Davis, Lee ready to lift-off at Rocket Mortgage Classic
Aussie pair Cam Davis and Min Woo Lee are poised within striking distance of the top of the leaderboard going into the final day of the Rocket Mortgage Classic.
After a third-round 66, Davis is a shot back from leaders Akshay Bhatia and Aaron Rai, who each shot 68 on Saturday to finish 17 under overall.
The Sydneysider ended the day tied for third with Cameron Young (67) at a soggy and windy Detroit Golf Club.
Sam Stevens (66) and Erik van Rooyen (68) were another stroke back, while Lee (66) is in a three-way tie for seventh at 14 under alongside Joel Dahmen (68) and amateur Luke Clanton (65).
"The biggest factor was the wind," Lee said.
"We've been playing in pretty calm conditions the last two days and today was like a hurricane."
The third round started a couple hours later than scheduled and threesomes went off the front and back nine as heavy rain soaked the course, leaving standing water in the fairways and large puddles in areas of the rough.
The soggy conditions allowed players to lift, clean and place their golf balls in the fairways, but they got no relief from winds that gusted up to 40km/h.
While Bhatia and Rai slowed down as the sun started to set and shadows blanketed the course, Young surged into a three-way tie at the par-5 17th with his third birdie in four holes.
Young shot a 59 last Saturday at the Travelers Championship, the first player to pull off that feat since Scottie Scheffler did it during the 2020 FedExCup Playoffs.
Davis, who won the Rocket Mortgage Classic in 2021 at 18 under, made it a four-way tie atop the leaderboard with a slow-rolling eight-footer to close with his fourth birdie in five holes.
Bhatia and Rai birdied 17, turning a four-way tie into two at 17 under. They both parred the the final hole.
Bhatia picked up his second PGA Tour victory at the Texas Open in April and is coming off a fifth-place finish at the Travelers Championship, where he was in the final group that was disrupted by climate protesters storming the 18th green.
"Last week, I was right there for a long time and didn't get it done," he said.
"But I'm excited for this."
Rai and and Young, who has been a runner-up seven times, are each seeking their first PGA Tour victory.
- with AAP
