rocket

CBS nets highest-rated non-Signature Event at Rocket Mortgage Classic cbs,nets,highest,rated,non,signature,event,at,rocket,mortgage,classic,sbnation,com,golf,golf-pga-tour,golf-news

On: July 2, 2024 By: admin

Akshay Bhatia’s three-putt on the 72nd hole, which left Cameron Davis as the only man standing at 18-under-par, and thus the 2024 Rocket Mortgage Classic champion, helped give CBS Sports a nice ratings bump.

The network drew an average of 2.472 million viewers for Sunday’s final round at the Detroit Golf Club, a one-percent increase from last year when Rickie Fowler bested Collin Morikawa and Adam Hadwin in a playoff. Fowler’s win garnered plenty of attention, as he has quite an impressive following among PGA Tour fans. It also marked Fowler’s first PGA Tour victory since 2019. With that said, inclement weather forced the tour to begin the final round early a year ago, leading CBS to air a tape delay in the afternoon, which negatively affected ratings.

Weather had an impact on this year’s tournament, too, mainly during Saturday’s third round.

Yet, luckily for the network, Mother Nature did not create any issues or delays on Sunday, thus leading CBS to yield the highest-rated non-major/Signature Event of the 2024 season, per Josh Carpenter of Sports Business Journal.

With Bhatia and Davis coming down the stretch, the broadcast peaked with more than 4 million viewers—4.028 million to be exact—during the 6:00 to 6:17 p.m. ET window, per a CBS Sports spokesperson. That’s an impressive figure, considering many of the game’s top players did not compete last week in Detroit.

Similar sentiments can be said about this week’s John Deere Classic, as Jordan Spieth headlines the field. CBS will air live third and final round coverage from the Quad Cities this week.

It will also televise next week’s Genesis Scottish Open live from the Renaissance Club in Scotland.

CBS Sports will then wrap up its 2024 golf season with two more events, which bookend the Summer Olympics in Paris: the 3M Open at the end of July and the Wyndham Championship in August. NBC Sports has the rights to broadcast the FedEx Cup Playoffs this year.

Jack Milko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. Be sure to check out @_PlayingThrough for more golf coverage. You can follow him on Twitter @jack_milko as well.

PGA Tour: Cameron Davis wins Rocket Mortgage Classic for 2nd time pga,tour,cameron,davis,wins,rocket,mortgage,classic,for,nd,time,sbnation,com,golf,golf-pga-tour,golf-news

On: June 30, 2024 By: admin

One man’s loss is another man’s treasure, and that mantra certainly applied to the conclusion of the Rocket Mortgage Classic.

With Cameron Davis in the clubhouse at 18-under-par, Akshay Bhatia arrived on the 72nd hole tied for the lead. The 18th hole is a long par-4, measuring 472 yards. This dogleg left ranked as the most challenging hole during the final round, as a creek bisects the fairway and snakes up the right side of the green.

But Bhatia had no issues off the tee. He striped his drive down the middle of the fairway and then knocked his approach to 32 feet away from the back right pin, with his ball nestling in the back left corner of the green.

Then disaster struck.

Bhatia hit a poor stroke with his birdie attempt, coming up four feet short. He then pulled his par putt, which lipped out on the low side and handed Davis the victory. It was the first three-putt Bhatia had all week.

“It sucks, no other way to put it,” Bhatia said after his round.

“Just sucks. It’s hard; you’ve got so much slope there, so you don’t want to run it five, six feet by. Yeah, just a little bit of nerves, honestly. I’m human, and the greens get slower throughout the day here; the poa annua is pretty tough.”

Davis, meanwhile, posted a 2-under 70, which included four birdies and two bogies. His first bogey came at the par-4 1st hole, and his second one came at the par-5 14th, thanks to an unfortunate break. The Australian hammered a 3-wood from 281 yards out and landed onto the front of the green, but his ball trickled back into the penalty area.

It looked like his chances had sunk there, but Davis bounced back with a birdie at the par-5 17th to get back to 18-under. He smashed his 3-wood on that hole again, as his second shot landed just short of the green. Davis then got up and down for birdie with ease.

With Davis at 18-under, a playoff seemed possible, but with the par-5 17th yielding plenty of birdies, somebody, like Bhatia or even Min Woo Lee, looked destined to reach 19-under and leave Davis just short of his second career PGA Tour victory.

