Call it an “A” for effort.
Saturday’s third round of the 2024 Rocket Mortgage Classic brought another tie on the leader board, between a pair of A’s — Aaron Rai and Akshay Bhatia.
Each shot a 4-under 68 Saturday to drop to 17-under for the tournament, setting up a dynamic duel as the sixth iteration of the Rocket comes to a close at Detroit Golf Club.
Further down the board, some new names emerged, including a surging amateur and a pair of Cams. But what else would you expect in the Motor City?
Here are four takeaways from the third round:
Rai vs. Bhatia will have a great finish
Bhatia grabbed the lead on Day 1 with an 8-under 64 and has held a share of the lead at the end of all three rounds. But Rai grabbed the lead at one point Saturday after Bhatia struggled during on Nos. 7-9. He ended up in the bunker twice and the rough once in that stretch, though he managed to get back for pars on all three.
Entering the back nine, Bhatia birdied No. 10, but Rai briefly grabbed the lead after he birdied 11. But a costly bogey on 15, in which he two-putted opened the door for another tie. Both shaved a stroke off their totals with birdies on the par-5 17th, then closed with pars on 18.
Rai has maintained a no-nonsense demeanor all weekend despite dominating drives drawing approving murmers from the crowd. No golfer has been more accurate at the Rocket, as Rai has posted an 83.33% accuracy rate on his grives and hit 48- of 54 greens in regulation, an 88.89% mark.
Amateur Luke Clayton is in striking distance for the final round
Luke Clayton, one of two amateurs to make the cut, made a strong push Saturday, moving up 19 spots with his 7-under 65, the low score in the third round, climbing into a tie for seventh with Min Woo Lee and Joel Dahmen. Clanton played the odds, so to speak, on the front nine with four birdies in his first seven holes: Nos. 1, 3, 5 and 7. On the back nine, he picked up another birdie on 11 with a 24-foot putt on the par-3 hole. But he couldn’t keep it up on No. 12, two-putting from 16 ½ feet out to bogey the hole. He got that right back on No. 14 with an impressive eagle on the par-5 hole, opening with a 327-yard drive onto the fairway and then sticking his 227-yard second shot just over 3 feet from the pin, for an easy eagle and a move to 6-under. The Florida State alumnus, who finished tied for 41st at the Masters in April, then shaved a final stroke on 17, using a precise 69 ½-foot third shot to get within 7 feet of the hole for a birdie putt.
Will Zalatoris withdraws
Will Zalatoris abruptly left the course Saturday after feeling discomfort after a swing. The injury led to him withdrawing in favor of some rest, according to a statement from manager Allen Hobbs: “Will experienced some discomfort after a swing today and, out of utmost precaution, made the tough decision to withdraw. 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.”
Who are the biggest threats to Rai and Bhatia
Cam Davis has been climbing the leaderboard each day. He moved up four spots on Saturday after firing a 6-under to climb into a tie for third. The 2021 Rocket champ knows what it takes to finish strong at Detroit Golf Club; on Saturday, it was a strong start, as Davis birdied Nos. 1, 2, 4 and 7. He managed just two birdies on the back nine, closing with a bird on No. 18 after charging to within 7½ feet of the pin in two strokes.
That leveled him with “the other Cam” — Cameron Young, who carded a 5-under 67 Saturday. Young wobbled slightly on the front nine, with a bogey on the par-5 No. 5 wiping out part of the momentum from birdies on Nos. 1, 6 and 7. But he closed strong as well, with birdies on three of four holes in the 14-17 stretch. He came close to sitting in third place by himself after a fantastic opening on the par-5 14th. Young drove 306 yards to the right side of the fairway, staying just above the bunker, then fired it 251 yards to reach the green in two. But a long putt didn’t fall, leaving him a 2½-footer for the birdie.
If Young can string some great holes together — as he did in his runner-up finish in 2022 — he can be another big problem for Bhatia and Rai.
