Akshay Bhatia was walking down the fairway of the Detroit Golf Club, looking for his ball after a long, straight tee shot, and found it in an unlikely place: underground, after falling into a drain.
Bhatia said he and the PGA Tour rules official who granted the free drop had never seen anything like it.
“The odds were one in a million that the ball would end up in that little hole in the drain,” he said.
Bhatia eventually shot a 5-under 67, good for a tie for the lead after 36 holes with Aaron Rai (13-under 131) at the Rocket Mortgage Classic on Friday.
Bhatia’s drive on the par-5 17th hole managed to fall into a metal drain plug just big enough for a golf ball on one of the five holes. He ultimately made par in his second bogey-free round in a row.
“It’s going to go pretty viral, I think,” he said.
Rai shot 65 to match Bhatia on a course that consistently produces low scores. The Englishman made seven birdies, including four in a five-hole series midway through the round, and capped his day with a 21-foot birdie putt on the 18th.
Taylor Montgomery (68), Troy Merritt (64), Erik van Rooyen (64) and Cameron Young (66) were two strokes behind the co-leaders.
Eric Cole (68), Cam Davis (66) and Joel Dahmen (64) fired back again.
Neal Shipley, the lowest amateur at the Masters and US Open, gave himself a chance to play in his first PGA Tour event as a pro. He was four strokes behind after a 68.
“Given my experience with the majors, I don’t feel like I have much to learn,” he said.
Amateur Luke Clanton (68) was 7 under and showed off the talent he showed last season at Florida State, where he set a school record with a 69.3 scoring average.
22-year-old Bhatia decided to skip college and turned pro at the age of 17.
“I still have a long time to go before I can say this is the right decision, but so far I have made progress every year I have been pro,” he said.
He earned his second PGA Tour victory at the Texas Open in April and finished fifth at the Travelers Championship, where he was in the final group disrupted by climate protesters who stormed the 18th green.
Rai, Montgomery and Young are each seeking their first PGA Tour victory. Merritt and van Rooyen have won twice each.
Tom Kim, the top-ranked player in the field at No. 16, followed up an opening-round 73 with a 68 to miss the cut by a stroke at 3 under. After losing to Scottie Scheffler in a playoff last week in Connecticut, he may have run out of gas in the Motor City in his ninth straight tournament.
Miles Russell, a 15-year-old amateur from Florida, shot a round of 70 on Friday to miss the cut in his PGA Tour debut with an even-par 144.
The 6-foot-1, 260-pound Russell was a fan favorite, drawing relatively large crowds and plenty of cheers.
“You can do it, boy!” shouted an audience member.
After signing his card and answering questions from reporters, he hugged family members, posed for photos and signed autographs.
“It’s surreal,” said his mother, Keli Russell, holding back tears. “The support from everyone is simply incredible.”
Russell, the youngest player ever to play on the Korn Ferry Tour, returns to the Motor City next month for the U.S. Junior Amateur at Oakland Hills, which will also feature Tiger Woods’ son Charlie.
“(Charlie Woods) was actually there at my charity event that I hosted, the Florida Sunshine Cup, I played with him there,” Russell said. “I haven’t played with him for a while and it will be good to see him.”
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AP Golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf
