Detroit Native Joe Hooks Earns PGA TOUR Debut at Rocket Classic on Home Course

John Shippen Men's Invitational at Detroit Golf Club offers path to PGA TOUR competition, continues mission to expand Black representation in professional golf

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	Detroit native Joe Hooks captures THE JOHN SHIPPEN Men's Invitational Presented by Rocket, secures exemption into PGA TOUR’s Rocket Classic (Photo by PGA)
	Detroit Native Joe Hooks Earns PGA TOUR Debut at Rocket Classic on Home Course Dustin Schoenherr - Sports Tell Us USA News Network DETROIT - For Joe Hooks, a lifelong dream is about to become reality—on the very fairways where it all began. The 32-year-old Detroit native, who grew up honing his game at Detroit Golf Club, will make his PGA TOUR debut this week at the Rocket Classic after a commanding victory at THE JOHN SHIPPEN Men’s Invitational Presented by Rocket. Hooks punched his ticket to the Rocket Classic by firing rounds of 68 and 66 for a 10-under-par total of 134, securing a three-shot win on the same course where he’ll tee it up Thursday alongside some of the world’s top golfers. “It’s unreal. You can’t write it any better,” Hooks said, reflecting on the moment he clinched his spot in the field. “We used to talk about PGA TOUR events maybe coming here when I was younger, so it’s crazy that there is one here now and I get to play in it finally.” A Hometown Story Years in the Making Hooks grew up in Southfield and Commerce Township and attended University of Detroit Jesuit High School, just two miles from Detroit Golf Club. He estimates he’s played more than a thousand rounds at DGC since first setting foot on the course at age seven. “During summers, my parents would drop me off on their way to work and pick me up on the way home,” he recalled. After graduating from Wayne State University, Hooks turned professional in 2017 and has since collected four victories on the Advocates Professional Golf Association (APGA) Tour. His win at THE JOHN SHIPPEN marked his fourth appearance in the event, with his previous best finish a tie for fifth. Hooks led by one after Saturday’s opening round and pulled away Sunday with a steady performance, highlighted by three birdies in four holes on the back nine. His clutch play included a deft up-and-down from a fairway bunker on the par-4 16th, sticking his approach to four feet and converting the birdie. Kevin Hall finished second at seven-under, with Marcus Smith in third, and Aaron Grimes and Kieron van Wyk tying for fourth. Along with his exemption, Hooks earned a $20,000 winner’s check from a purse funded by Detroit Golf Club members and their networks. Championing Diversity in Golf Hooks emphasized the importance of events like THE JOHN SHIPPEN in promoting diversity and opportunity in golf. “Golf won’t have more diversity and Black representation unless you keep drawing more from underprivileged communities,” he said. “There is probably more high-level talent now than ever as far as Black golf goes, and there are still none of us on the PGA TOUR. You have to have more kids interested from the communities that are full of Black players. That’s why I take what I do as a professional golfer so seriously.” As Hooks prepares to compete on the PGA TOUR for the first time, he carries with him the hopes of his hometown and the promise of greater inclusion in the game he loves. “Being born in the city and growing up in the city ... everything about me is rooted in Detroit. To have this moment right now, finally, is surreal.”