Troy Merritt's 'no expectations' propel him to Friday-low 64 at Rocket Mortgage Classic
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After playing only one round in the past three weeks, plays into contention with rounds of 69-64
There’s plenty of personal ways to prepare for a PGA TOUR event. Sometimes a dialled-in routine works just fine, other times, a bit of a break helps.
Troy Merritt’s summertime kickoff firmly sits in the latter category, as he said Friday at the Rocket Mortgage Classic he’s played just one round of golf in the last three weeks.
That approach has worked just fine through 36 holes, however, as he sits just two shots back of the lead heading into the weekend at Detroit Golf Club.
Merritt’s 8-under 64 Friday was tied for the low round of the day. It wasn’t without its challenges, but he had some positive memories to lean on.
“I just reminded myself after I three-putted the first hole today that I did it at (the Fortinet Championship) last fall and it resulted in an 8-under-par 64," Merritt said with a smile. "So that was kind of my goal after I three-putted the first. Lo and behold took another three-putt and a bunch of birdies and eagle to get to that 64, so it was just a fantastic day out there."
Troy Merritt's tee shot to 8 feet yields birdie at Rocket Mortgage
Merritt finished tied for ninth at THE CJ CUP Byron Nelson in early May, his best result of the season so far. He was 138th in the FedExCup standings heading into the week, so a good result would do wonders for the balance of his 2024 campaign.
With two Signature Events and the U.S. Open covering most of the June schedule, Merritt took some time away from golf and was curious, but content, with coming into this week with a little rust.
“I had no idea what to expect," Merritt said. "Sometimes that’s the way to do it. It's been a long year; it was definitely a long spring. I needed a little bit of a break from playing the game. I took that. And I feel fresh and now we’re sitting pretty.”
The 38-year-old missed the cut at the RBC Canadian Open, the last time he teed it up on TOUR. He does, however, have a full bank of good memories at Detroit Golf Club. He hasn’t finished outside the top 20 in four straight appearances and was runner-up in 2021.
“I feel very comfortable out here,” Merritt said. “I just have a very good feel around this place and it’s nice to be playing well again.”