DETROIT — The Rocket Classic's run came to an end Sunday, when Michael Thorbjornsen made himself the answer to a future bar-trivia question as the final champion of Detroit's first and only annual PGA Tour tournament.

In eight years of the event, I think I missed one day of coverage during tournament week (Tuesday through Sunday), maybe two. I'll miss it a lot, but I'll always have some very fond memories. Too many to share.

But here's a look at eight of my favorites from eight years of Rocket Classics:

Rickie's reward

Rickie Fowler was the face of the Rocket Classic and the always-willing promoter of all things Detroit during the tournament's run, and he also provided a whole lot of great memories over the years. (One time, he flat-out topped his second shot on the par-5 14th hole — pros, they're just like us, except his worm-burner skirted the big pond on the left that was there at the time and rolled right up onto the green.) No moment, though, was greater than his win in 2023, when he made birdie on the 18th hole in regulation of the final round on Sunday, and then moments later made birdie again to win in a playoff over Collin Morikawa and Adam Hadwin. One of three Rocket playoffs, it was Fowler's first PGA Tour victory in more than four years and it provided the defining moment in the Rocket Classic's history.

The Bryson Experience

The only downside to Bryson DeChambeau's victory in 2020 was that fans couldn't see it for themselves. The Rocket Classic was played in 2020, but because of the pandemic, fans weren't allowed. Too bad. He made absolute mincemeat of the historic course, bombing it all over the place (once, he had the honors on a par 4, but had his playing partner go first because he wanted to wait till the green had cleared; the hole was playing nearly 400 yards!). In 2020, DeChambeau rallied from three shots back Sunday to win by three over Matthew Wolff. He turned the course into a pitch-and-putt. Afterward, he sheepishly and hilarious said, "Sorry, Mr. Ross." Donald Ross wasn't offended. He'd been dead for more than 70 years. DeChambeau played the Rocket only once more, before leaving to join LIV Golf in 2022.

Bubba and friends

Speaking of the COVID year. Pro-ams typically are played on the Wednesday before PGA Tour tournaments, a chance for the sponsors to play with the best golfers in the world. But pro-ams weren't allowed during the pandemic, so Bubba Watson, a two-time Masters champion, pitched an idea to then-Rocket tournament director Jason Langwell about a nine-hole charity exhibition that would air live on Golf Channel. Featuring Jason Day and others, it made for great TV, and even better, it raised more than $1 million for local charities in a year in which there were no tickets to be sold. (In eight years, the tournament committed more than $15 to local causes, including youth sports organizations.) Watson really took to Detroit, as did former Masters champ Patrick Reed, before, like DeChambeau, he left for LIV.

Kuchar's new (and biggest) fan

There were 10 holes-in-one in the history of the Rocket Classic, and at least one year every year except for 2024. My favorite came this year, on Friday, when PGA Tour veteran Matt Kuchar did the honors at the short, 165-yard fifth hole. He used a 9 iron, it landed short of the hole, and rolled right in like it was a putt. Later in the day, there weren't many people around. But one fan stood out to Kuchar, a 7-year-old kid with a dragon painted on his face and wearing a polo shirt that featured coney dogs swinging golf clubs and driving cars. Kuchar pulled young Casimer inside the ropes to walk with him to the green, where he had Casimer get the ball out of the hole. Kuchar signed the ball, gave it to Casimer, and took some pictures. Kuchar made the kid's day, and he made a fan for life — and he made for great TV.

Hubbard's hilarity

My second-favorite hole-in-one at the Rocket came in 2022, at the long 12th hole, when Mark Hubbard hit a 4 iron so poorly, he let go of the club and muttered to himself, "God, that's embarrassing." The next thing he knew, the ball was landing on the green, making a left turn toward the cup, and rolling in for the ace. Hubbard's reaction was priceless. He could only cover his mouth. One playing partner told him, "I'm not high-fiving you." Another playing partner told him, "It doesn't count. You can't drop your club." That's golf. Sometimes, well-struck shots turn out bad, and poorly struck shots turn out good. They say they don't draw pictures on the scorecard. Luckily, the video lives forever on YouTube, where it has racked up more than 300,000 views, many from me. I watch it at least once a year.

Wu's 2

The Rocket Classic was known for its super low-scoring over the years. There were thousands of birdies and hundreds of eagles throughout the years. But there was only one double-eagle, or, as the traditionalists call it, the elusive albatross. It came in 2023 at the par-5 14th hole, when Dylan Wu had 262 yards for his second shot. He hit a hybrid, and it went in for the magical 2 on a par 5. Shockingly, despite cameras all over the golf course, including at 14, and ESPN+ carrying thousands of hours of live PGA Tour golf every year, the camera stationed at the 14th that afternoon wasn't turned on so, to this day, no video evidence has emerged from the shot. Not even a grainy cell-phone video from a fan. "The crowd went wild," Wu said. "It was pretty surreal." For the rest of us, it was left to the imagination.

The John Shippen

The Rocket Classic did a lot of good in its eight-year run, including the city, local nonprofits and Black golfers. In 2021, the John Shippen Invitational was founded — a tournament before the tournament that gave some of the top pro and amateur Black golfers from all over the country (and in some cases, the globe) an opportunity of a lifetime to play their way into the Rocket Classic. The winner of the Shippen, which was played at Detroit Golf Club days before the Rocket, was given an exemption into the PGA Tour stop. (There also was a female Shippen tournament, with exemptions into multiple LPGA tournaments, including the Meijer LPGA Classic and Dow Championship). DGC members even pooled money for a not-insignificant Shippen purse. It made for many heartwarming scenes and story lines over the years.

Take that, kid

This remains my favorite memory from the Rocket Classic, just because it was so freaking funny. It's common for young golf fans to ask players for a glove or a ball. Most golfers, if they have an extra, will oblige. That's all a 10-year-old named Aiden LeBrun, of Newport, was asking for when Tyler McCumber walked by him in the tunnel off the 18th green in 2021. But LeBrun caught McCumber at the worst time — which turned out to be the perfect time. McCumber was hot, having just four-putted the 18th green, so when LeBrun asked politely for his glove, McCumber handed him his Odyssey putter instead. The best part: McCumber, who started on the back nine, still had nine holes to go. He putted on his second nine with a wedge, while Lebrun went to show his dad. Dad's reaction: "Oh, God, he stole a putter."

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