA Tour event. Advertisement Fleetwood was seen embracing his wife, Clare, after he bogeyed 18 to allow Bradley to steal the win with a clutch birdie putt. Tommy Fleetwood reacts on the 72nd hole of the Travelers Championship on June 23, 2025. AP Fleetwood, 34, now has 42 career top-10s without a victory on the PGA Tour as he continues to come up short in the biggest moments. 'I'm upset now. I'm angry. When it calms down, I'll look at things I did well, look at the things I can learn from …,' the Englishman told reporters afterward. 'I hadn't been in this position all year, so it's been a while, felt like I did a lot of good things, but there are things I can definitely do better. I have to do better.' Fleetwood had a three-stroke lead heading into Sunday, but bogeyed three of the first four holes to open the door for Bradley and Russell Henley. Fleetwood still held a one-shot lead at TPC River Highlands heading into the final hole and drilled his driver down the middle of the fairway. Advertisement After some club choice indecision, Fleetwood left his approach just short of the green. Bradley then hit a brilliant approach five feet short of the hole, and Henley holed out for birdie to move one shot off the lead. Keegan Bradley celebrates winning the Travelers Championship. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect Fleetwood left his first putt just shy of Bradley's mark, then missed his putt on the right side. Bradley, a Vermont native and St. John's grad, dramatically drilled his putt for the win. It was the final signature event of the season, and Bradley earned $3.6 million with the win. Fleetwood and Henley got $1.76 million each for their second-place tie. 'The stupid thing to do would be to make this a hindrance to what you do going forward,' Fleetwood said. 'I obviously played great, I put myself in a great position, I was leading the tournament for 71 holes. I just want to make sure I can put myself in this position as soon as possible again and try and correct what I did this time… There's just no point in making it a negative for the future.' Advertisement Bradley's win adds more intrigue to his Ryder Cup situation, with calls growing for him to select himself as a member of the 12-player American squad for the September showdown with Europe at Bethpage Black. Tommy Fleetwood embraces his wife, Clare, after the Travelers Championship. PGATour/X He is currently in ninth place in the standings, with six players automatically qualifying for the team and the other six being the captain's choices. 'This changes the story a little bit,' Bradley, 39, said. 'I never would have thought about playing if I hadn't won. This definitely opens the door to play. I don't know if I'm going to do it or not, but I certainly have to take a pretty hard look at what's best for the team.'
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
Aaron Judge's Solo Home Run Against Reds Has Fans Talking
Aaron Judge's Solo Home Run Against Reds Has Fans Talking originally appeared on Athlon Sports. The New York Yankees faced the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park on Monday night, looking to take the first game of a three-game series against the NL Central squad. Advertisement In the top of the first inning, Yankees captain Aaron Judge wasted no time, stepping into the box for his first at-bat and turning on a 94 mph fastball from Nick Lodolo. The ball soared into the left-field seats, a 398-foot, no-doubter that gave New York an early 1-0 lead. It was Judge's 28th home run of the year and another signature swing in a season where he's looked completely locked in. Entering Monday's game, he was second in the majors in home runs and first in slugging percentage while anchoring a Yankees offense fighting for the top spot in the AL East. Although the crowd was fired up after the hit, the real fireworks started online. Fans flooded X with reactions to Judge's latest moonshot: Advertisement 'One of those where you feel silly as the LF for taking any steps towards the wall to try and catch it,' one fan said. '94 down the middle? Sometimes just walking the guy is okay,' another wrote. 'I refuse to believe this baseball only traveled 398 feet,' one fan wrote. 'Aaron Judge heard the Cal Raleigh MVP talk and had to remind y'all,' another said. 'I was freaking out saying I can't wait to see how far that went, under 400 was so underwhelming it didn't feel correct,' one fan said. 'Yeah, Aaron Judge is definitely going on a home run rampage here shortly,' another fan wrote. New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge.© Katie Stratman-Imagn Images Despite dealing with the torn ligament from his horrific bullpen crash in 2023 that saw him miss 42 games, Judge bounced back in 2024 with a remarkable performance, averaging .322 and hitting 58 home runs and 144 RBIs, earning him another AL MVP. Advertisement Now, in 2025, he has somehow elevated his game even further. Coming into the game Monday against the Reds, he led the league with a .367 batting average and ranks second in RBIs (61). Related: Yankees Reclamation Project Turning Heads With this Stat This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 24, 2025, where it first appeared.
