sports247

shot 5-under-par on Friday putting him at 13-under-par 131 on the tournament. Rai shot 7-under-par on Friday 13-under-pay 131 on the tournament.

Some golfers who p-ranked player in the field, Tom Kim, the wo, who finished runner-up last week after losing in a playoff against Scottie Scheffler, shot 4-under 68 on Friday after shooting 73 on Thursday to finish 3 under, one shot off the cut line. He was making a ninth straight start this week, and clearly did not have his best form.

Here are some other takeaways from the second round of the sixth iteration of the Rocket, which continues Saturday morning at Detroit Golf Club.

Aces high

Joe Highsmith plays an approach shot on the 17th hole during the second round of the 2024 Rocket Mortgage Classic at Detroit Golf Club. (Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)

Joe Highsmith aced the par-3 fifth hole from 149 yards out, a day after Nate Lashley made a 1 on his second hole of his first round, No. 11, from 217 yards. Highsmith is tied for ninth place at 9-under 135 after shooting 8-under 64, chasing the co-leaders at 13 under: 22-year-old American Akshay Bhatia, and 29-year-old Englishman Aaron Rai.

“I hit pitching wedge, it was around 150 straight downwind. The pin was tucked pretty front, so it was pretty hard to get close,” Highsmith said. “When I hit it, I thought it was short for sure, it was just barely mishit. I was totally expecting to be in that kind of front rough bank and sure enough it just carried on and then it was right at it and I think flew in the hole second bounce, so that was quite a treat. Did not think it was going in by any means, but that was a steal, for sure.”

Bhatia, Rai tied for lead through 36 holes

Akshay Bhatia makes birdie on the par-4 18th hole during round two of the 2024 Rocket Mortgage Classic at the Detroit Golf Club. (Kimberly P. Mitchell/Detroit Free Press)

Bhatia has been atop the leaderboard at the end of both days now. He has capitalizing on some approach shots with great putting, and played bogey free golf despite his early morning tee time. Even when he didn’t hit great shots toward the end of his round, he avoided trouble.

“I felt like a drove the ball a little better for the most part,” Bhatia said in his post-round interview. “Then I made some not great golf swings towards the end but, I only birdied one of the par-5s but I made it for with a couple good birdies, but all in all, it’s nice to be in the position I wanna be in.”

Bhatia, who won in April in a playoff at the Valero Texas Open for his second career win on Tour, seemed confident in his approach to the round. He smiled more often Friday, keeping fans engaged. His keys to victory entering the third round are very simple.

“You just got to keep your foot on the pedal,” Bhatia said, “I have made plenty of birdies this week, but I gotta keep going.”

Rai is also at 13 under after his second-round 65. He’s looking for more at Detroit Golf Club after a top-10 finish there in 2023.

“It’s always nice to come back to a course with good memories. I enjoy the layout, it fits my eye pretty well, and the conditions that we have this week are pretty soft, which certainly gives us opportunities to hit a lot of fairways and be a little more aggressive with the second shots,” he said.

Russell improves but not enough for the cut

Miles Russell makes his PGA tour debut but falls short of making weekend play during round two of the 2024 Rocket Mortgage Classic at the Detroit Golf Club. (Kimberly P. Mitchell/Detroit Free Press)

Miles Russell, the , missed the cut by four shots, but had a bounce-back day after shooting 2-over 74 in his debut. He sunk three birdies on the front nine, and holed out from 63 feet on the par-3 11th, but made bogeys on the par-4 12th and par-4 16th to finish with a 2-under 70 — even-par 144 for the tournament.

“I think it was a good week,” Russell said afterward. “It just stinks that golf didn’t go the way I wanted it to, but it was a great week.”

Russell did not look frazzled by the moment, and has the skills and mindset to improve. The PGA Tour should expect to see him back in the future on a more consistent basis.

Rickie Fowler tees off from the first hole during the second round of the 2024 Rocket Mortgage Classic at the Detroit Golf Club. (Kimberly P. Mitchell/Detroit Free Press)

The tournament’s defending champion finished the day even on the round, keeping him at 6 under for the tournament. Although he made the cut, Fowler is tied for 38th and seven shots back, after bogeys on his final two holes, Nos. 8 and 9.

Fowler birdied and bogeyed three times in the second round, missing the par-3 ninth in the right side rough, then his second shot ended up on the other side of the green into the left rough. He chipped to inside three feet and made the bogey putt to end the round.

Fowler’s rough finish puts him in a difficult spot to win in his title defense, but he doesn’t lack fan support.

Cameron Young stretches during the first round of the 2024 Rocket Mortgage Classic at the Detroit Golf Club. (Kimberly P. Mitchell/Detroit Free Press)

Some other golfers moved up the leaderboard, which could make the race interesting over the final two rounds.

Cameron Young, ranked No. 23 in the world, had another great showing Friday, shooting 6-under 66 to place him at 11 under. He continues to be precise on his approach shot and on the greens, a week after carding a . The 27-year-old is looking for his first win on Tour, with seven runner-up finishes. Young was the 2022 PGA Tour Rookie of the Year.

Erik van Rooyen tied for the best round of the day Friday, firing an 8-under 64 to tie for third two shots behind the leaders. If the 34-year-old from South Africa can continue his second-round success, he could be a surprise winner Sunday afternoon.