Former LIV player receives sponsor invite into hometown Rocket Classic
James Piot will finally play his hometown PGA Tour event.
The 26-year-old Piot, who grew up just outside Detroit in Canton and starred at Michigan State, received a sponsor exemption into this week's Rocket Classic at Detroit Golf Club. Piot got the call on Monday morning, just before he was set to tee it up in the Rocket Classic's open qualifier at Fieldstone Golf Club in Auburn Hills.
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'For it to actually happen is the coolest thing in the world,' Piot told the Detroit News on Monday. 'It's awesome. Just the fact I finally get to play in the Rocket Classic, it's a dream come true. Ever since the event was created on the schedule, I wanted to be a part of it.'
This will mark Piot's first PGA Tour start in over three years. He competed in four Tour events, plus the Masters and U.S. Open, in 2022, a year after he won the 2021 U.S. Amateur at Oakmont. But Piot's Tour future – including a likely invite into the Rocket – was put on hold when he opted to join LIV Golf for the league's inaugural season in June 2022. Piot also competed the following season on LIV, but after finishing 47th in points, just inside the open zone, his contract was not renewed by the HyFlyers, the team captained by Phil Mickelson.
Piot's PGA Tour suspension ended in October 2023. He has played mostly on the Asian Tour since his LIV stint ended, but earlier this year he Monday-qualified for the Korn Ferry Tour's Lecom Suncoast Classic, where he missed the cut.
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