But fate left Davis with his second career Rocket Mortgage Classic title, as he now hopes to make the International Team at the President’s Cup this Fall. He has the game to do so, so hopefully, this win will give him some momentum in the coming months—something he has not had as of late.

Before this week, Davis had not recorded a top-20 finish since The Masters, when he tied for 12th at Augusta National. He missed the cut at the PGA Championship and the U.S. Open and most recently tied for 48th at the Travelers Championship. But Davis proved to International Captian Mike Weir that he can turn things around quickly, a necessity for match play.

Jack Milko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. Be sure to check out @_PlayingThrough for more golf coverage. You can follow him on Twitter @jack_milko as well.

Rocket Mortgage final round tee times for the competitive birdie fest rocket,mortgage,final,round,tee,times,for,the,competitive,birdie,fest,sbnation,com,golf,us-open-golf,golf-majors,golf-pga-tour,golf-news

On: June 30, 2024 By: admin

Welcome to Playing Through’s morning ritual — Golf Talk Today.

Each morning will feature a Golf Talk Today, where the crew will discuss various elements throughout the PGA Tour, LPGA, LIV Golf, and more.

It is Championship Sunday at the Rocket Mortgage Classic.

Akshay Bhatia and Aaron Rai remained tied for the lead at 17-under. The 22-year-old remains the only player in the field without a bogey as he shot a 4-under 68 on Moving Day. Can Bhatia hold off this stacked leaderboard to go wire-to-wire and earn his third PGA Tour victory?

Eleven guys are within four shots of Bhatia and Rai, so anyone could pull off the win. Amateur golfer Luke Clanton from FSU shot a 7-under 65 on Saturday to sit at 14-under. He could become the second amateur to win this season.

Min Woo Lee is also right there looking to take home his first PGA Tour victory. While Bhatia and Rai have been at the top of the leaderboard for most of the week, all it takes is one extremely low score to take home that first PGA Tour w

Brew a pot of coffee, grab some breakfast, and settle in as we get you ready for the fourth and final round of the Rocket Mortgage Classic.

Rocket Mortgage Round 3 Tee Times (ET):

*all tee off on #1

7:40 a.m. — Ryan Fox, Taylor Pendrith

7:50 a.m. — Luke List, Chandler Phillips

8:00 a.m. — Taylor Montgomery, Davis Riley

8:10 a.m. — Callum Tarren, Nicholas Lindheim

8:20 a.m. — Peter Malnati, Zach Johnson

8:30 a.m. — Maverick McNealy, Blaine Hale Jr.

8:40 a.m. — Aaron Baddeley, Kevin Streelman

8:50 a.m. — Brandon Wu, Matti Schmid

9:00 a.m. — Pierceson Coody, Ryan Moore

9:15 a.m. — Nico Echavarria, Mark Hubbard

9:25 a.m. — Robby Shelton, Nicolas Højgaard

9:35 a.m. — Ben Griffin, Nate Lashley

9:45 a.m. — Vince Whaley, Matt Kuchar

9:55 a.m. — Kevin Yu, Ben James (a)

10:05 a.m. — Joe Highsmith, Wesley Bryan

10:15 a.m. — Patrick Fishburn, Chris Gotterup

10:25 a.m. — Ryan McCormic, Carl Yuan

10:40 a.m. — Bud Cauley, Nick Hardy

10:50 a.m. — Ryo Hisatsune, Jacob Bridgeman

11:00 a.m. — Hrry Hall, Roger Sloan

11:10 a.m. — Andrew Novak, Max Greyserman

11:20 a.m. — Patton Kizzire, Ben Kohles

11:30 a.m. — Michael Kim Beau Hossler

11:40 a.m. — rico Hoey, Chris Kirk

11:55 a.m. — Jake Knapp, Justin Lower

12:05 p.m. — Neal Shipley, Jhottan Vegas

12:15 p.m. — Taylore Moore, J.J. Spaun

12:25 p.m. — Rickie Fowler, Dylan Wu

12:35 p.m. — Hayden Springer, Eric Cole

12:45 p.m. — David Skinns, Hayden Buckley

12:55 p.m. —‚ Troy Merrit, Ben SIlverman

1:10 p.m. — Nick Dunlap, Patrick Rodgers

1:20 p.m. — Joel Dahmen, Davis Thompson

1:30 p.m. — Luke Clanton (a), Min Woo Lee

1:40 p.m. — Sam Stevens, Erik van Rooyen

1:50 p.m — Cam Davis, Cameron Young

2:00 p.m. — Akshay Bhatia, Aaron Rai

ICYMI: Top stories from the Rocket Mortgage Classic and across professional golf

Check out these stories:

