Bhatia and Rai share lead heading into final round at Rocket Mortgage Classic

DETROIT (AP) — Akshay Bhatia and Aaron Rai each shot 4-under 68 on Saturday to move to 17-under through three rounds and share the lead for the second straight day at the Rocket Mortgage Classic.

Cam Davis (66) and Cameron Young (67) were a shot back at Detroit Golf Club, soggy and windy. Sam Stevens (66) and Erik van Rooyen (68) were another attack at the back.

Amateur Luke Clanton (65), Min Woo Lee (66) and Joel Dahmen (68) were three shots behind the leaders entering Sunday’s final round.

Ben Silverman of Thornhill, Ont., is the top Canadian. He shot 5 under on Saturday and is tied for 14th at 12 under. Roger Sloan of Calgary is tied for 31st at 9 under, while Taylor Pendrith of Richmond Hill, Ont., is tied for 73rd at 2 under.

The third round started several hours later than scheduled, with groups of three taking place on both the front and back as more than an inch of rain drenched the course, leaving standing water in the fairways and large puddles in rugged areas.

The wet conditions allowed players to lift, clean and place their golf balls in the fairways. The players were not happy with the wind which was gusting up to 25 mph

Rai birdied the tiebreaker at the par-3 11th and held a one-shot lead until he bogeyed his first of the tournament on the par-3 15th, missing a 12-foot putt to fall back into equality.

Bhatia, the only player in the field without a bogey, followed with a seven-foot putt for par on the same hole.

While Bhatia and Rai slowed as the sun began to set and shadows blanketed the course, Young moved into a three-way tie at the par-5 17th with his third birdie in four holes.

Young posted a 59 last Saturday at the Travelers Championship, the first player to accomplish the feat since Scottie Scheffler did it during the 2020 FedExCup Playoffs.

Davis, who won the 2021 Rocket Mortgage Classic at 18-under, moved into a four-way tie atop the leaderboard with a slow eight-footer to finish with his fourth birdie in five holes.

Bhatia and Rai carded 17 birdies to turn a four-way tie at 17 under and both birdied the final hole.

Will Zalatoris, who entered the tournament ranked 44th, retired with a back injury after playing eight holes in 3 on Saturday.

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AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf

Larry Lage, Associated Press