PGA Tour host course scrambling to repair significant vandalism to greens

The PGA Tour’s Rocket Mortgage Classic is less than two months away, but recent vandalism has left the host club’s groundskeepers scrambling to fix the damage to the golf course.

According to a report by The Detroit News, two greens, Nos. 11 and 12, on the North Course at Detroit Golf Club, received “significant damage” from vandals in mid-April. Photos of the damage on one of the greens, released by the club’s head superintendent Sam Moynihan, showed wavy lines that were, according to soil testing, the result of an herbicide called glyphosate being sprayed around the putting surface.

Work has already begun to fix the greens in time for the Tour event, which holds its first practice round on April 26. The process, per the report, includes mowing down the greens and application of both fertilizer and a foliar plant protectant spray.

“The length of time the greens will take to recover will continue to be weather dependent,” Moynihan told members in an email obtained by The News. “The colder the weather, the slower the recovery. I will be working in conjunction with the PGA Tour Agronomy Department to develop an appropriate plan for optimal recovery. I will continue to keep you updated with progress pictures, treatments, and recovery plans moving forward.”

Moynihan added: “Each day I am seeing more and more green shoots filling the damaged areas.”

The RMC’s executive director, Jason Langwell, told The News that he’s confident the greens will “fully recover and will be in perfect condition” by tournament week.

The Detroit Police Department is still investigating the incident.