PGA of America CEO Seth Waugh stepping down; not renewing contract

Paige Spiranac reveals eye-popping handicap; quiets trolls with impressive receipts

Former Rocket Mortgage Classic champion making more memories, records first PGA Tour hole-in-one

Padraig Harrington deep dives into worst golf swing advice ahead of U.S. Senior Open

U.S. Senior Open: Golfer makes mind blowing consecutive holes-in-one that will make your jaw drop

Rocket Mortgage: Neal Shipley finds no learning curve, contends in 1st professional PGA Tour start

Savannah Leigh Richardson is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. For more golf coverage, be sure to follow us @_PlayingThrough on all major social platforms. You can also follow her on Twitter @SportsGirlSL and Instagram @savannah_leigh_sports.

Rocket Mortgage: Sensational amateur Luke Clanton looks to make history rocket,mortgage,sensational,amateur,luke,clanton,looks,to,make,history,sbnation,com,front-page,golf,golf-pga-tour,golf-news

On: June 29, 2024 By: admin

Florida State sophomore Luke Clanton burst onto the scene Saturday at the Rocket Mortgage Classic as he posted the score to beat.

He signed for a 7-under 65 to sit at 14-under and just a few shots behind the leaders.

Clanton recorded six birdies, an eagle and one bogey on the day. He was 5-under through 11 holes before he dropped a shot at the 12th.

“We stayed super calm and super in the process of what we’ve been doing,” Clanton said after his round on Saturday.

“I think that’s one thing I’ve been struggling with the last couple of months is not getting ahead of my game and looking into the future, but today, I think we did such a good job of not trying to force the birdies out there, but we just stayed really in our process today.”

Through three rounds, Clanton leads the field in strokes gained off the tee with +4.378. He is also No. 7 in strokes gained putting, picking up +4.346 on the rest of the field.

However, in Saturday’s round alone, he leads in strokes gained off the tee (+1.491), putting (3.801) and total (+4.712).

His flat stick was phenomenal as the Seminole golfer made 117 feet of putts during the third round. However, his eagle on 14 was a veteran-like shot that showed what kind of guts he has.

“I smoked a driver way down there, and that was probably one of the harder ones I hit all day,” he said. “Had the perfect 5-iron number with left-to-right wind. I looked at Jason and said this could be really good if I hit this good, and I flushed it. I said, “Be the right club,” and he said it. Hit it close and tapped in for eagle, so it was pretty sweet.”

His 7-under 65 put him right into contention to win a PGA Tour event. Can the 20-year-old make history this week? He made the cut at the U.S. Open and finished tied for 41st. Clanton was the second-lowest amateur behind Neal Shipley, who made his professional PGA Tour debut this week.

“To be able to be out here and even say I’m in contention to win a PGA TOUR event’s pretty nuts. It’s pretty cool, man,” he said.

“I shot 7 under today, it was amazing, but we could have made a couple more birdies out there. My game plan has been the same all week, pound driver as hard as I can, get it down there and make a few putts — it’s been good.”

The last amateur to win on the PGA Tour was Nick Dunlap, who won the American Express in January. He became the first amateur since Phil Mickelson in 1991 to win on Tour.

Now, Clanton looks to add his name to the history books.

“Me and Nick go way back so it’s awesome to see him do that,” Clanton said. “It’s cool, man. I think amateurs now, we’re so good. I think a lot of guys have great chances of winning out here and to be in contention with one day to go is pretty sweet.”

The Florida State sophomore had one of the best springs with three consecutive victories at the Seminole Intercollegiate, the Valspar Collegiate Invitational and the Lewis Chitengwa Memorial.

Clanton recorded 10 top-10 finishes in 14 tournaments this past season, and he finished at par or less in 30 of his 40 rounds. He is currently ranked No. 6 in the World Amateur Golf ranking system.

If the Ben Hogan semifinalist wins on Sunday, it will be the first time in 79 years that two amateurs have won on the PGA Tour. Cary Middlecoff and Fred Haas were the last to win in the same season in 1945.

