Early morning thunderstorms dumped more than an inch of rain on the Detroit Golf Club, forcing play to be delayed a few hours Saturday. Once players kicked off the third round of the 2024 Rocket Mortgage Classic, they were off to the races with Akshay Bhatia and Aaron Rai in pole position at 17 under through 54 holes.
Bhatia will sleep on top for the third night in a row, while Rai will do the same for the second night in a row. Going into the weekend, sharing first place on the leaderboard, the pair were neck and neck as they aimed to fend off a fierce chasing group that ultimately reduced their two-shot lead at the halfway mark to a margin at once with 18 holes to go.
Rai was the first to hit it big on Saturday, opening his round with a birdie. Three more over his next 10 holes were enough to keep Bhatia at bay. However, the Englishman blinked in the form of a bogey on the par-3 15th – his first of the tournament – and allowed the long left-hander to join him at the top.
Matching birdies on the par-5 17th pushed both names past Cameron Young and Cameron Davis at 16 under, but missed scoring chances down the stretch may have allowed even more players to get back into the final-round conversation.
In total, 11 players are four shots behind Bhatia and Rai; proven winners like Erik van Rooyen and Min Woo Lee are among them. And then there are youngsters like amateur Luke Clanton, a rising junior at Florida State, who is three adrift with a real chance of becoming the second amateur this year to win on the PGA Tour.
The leaders
T1. Akshay Bhatia, Aaron Rai (-17): While the last two players faced difficult conditions, they also had to deal with strong winds at the end of the course, which caused them some problems. Bhatia was stuck on par for most of his final nine holes, while Rai missed three straight greens in regulation at one point. Their inability to take advantage of these holes, given the accessibility of flag sites and some par 5s, has lengthened the list of potential challengers. Despite all this, they still look in good shape. Bhatia is the only player on the field not to make a bogey this week, while Rai held his own by sinking a crucial putt over Bhatia at No. 17. The score on a par 5 is something to watch with these two- there on Sunday, as both have struggled to score on these holes over the past two rounds.
Competitors
T3. Cameron Young, Cameron Davis (-16)
T5. Sam Stevens, Erik van Rooyen (-15)
T7. Min Woo Lee, Luke Clanton (a), Joel Dahmen (-14)
T10. Davis Thompson, Nick Dunlap, Patrick Rodgers, Troy Merritt (-13)
A seven-time PGA Tour finalist, Young looks to enter the winner’s circle for the first time in his career Sunday. Coming into the weekend just a few shots behind the lead, the big-hitting right-hander saw his deficit grow for most of Saturday. A fast-paced finish with three birdies over his final five holes put Young in the lead at one point, but he’ll eventually come out of the penultimate group Sunday. It may be a position he thrives in, though, as Young seems to have done just about everything but win on the PGA Tour.
Will another amateur make history?
Nick Dunlap ended a 33-year drought at American Express by winning as an amateur earlier this year. Florida State star Luke Clanton now has the chance to do the same six months later. Runner-up in last year’s NCAA Championship and behind Neal Shipley in low-level amateur competition at the U.S. Open, Clanton maintained his strong play in only his second PGA Tour appearance. Since 1945, several amateurs have not won on the PGA Tour in the same year.
“I think the people that have been around me here the last couple of years have been a big help in that regard because sometimes there’s a lot of doubt that goes through your mind,” Clanton said. “To be able to be here and even say I’m in contention to win a PGA Tour event is pretty crazy. It’s pretty cool, man.”
Will Zalatoris cuts his week short
The former PGA Tour Rookie of the Year withdrew from the tournament after just eight holes in Saturday’s third round. Zalatoris told the CBS broadcast that he heard a pop in his hip during his fourth straight week of tournament golf. With Zalatoris’ injury history, it’s hoped the decision was a precautionary measure after missing most of the 2023 season with a back injury.
Updated odds and picks for the 2024 Rocket Mortgage Classic
- Akshay Bhatia: 5/2
- Aaron Rai: 3-1
- Cameron Young: 4-1
- Cameron Davis: 13/2
- Erik van Rooyen: 14-1
- Sam Stevens: 18-1
- Min Woo Lee: 20-1
The slow finishes of the last two groups allowed a lot more people to participate in this tournament. One of them is Lee, who after playing his first six holes in 1-over, played his last 12 holes in 7-under par. He seems to have found something with his ball while hitting on Saturday; should this continue on Sunday, the Australian has the firepower to land a low blow early in the game to put pressure on the leaders late in the game.
News Source : www.cbssports.com
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