Cam Davis wins the Rocket Mortgage Classic for the second timeclosed at -2 on Sunday which gave him the win by a stroke when Bhatia three-putted from 32 feet on the final hole.
Davis, who won his only PGA Tour title three years ago at Detroit Golf Club, has finished no higher than 38th in six starts since tying for 12th at the Masters in April, his best finish to the season.
The 29-year-old Australian tied Bhatia with a birdie on the par-5 17th That was enough when he broke left on the 17th hole. That was enough as the left-handed Bhatia, who uses a long putter, saw his short par attempt at the 18th miss low and right, his first three-putt of the week.
Davis finished at 18-under 270 on a day of missed opportunities for the final pairing of Bhatia and Aaron Rai, who each shot an even-par 72. Davis Thompson (68) and Min Woo Lee (69) also graduated within a stroke. Davis, who entered the tournament ranked No. 67 in the world, becoming the first two-time winner of the event since it debuted on the PGA Tour schedule in 2019.
Bhatia, 22, is seeking his third PGA Tour title and second this year after leading or sharing the lead in each of the first three rounds. He just finished fifth at the Travelers Championship, where he was part of the final group that was interrupted by protesters on the 18th hole green.
Cameron Young shot 73 and fell to sixth place with two bogeys in the last three holes. The pressure to win for the first time on tour may have gotten the best of Young, a seven-time runner-up, on the par-5 14th, when his drive traveled 254 yards into the rough left of the fairway.
As the ball flew, Young pushed his driver against the tee and broke the shaft. He was unable to replace him for the rest of the round. Davis led the way with three birdies in five holes on the front nine.
By late afternoon, there were indications that it might not be Bhatia’s day. Rai, who shared the second and third round leads with Bhatia, took the lead on the first hole after correcting his approach from 142 yards to 5 feet for birdie.
Bhatia fell two shots short on the par-4 third hole, where his approach shot landed in the thicket. He only raised his chip 9 feet, which led to bogey.
Bhatia responded with a 31-foot birdie putt on the par-5 fourth hole, the first of two birdies of the day. He was 17 strokes behind through three rounds, but the missed putt will be the best memory of his week.
Source: La Verdad
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