Clanton will likely be in one of the final groups on Sunday, as his 65 pushed him 22 spots up the leaderboard.

Savannah Leigh Richardson is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. For more golf coverage, follow us @_PlayingThrough on all major social platforms. You can also follow her on Twitter @SportsGirlSL and Instagram @savannah_leigh_sports.

Rocket Mortgage Classic: Will Zalatoris suddenly withdraws mid-round rocket,mortgage,classic,will,zalatoris,suddenly,withdraws,mid,round,sbnation,com,front-page,golf,golf-pga-tour,golf-news

On: June 29, 2024 By: admin

Will Zalatoris came into Saturday’s round at 7-under and just six shots off the Rocket Mortgage Classic leaders.

However, after eight holes, the former Wake Forest Demon Deacon withdrew from the tournament. Zalatoris was 3-over through eight when he chose to pull out.

The PGA Tour communications team cited a back injury as the reason for his withdrawal. However, CBS Sports analyst Amanda Balionis reported that Zalatoris’ hip caused him to withdraw from the tournament.

He told her he felt a “pop” in his hip on his “good side.” Zalatoris told her he felt like playing four weeks in a row caught up to him. The No. 42 golfer in the world played in the Memorial, U.S. Open, and Travelers Championship.

His agent, Allen Hobbs, released a statement about Zalatoris’ departure, per Jeanna Trotman, a Detroit sports anchor.

“Will experienced some discomfort after a swing today and out of utmost precaution, made the tough decision to withdraw,” the statement read. “It’s important that he listens to his body and gets some rest. He hates to withdraw from the Rocket Mortgage Classic and looks forward to getting back out on the course soon.

He has won one PGA Tour event in his short career — the 2022 FedEx St. Jude Championship. Zalatoris had a microdiscectomy in April 2023 for herniated disks in his back, which caused him to sit out the remainder of the season.

Zalatoris cited earlier this year that Tiger Woods helped him cope with the back injury during his rehab.

The Dallas resident played in 15 events this season and made 11 cuts. He finished tied ninth at The Masters but has not finished inside the top 40 in the eight starts since. Zalatoris withdrew from the Byron Nelson in March when the back injury flared up, so this is not the first time he has chosen to be safe about it.

It is uncertain when his next event will be, but it seems the choice to withdraw was precautionary.

Rocket Mortgage: Akshay Bhatia leads tournament, best dressed players rocket,mortgage,akshay,bhatia,leads,tournament,best,dressed,players,sbnation,com,front-page,golf,golf-pga-tour,golf-opinions

On: June 29, 2024 By: admin

Golf fashion continues to be one of the major discussions of the 2024 PGA Tour season. At the Rocket Mortgage Classic, the players showed off their impressive style.

That said, fashion is a subjective topic with no right answer.

Not everyone likes risks and prefers traditional outfits, but there are ways to be both trendy and traditional.

Akshay Bhatia does this well. He blends traditional and trendy together by wearing Greyson Clothier items. This week is more about finding traditional outfits that look fantastic. The bright patterns are great, but sometimes, it is nice to see the guys pull off a classic look.

So, without further ado, check out the five best-dressed golfers from the first two days at the Rocket Mortgage Classic.

5. Joel Dahmen

This subtle pattern, light khaki pants, and Joel Dahmen’s signature bucket hat make a great outfit. His style is for those who take a little risk but not too much.

The pattern is just enough to make it trendy. That shade of blue looks fantastic on his skin tone. He wears Travis Mathew, and the brand does a great job making sure what he wears looks solid on him. It also shows how versatile the brand is because anyone of any age can pull off that pattern.

Rating: 8/10

4. Chris Kirk

Rocket Mortgage Classic, Chris Kirk, Akshay Bhatia

Chris Kirk is No. 4 on this list because he always wears traditional outfits but finds a way to play with a little color. He wore green on Thursday, and this shade of red looks great on him.

His beard has a red tone, so these shades go well with it. I also like how he went with a gray belt instead of a traditional black one. Kirk still pays tribute to his college team, the Georgia Bulldogs, without making it too obvious.

Rating: 8.5/10

3. Min Woo Lee

Min Woo Lee is almost a staple on these best-dressed lists. What Lululemon continues to put him in looks fantastic. It is traditional but trendy because it’s one of the hottest brands on the market.

