Akshay Bhatia heads into the weekend for the second straight event with an amazing likelihood to win. After contending final week on the Vacationers Championship, the wiry left hander is at once more on the 2024 Rocket Mortgage Traditional. Backing up his opening 8-under 64 with a 67 on Friday, Bhatia stands at 13 beneath alongside Englishman Aaron Rai, who utilized two late birdies to hitch Bhatia on the prime.
“For me, I really feel like when you are taking part in effectively, then you definately really feel like you may hit all of the golf photographs that you want to hit to make a very good golf rating,” Bhatia stated. “I believe distinction in conditions, perhaps it is just a little tougher, however out right here you may simply make 5, six, seven birdies.”
After his Spherical 1 efficiency that included six birdies and an eagle, Bhatia added 5 extra circles to his scorecard in Spherical 2 whereas remaining bogey-free. Bhatia has blistered Detroit Golf Membership due to his ball placing, and it might want to proceed into the weekend given the variety of names that lurk and loads of birdies nonetheless available.
Not solely will he have Rai to deal with but additionally a pair of Rookies of the Yr in Cameron Younger and Eric Cole. Younger parlayed his scorching weekend in Cromwell, Connecticut, that included a 59 at TPC River Highlands, into extra birdie making this week whereas Cole has rediscovered kind that had deserted him for a lot of the yr.
The identical could be stated for 2021 event champion Cam Davis, who sits a number of again at 10 beneath. With out a lot to talk of this season, the gifted Australian seeks his second PGA Tour title on the website of his first. Erik van Rooyen, Joel Dahmen, Jake Knapp and Min Woo Lee additionally discover themselves within the combine heading into the weekend within the Motor Metropolis.
The leaders
T1. Akshay Bhatia, Aaron Rai (-13)
Bhatia truly hit the ball higher on Friday than Thursday, however the rating was not indicative of this. Not holing as many putts and failing to capitalize on three of the 4 par 5s, Bhatia left some on the market however stays in a unbelievable spot to choose up his third PGA Tour victory.
No. 3 almost got here final weekend as Bhatia was featured alongside world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler for each the third and fourth rounds of the Vacationers Championship. Whereas he in the end settled for a T5 end, Bhatia obtained a entrance row seat to the present customary in skilled golf.
“It is cool to see what it is like,” Bhatia stated of taking part in with world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler final weekend. “He is clearly taking part in on a special degree than many people out right here. Yeah, I imply, he simply form of plots round and would not make many errors and would not let something get to him. That is why he is the No. 1 participant on the planet; he holds himself to that customary.”
Different contenders
T3. Taylor Montgomery, Troy Merritt, Erik van Rooyen, Cameron Younger (-11)
T7. Eric Cole, Cam Davis, Joel Dahmen (-10)
T10. Jake Knapp, Neal Shipley, Wesley Bryan, Sam Stevens, Joe Highsmith (-9)
It is a bit of an odd bunch, some with out a lot kind however others with lots, however Davis’ inclusion within the chasing pack via two rounds is notable. A winner right here a number of years in the past, the smooth-swinging Australian has fallen on onerous instances in regard to his recreation. With no top-35 end for the reason that Masters in early April, Davis has channeled the nice vibes of 2021 and the following top-20 finishes at Detroit GC into extra of the identical this week.
“I do follow rounds, I nonetheless go round and suppose, ‘Oh, that is the place I hit an amazing shot and that is the place I gained it and that is the place I holed one thing,'” Davis stated. “As soon as the event begins, it is so totally different, yeah, you do not actually begin eager about that until somebody factors it out to you. No, I’ve achieved my appreciation again early within the week and it is get again to enterprise and, yeah, attempt to benefit from the journey once more.”
Bhatia’s disappearing act
Some of the weird situations of a misplaced ball on the PGA Tour occurred Friday morning when Bhatia’s tee shot on the par-5 seventeenth break up the green. Tumbling down the quick grass, Bhatia’s golf ball disappeared because it took a visit down a drain in the midst of the green. In a position to determine his Callaway via the drainage holes, Bhatia was awarded free reduction and went about his enterprise like nothing had occurred.
“Oh, yeah, that was wild,” Bhatia stated. “No, by no means seen it. Guidelines official’s by no means seen it, so it was form of one in 1,000,000 likelihood that ball goes in that small gap in that drain, so it was fairly humorous.”
Miles Russell misses the minimize
The 15-year-old almost punched his identify onto the weekend tee sheet however got here up simply quick. After opening with a 74, Russell was fired out of a cannon Friday morning carding 4 birdies in his first 11 holes to get to 2 beneath for the event. Needing to play his closing seven holes in 2 beneath, Russell as an alternative tacked on two bogeys to complete his event at a really respectable even par.
2024 Rocket Mortgage Traditional replace odds, picks
- Akshay Bhatia: 5/2
- Aaron Rai: 4-1
- Cameron Younger: 9/2
- Erik van Rooyen: 12-1
- Cam Davis: 18-1
- Taylor Montgomery: 22-1
- Troy Merritt: 22-1
- Eric Cole: 28-1
I like the best way Bhatia seems to be, and whereas simply north of 2-1 is steep to pay at this level, it could be the proper play at this juncture. In lieu of Bhatia, Knapp may very well be an element from 45-1 after a stellar second spherical that noticed him acquire nearly +4.50 strokes on strategy. If there’s somebody who may go nuclear on Shifting Day and fireplace one thing within the low 60s to get again into the event, Davis Thompson is my favourite outsider choice from six again at 100-1.
Rick Gehman and Patrick McDonald recap the second spherical of the Rocket Mortgage Traditional with scorecards, storylines and betting favorites. Comply with & hearken to The First Lower on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.