Akshay Bhatia three-putts on final hole, loses Rocket Mortgage Classic by one

Akshay Bhatia three-putted for bogey on the 72nd hole of the Rocket Mortgage Classic to fall just one short of winner Cam Davis, missing a 4-footer to force a playoff. It was a shocking turn of events for the rising star who has displayed a clutch gene early in his pro career, but a reminder of golf’s fickle nature.

“It sucks,” Bhatia said afterward. “No other way to put it. I mean, just sucks.”

Bhatia, 22, was looking to join an esteemed list of modern-era TOUR pros to win three titles before age 23 (which includes Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy, Jordan Spieth, Tom Kim and Sergio Garcia). After a cruel finish at Detroit Golf Club, he’ll have to wait another week.

Bhatia hadn’t made a bogey through 54 holes but broke that run on the par-4 third earlier Sunday in Motown. He got that one back immediately, draining a 32-foot birdie on the very next hole. Bhatia was steady enough for the balance of Sunday until the par-4 finishing hole, where his 32-foot birdie putt to win never had enough pace and he then compounded the error.

It was his first three-putt of the week and his first miss inside 6 feet.

“You’ve got so much slope there so you don't want to run it 5, 6 feet by,” Bhatia reflected. “Just a little bit of nerves, honestly. I'm human and yeah, the greens get slower throughout the day here; poa annua's pretty tough.

“I know how to close a golf tournament; I’ve done it before. Today just wasn’t my day.”

Bhatia was looking for his second win of the season after capturing the Valero Texas Open in April. The wiry North Carolinian also won last year’s Barracuda Championship while competing on Special Temporary Membership.

Davis won the Rocket Mortgage Classic for the second time. He won in a playoff at Detroit Golf Club in 2021. The Australian shot a final-round 70 Sunday to finish at 18 under, including a gritty up-and-down at No. 18 that was ultimately enough for the outright title.

Bhatia ended up in a four-way tie for second with Davis Thompson, Min Woo Lee and Aaron Rai. This was his third top-10 finish of the season and second in a row after finishing T5 at the Travelers Championship. He moves from No. 15 to No. 11 on the season-long FedExCup standings and further establishes his ascendant place in the pro game.

But that third title is elusive, for now.

“Playing good golf, doing a lot of good things,” he said, “so just kind of get ready for The Open and hopefully I can put myself in position once again.”