The lavender with the silver pants looks incredible in his skin tone. He has his signature shades on, and they pull it all together. It will be interesting to see what Lululemon does next in golf because these are great so far. Please give us more color, but keep it up because this is such a vibe that most people would wear.

Rating: 9/10

2. Rickie Fowler

Rickie Fowler has finally impressed on the fashion front. This blue polo is a phenomenal color for him. The gray belt looks incredible with the white pants, and the white hat pulls it together. The ‘P’ on the hat matches the polo, and I love how the inside of the collar is pink. It’s a pop of color without making it too busy.

However, I want to see less of the little pattern on him and more of these traditional moments because he pulls them off so well. Sometimes, those patterns get tacky, and it does not have a vibe, but this week, Fowler looks awesome.

Rating: 9.5/10

1. Akshay Bhatia

He leads the tournament and is No. 1 on this list because Akshay Bhatia is the walking definition of traditional but trendy.

This two-tone blue polo from Friday is perfect for his skin tone. The flow, beard and glasses pull it all together. It is a perfect fit. His polo from Thursday was also great because it had a pattern but was not too loud. Greyson Clothier is an ideal choice for Bhatia.

He wears the joggers, which is still a sensitive topic in golf, but he pulls them off. Bhatia is such a vibe. Look good and play good is in full effect for the 22-year-old this week in Detroit.

Rating: 10/10

Rocket Mortgage Classic Rd. 3 Tee Times for competitive Moving Day rocket,mortgage,classic,rd,tee,times,for,competitive,moving,day,sbnation,com,golf,us-open-golf,golf-majors,golf-pga-tour,golf-news

On: June 29, 2024 By: admin

Welcome to Playing Through’s morning ritual — Golf Talk Today.

Each morning will feature a Golf Talk Today, where the crew will discuss various elements throughout the PGA Tour, LPGA, LIV Golf, and more.

It is Moving Day at the Rocket Mortgage Classic.

Akshay Bhatia and Aaron Rai are tied for the lead at 13-under and remain the only two players without a bogey on their scorecards. For the second week in a row, the tournament is a birdie fest.

The PGA Tour chose to take precautions for Saturday’s round and have the players go off on split tees again as inclement weather is headed toward Detroit Golf Club. Who can take advantage of the track on Saturday and post a low number headed into the final day?

Brew a pot of coffee, grab some breakfast, and settle in as we get you ready for the third round of the Rocket Mortgage Classic.

Notable names who missed the cut at the Rocket Mortgage Classic

The cut line for the Rocket Mortgage Classic sat at 4-under, the second lowest in the tournament’s short history. The top 60 and ties make the weekend in Detroit, but check out the biggest names that are headed home early.

Popular golfers who missed the cut at Rocket Mortgage
Keith Mitchell: 3-under, 70-71
Michael Thorbjornsen: 3-under, 68-73
Tom Kim: 3-under, 73-68
Francesco Molinari: 2-under, 72-70
Daniel Berger: 2-under, 70-72
Robert MacIntyre: 1-under, 71-72
Brendon Todd: 1-under, 71-72
Jackson Koivun (a): E, 72,72
Miles Russell (a): 74-70
Kevin Kisner: 2-over, 75-71
Gary Woodland: 2-over, 70-76

Rocket Mortgage Round 3 Tee Times (ET):

*tees off from 10th tee

10:48 a.m. — Ben Silverman, Vince Whaley, Justin Lower

10:48 a.m.* — Ryan Fox, Matt Kuchar, Rickie Fowler

10:59 a.m. — David Skinns, Jacob Bridgeman, Luke Clanton (a)

