Akshay Bhatia was at the top of the leaderboard, whether tied or solo, all throughout the 2024 Rocket Mortgage Classic in Detroit.
But he three-putted Sunday evening from 32 feet on the 18th green, giving Cam Davis his second victory in four years at Detroit Golf Club, finishing at 18-under-par 270.
Davis is the first two-time winner of Detroit’s flagship PGA Tour tournament that started in 2019, finishing one shot clear of Bhatia, Min Woo Lee, Aaron Rai and Davis Thompson. Davis, now a two-time Tour winner with both of them coming at Detroit Golf Club, watched the missed putt securing his win while warming up for a potential playoff on the third tee box.
“It was a combination of shock and feeling bad for him,” Davis said of Bhatia’s missed putt. “At the same time, (I was) realizing that the huge burden of trying to win again is off the shoulders. It’s still a bit of a shock.”
Bhatia had just one bogey and no three-putts through 71 holes, as he was looking for his second win on the PGA Tour this season and third of his career.
Instead, Davis’ steady play, including an up-and-down from just outside the bunker on the par-5 17th, and an up-and-down from the left rough on No. 18, was enough.
“I left those chips in the best place I could,” Davis said.
Sucks,” Bhatia said minutes later in his news conference, arms crossed. “No other way to put it. Just sucks.”
Bhatia and Rai were tied for the lead at 17-under heading into the final day, with Davis and Cameron Young a shot back tied at 16-under. Rai briefly jumped into the lead, but Bhatia and Davis pulled ahead heading into the back nine. Bhatia jumped into the lead thanks to a Davis bogey on No. 14, then Lee reached 18 under before subsequently falling back to 17 under with a bogey on the final hole.
Davis won the tournament in 2021, outlasting Troy Merritt and Joaquin Niemann in a five-hole playoff.
SOURCE: FREEP.COM
