While Bryson DeChambeau and Rickie Fowler are among the players to have won the event now known as the Rocket Classic, no one has clinched victory by a wider margin than Nate Lashley.
Heading into the 2019 Rocket Classic – the inaugural staging of the event – it appeared that Lashley was highly unlikely to even play at Detroit Golf Club.
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While Lashley had just finished tied for 28th in his major championship debut at the 2019 US Open, his form had been mixed.
He had missed four cuts in his previous eight starts as he entered Monday qualifying for the first ever PGA Tour event held entirely within Detroit.
And he ended up failing to qualify; leaving Lashley as third alternate.
The world number 353 ended up getting in as the last man. He went on to take his opportunity with both hands.
How Nate Lashley went from third alternate to PGA Tour winner at the 2019 Rocket Mortgage Classic
Lashley led the way after opening up with a round of 63. He explained after his start that his performance was particularly satisfying having missed out on a spot in the field the previous week.
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“Had some nice saves early in my round, made a lot of putts, hit a lot of fairways. It was a solid day. Yeah, it was great to feel,” he said.
“You know, Wednesday, wasn’t sure if I was going to get in, so it was really nice I got in. Real positive feelings. It’s no fun being first alternate. I was first alternate last week actually and didn’t get into the tournament, so this week got in and took advantage of it.”
A 67 on Friday saw Lashley reach the halfway stage one shot ahead of Cameron Champ.
Meanwhile, the likes of Dustin Johnson, Bubba Watson, and US Open winner Gary Woodland ended up hitting the road after missing the cut in the Motor City.
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Lashley’s superb iron play once again shone on Saturday in Detroit. Another round of 63 left him six shots clear of J.T. Poston.
Photo by Michael Cohen/R&A/R&A via Getty Images
Unsurprisingly, Lashley was well aware of what a first PGA Tour victory would mean for his career.
“That’s something you definitely don’t want to be thinking about on the golf course. You just try to take it one shot, you know, be focusing on what you’re trying to do on that shot and try to block out all the distractions, and like you said, all the exemptions and everything that comes along with winning, because it’s a life-changing event,” he said.
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“Tomorrow I’m just going to come out and try to play golf and see what happens at the end of the day.”
A final round of 70 was enough for Lashley to retain his six-shot lead, with Doc Redman ultimately proving to be his nearest challenger.
The result moved Lashley from 132nd in the FedEx Cup standings to 40th. It also left him on the cusp of breaking into the top 100 in the world rankings.
The journeyman had only earned a full PGA Tour card ahead of the 2018 season after finishing 11th in the money list on the Web.com Tour.
Understandably, Lashley’s thoughts turned to his parents following his victory.
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The tragedy that drove Nate Lashley throughout his career
There was a tragic backstory behind Lashley’s career, with his parents and girlfriend killed in a plane crash after they had watched him play in a tournament in college back in 2004.
He would actually go on to turn professional the year after the crash, but struggled to make a name for himself on the second tier.
Lashley played on the mini tours for a number of years while he also worked in real estate. Three victories in the same season on PGA Tour Latinoamerica led to Lashley earning a Web.com card for 2017.
Given everything he had been through, it is no surprise that his parents were not far from his thoughts as he closed in on a maiden PGA Tour win.
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“It happens all the time. I think about my parents all the time. And thinking about them today, I was getting a little emotional even walking up 18 even before I hit my second shot thinking about my parents, because without them I wouldn’t be sitting here right now,” he said.
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