10:59 a.m.* — Matti Schmid, Patton Kizzire, Ben Griffin

11:10 a.m. — Bud Cauley, Davis Thompson, Ben Kohles

11:10 a.m.* — Rico Hoey, Aaron Baddeley, Nate Lashley

11:21 a.m. — Chris Kirk, Nick Hardy, Andrew Novak

11:21 a.m.* — Hayden Buckley, Kevin Streelman, Ryan McCormick

11:32 a.m. — Nick Dunlap, Dylan Wu, Will Zalatoris

11:32 a.m.* — Maverick McNealy, Blaine Hale Jr., Carl Yuan

11:43 a.m. — Michael Kim, Robby Shelton, Hayden Springer

11:43 a.m.* — Max Greyserman, Peter Malnati, Taylore Moore

11:54 a.m. — Zach Johnson, Patrick Rodgers, Nicolai Højgaard

11:54 a.m.* — Callum Tarren, Patrick Fishburn, Harry Hall

12:05 p.m. — Roger Sloan, Min Woo Lee, J.J. Spaun

12:05 p.m.* — Chris Gotterup, Taylor Pendrith, Nico Echavarria

12:16 p.m. — Neal Shipley, Joe Highsmith, Jhonattan Vegas

12:16 p.m.* — Mark Hubbard, Pierceson Coody, Ryan Moore

12:27 p.m. — Jake Knapp, Wesley Bryan, Sam Stevens

12:27 p.m.* — Brandon Wu, Kevin Yu, Davis Riley

12:38 p.m. — Eric Cole, Cam Davis, Joel Dahmen

12:38 p.m.* — Luke List, Beau Hossler, Ryo Hisatusne

12:49 p.m. — Troy Merritt, Erik van Rooyen, Cameron Young

12:49 p.m* — Chandler Phillips, Nicholas Lindheim, Ben Jones (a)

1:00 p.m. — Akshay Bhatia, Aaron Rai, Taylor Montgomery

ICYMI: Top stories from the Rocket Mortgage Classic and across professional golf

Check out these stories:

PGA of America CEO Seth Waugh stepping down; not renewing contract

Paige Spiranac reveals eye-popping handicap; quiets trolls with impressive receipts

Former Rocket Mortgage Classic champion making more memories, records first PGA Tour hole-in-one

Padraig Harrington deep dives into worst golf swing advice ahead of U.S. Senior Open

U.S. Senior Open: Golfer makes mind blowing consecutive holes-in-one that will make your jaw drop

Rocket Mortgage: Neal Shipley finds no learning curve, contends in 1st professional PGA Tour start

Rocket Mortgage: Neal Shipley finds no learning curve, easily in mix rocket,mortgage,neal,shipley,finds,no,learning,curve,easily,in,mix,sbnation,com,front-page,golf,golf-pga-tour,golf-news

On: June 28, 2024 By: admin

Neal Shipley is no longer an amateur golfer but officially a professional. He made his PGA Tour Americas start last week at The Beachlands Victoria Open and finished T9.

Shipley received a sponsorship exemption into the Rocket Mortgage Classic to make his first PGA Tour start as a professional. He is no stranger to the PGA Tour, though, as he took the world by storm at The Masters and U.S. Open.

The former Ohio State Buckeye finished low amateur at both majors, becoming the second player in the last 25 years to achieve this feat. Viktor Hovland was the other player to do it in 2019.

Friday at Detroit Golf Club saw him card a 4-under 68 to follow his Thursday 5-under 67 score. He sits at 9-under total and four shots behind the leader, Akshay Bhatia. Despite being a new kid on the block, Shipley does not consider it.

“With my experience with the majors, I don’t feel like there’s a big learning curve for me,” Shipley said.

“Pretty fortunate to have had two great experiences at Augusta and Pinehurst. I’ve been in the mix at both at certain times throughout the week, so I feel comfortable. I had a great week last week as a professional as well. So getting settled in and playing good golf, and good golf travels no matter if you’re an amateur or a professional.”

He began his day with a bogey on the par-4 2nd but rebounded and put together a solid round. Shipley recorded two more birdies on the front, then three more on the back nine as he came home in 33 strokes.

In six rounds to start his professional career, Neal Shipley has already made 42 birdies and an eagle. He is currently tied for seventh at 9-under after 36 holes at the PGA Tour’s Rocket Mortgage Classic, which means he will make the cut for a third time against PGA Tour players

— Gerry Dulac (@gerrydulac) June 28, 2024

The 23-year-old is No. 4 in strokes gained approach to the green, picking up +4.296 shots. He is also T10 in strokes gained total at +5.970.

“Had a good first two days so far. Played steady golf today, which I was pretty happy about,” he said. “Hope to keep that up in the weekend and maybe even go a little bit lower. Throw in a low round tomorrow, and we’ll be right in the mix.”

Shipley sits in a good spot heading into Saturday and the rest of the weekend. His PGA Tour journey does not stop in Detroit, as he will also play in next week’s John Deere Classic.

