Rocket Mortgage Classic to go on as planned despite air quality concerns

The 2023 Rocket Mortgage Classic will go on as planned despite major air quality concerns across Michigan, according to tournament officials.

Detroit, the home of the PGA Tour’s golf tournament this week, had the second-worst air quality in the world Wednesday morning according to IQAir, a Swiss company that monitors air quality across the world. As of around noon, Detroit had an index score of 232 noted as “very unhealthy” air.

Like every PGA Tour tournament, there is a meteorologist on-site, and times are subject to change depending on their forecasts. However, at this time there are no plans to change the times or dates of the Rocket Mortgage Classic. Wednesday’s events include the Detroit Community Days and the Delta Dental Pro-Am, with the first round of four-day tournament play to begin Thursday morning at 6:45 a.m., featuring 10 of the top-35 players in the world.

The air quality concerns stem from the Canadian wildfire smoke that has made its way to the American Midwest. Nearby cities including Chicago and Minneapolis ranked just below Detroit at No. 3 and 4 respectively. Alongside Dubai, United Arab Emirates, the cities continue to rotate through the top four spots.

The sky around metro Detroit was hazy and grey Wednesday with the lingering smell of smoke. The smell of smoke was heavy Tuesday at Detroit Golf Club during the tournament’s celebrity scramble.

The National Weather Service has issued an air quality alert as well as a hazardous weather outlook for Detroit. According to the alert “sensitive groups, such as people with lung disease (including asthma), heart disease, and children and older adults should limit prolonged or heavy exertion.”

Organizations across the city have adapted to the hazardous conditions by moving activities indoors or canceling them altogether. Ahead of the NHL draft’s first round Wednesday night, the Detroit Red Wings made the announcement to move their watch party indoors at Little Caesars Arena.

There is an end in sight, however, as smoke concentrations are expected to diminish throughout the day.