Golfbet recap: Cam Davis Rocket Mortgage Classic champion for second time after late Akshay Bhatia stumble
Akshay Bhatia saved his only bogies and his only three-putt of the entire week for the final round on Sunday and it cost him dearly. In the end, Cam Davis is a two-time winner of the Rocket Mortgage Classic.
It was an amazing finish indeed as Bhatia and Davis were tied for the lead at 18-under par with Davis getting ready for a playoff while Bhatia, in the final pairing, found the middle of the fairway with his tee shot on the 72nd hole of the tournament. He then hit a 7-iron to 32 feet and had a birdie putt for the win or a two-putt for a playoff with Davis at Detroit Golf Club.
Bhatia left his lag putt agonizingly short and then proceeded to miss the four-footer for par, handing the victory to Davis in regulation. I’m guessing this was followed by a huge sigh of relief from those at BetMGM Sportsbooks. We reported earlier this week that Bhatia was the very largest liability for BetMGM in the outright winner market – trailed closely by Tom Kim, who missed the cut this week after losing in a playoff last week.
Davis now has two career TOUR victories, both of which have come at Detroit Golf Club. It looked like it would possibly come via playoff for the second time in four seasons, but Bhatia let it slip out of his hands before extra holes were needed.
Pre-tournament, the 2021 Rocket Mortgage Classic winner, went off at +6600. Heading into Sunday’s final round, Davis was one shot off the lead, began the day in the penultimate pairing, and was trading at +650 to win.
Aaron Rai and Bhatia had been co-owners of the lead at the Rocket Mortgage Classic for two days straight, after 36 and after 54 holes of play.
But the tie atop the leaderboard didn’t last long on Sunday. Rai birdied the first hole to move to 18-under and was alone in the lead for the first time all week. His odds to win were cut in more than half, going from +300 to +140.
Rai’s lead jumped to two shots when his playing partner, Bhatia, made his first bogey of the week at the third hole. Bhatia dropped to 16-under for the tournament, into a tie with Davis and Cameron Young. Davis Thompson had made two straight birdies and was now just three off the lead at 15-under through six holes.
Bhatia got the shot right back at the fourth. Davis birdied the fifth and Rai’s lead was back down to just one shot. Rai was now +175 to win the golf tournament while Bhatia was at +300. Davis was at +450 and Young was at +600.
The wind direction changed on Sunday in the Detroit area and it was playing into the player’s faces on the scoring holes, the par 5s. A Donald Ross design, Detroit Golf Club was playing 2 1/2 shots more difficult on Sunday than what it was dealing on Saturday. What was once a birdie-fest had become much more of a grind on championship Sunday.
Rai made his first bogey of the day at No. 6 and suddenly we had a three-way tie at the top between Bhatia, Rai, and Davis. Bhatia moved into the role of the favorite at +225. Davis was at +250 and Rai drifted to +275.
Jockeying for position, the first nine holes of this final round felt like a horse race with players trading places on the leaderboard after seemingly every hole. When the final group of Rai and Bhatia made the turn, it was Bhatia and Davis tied for the lead at 18-under. Young was alone in third at 17-under. Erik van Rooyen and Rai were two back at 16-under. Bhatia remained the favorite, now at +160 with nine holes left to play.
Rai holed a 22-foot putt for birdie at No. 10 and now he was back to just one off of Bhatia and Davis’ lead. It was setting up to be quite the finish at this point and for the third time in four years, it looked like we could be in for another playoff.
Min Woo Lee joined the fray at No. 15 when he chipped in for birdie for the second time on the day. Lee was now just one shot back of the leaders and was +1000 to get his first PGA TOUR victory. He birdied the par-5 17th hole to get to 18-under but followed it up with a bogey on No. 18.
Thompson made another late push, birdieing three out of four holes down the stretch, but made par on his final hole and ultimately finished runner-up for now the second time this season.
Playing the 14th hole, Davis had 289 yards left into the putting surface for his second shot. He went for the green in two and reached safely but the ball rolled off one of those classic Ross design edges and into the green-side water hazard. The resulting bogey initially appeared to be a possible death sentence for his chances.
Davis’ playing partner, Young, pulled his tee shot left on the same hole. He cringed in disgust and leaned on his driver after the poor shot, snapping the club’s shaft. Young’s greatest weapon, his driver, was now broken and no longer in play. He was one shot off the lead at the time – pursuing his first-ever TOUR win. Thanks to the setback and an ice-cold putter, the man who has finished runner-up seven times, shot a 1-over 73 and finished tied for sixth.
Davis, an Australian, was a part of the President’s Cup team in 2022 and this win will do a great deal to help his chances of making this season’s squad.
He is scheduled to be in the field next week at the John Deere Classic. The three biggest names in the field are fellow Australian, Jason Day, plus Patrick Cantlay and Jordan Spieth. Spieth won the John Deere Classic for his first-ever TOUR victory 11 years ago. He won it again in 2015. His last win was more than two years ago at the 2022 RBC Heritage. The 2023 John Deere Classic winner, Sepp Straka is also in the field next week.