Rocket Mortgage Classic: Akshay Bhatia sees more results, keeps lead rocket,mortgage,classic,akshay,bhatia,sees,more,results,keeps,lead,sbnation,com,front-page,golf,golf-pga-tour,golf-news

On: June 28, 2024 By: admin

Akshay Bhatia put together another strong round at Detroit Golf Club to maintain his lead at the Rocket Mortgage Classic. He signed for a bogey-free 5-under 67 to sit at 13-under total.

The two-time PGA Tour winner leads the morning wave by two shots as Taylor Montgomery and Troy Merritt sit at 11-under. Merritt fired off an 8-under 64 to move up 38 spots.

Bhatia did not make as many birdies but kept his scorecard clean for the second straight day. He began his day on the back nine and recorded three birdies. Two more birdies came at the 1st and 7th hole.

One of the wildest moments of the morning came at the par-5 17th when his ball rolled into a drain on the course.

“Never seen it. Rules official’s never seen it, so it was kind of one in a million chance that ball goes in that small hole in that drain, so it was pretty funny,” Bhatia said. “That’s probably the craziest [lost ball].”

Detroit Golf Club and left-handed golfers do generally not mix well, but Bhatia’s game is nearly perfect for this track.

“It’s a ball-striker’s golf course, a lot of wedges,” he said. “That’s my strong suit, especially inside, I would say, 150 yards, so I think that’s why I like this golf course. I don’t think there’s a difference lefty or righty.”

He currently leads the field in strokes gained total at +10.372 and in strokes gained approach to the green, picking up +5.666. The 22-year-old has also only missed three greens in the past two days.

This week will be about who can make the most birdies and avoid costly mistakes. After such a strong round, Bhatia built off that momentum.

“I feel like when you know you’re playing well, then you feel like you can hit all the golf shots that you need to hit to make a good golf score,” Bhatia said. “I think the difference in situations maybe it’s a little harder, but out here, you can easily make five, six, seven birdies.”

So far, he has 11 birdies, one eagle and 24 pars on the week. If the No. 29 ranked golfer avoids disaster and can keep down the pedal, his third career win and second after the Texas Open might be within reach.

With the afternoon groups left to play, Bhatia will have to wait and see if anyone matches his score and who will likely join him for Saturday’s final tee time.

Rocket Mortgage Classic: Akshay Bhatia’s low massive bogey-free start rocket,mortgage,classic,akshay,bhatia,s,low,massive,bogey,free,start,sbnation,com,front-page,golf,golf-pga-tour,golf-news

On: June 27, 2024 By: admin

Akshay Bhatia brought his momentum from finishing runner-up at the Travelers Championship to Detroit for the Rocket Mortgage Classic.

He carded an 8-under bogey-free 64 at Detroit Golf Club on Thursday with six birdies and an eagle.

“I guess I missed one green today, so I got that up and down,” Bhatia said. “All in all, I hit it pretty nice with the irons and made some putts.”

Bhatia birdied two of his first four holes but would settle for seven straight pars. Then his putter got red hot for him.

In his final seven holes, the 22-year-old went 6-under, coming home in 30 shots. That included a birdie-eagle-birdie finish.

“Yeah, it’s always nice to finish like that,” he said. “This tournament’s always kind of a birdie-fest, so birdies and eagles help a lot. It’s nice to finish that way.”

Last week’s Travelers Championship was also a birdie fest. Prior to that, the U.S. Open and Memorial tournaments put players to quite the test.

For Bhatia, though, he appreciates both challenges.

“Played the U.S. Open, it was really hard. Then you come last week and this week, and you’re making a lot of birdies, so you feel like it’s pretty fun again,” Bhatia said. “I think a mix of it is really good, and I’m just happy we get to play an old-school golf course for once.”

The two-time PGA Tour winner enjoys classic golf courses like Detroit Golf Club. It fits his game well. As one of the better iron players on Tour, he likes the shot choices that come with playing this track.

“I feel like I can be creative like I normally am,” he said. “It’s also nice because these greens are pretty tricky. They have a lot of small slopes, but they’re soft, so you can still be aggressive towards a couple of these pins.”

Bhatia leads the Rocket Mortgage Classic by one shot after the first 18 holes. Taylor Montgomery and Michael Kim sit behind him at 7-under.

He plays Friday at 7:18 a.m. ET alongside Stephen Jaeger and Min Woo Lee.