Akshay Bhatia's ball goes down a drain (!) en route to Rocket Mortgage Classic lead
PGA Tour star Akshay Bhatia faced a bizarre situation in the second round but holds a share of the lead at the Rocket Mortgage Classic.
Akshay Bhatia's golf ball may have gone down the drain on the 17th hole but his hopes of landing a PGA Tour hat-trick have most certainly not at the halfway stage of the Rocket Mortgage Classic.
Bhatia, 22, has quickly emerged as one of the PGA Tour's brighest young stars following two victories already at the 2023 Baracuda Championship and 2024 Valero Texas Open.
The World No.29 now finds himself firmly in contention to capture a third PGA Tour title in less than 12 months having surged to the top of the leaderboard alongside England's Aaron Rai after 36 holes at Detroit Golf Club in Michigan.
Bhatia and Rai have both moved serenely to 13-under par at the Rocket Mortgage Classic.
Cameron Young is also in the mix at just two shots off the pace.
Both Rai and Young are still seeking their first title on the PGA Tour.
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Bhatia encountered one of the most bizarre moments of the PGA Tour season so far when he split the middle of the fairway at the par-5 17th only to find his ball had gone down a drain cover.
After telling a rules official what happened and identifying his Callaway ball had gone down one of the holes in the cover, Bhatia was able to replace his golf ball without any penalty.
He went on to make a par.
Scroll below to watch what happened...
Bhatia has yet to make a bogey thru 36 holes.
He made six birdies and an eagle on day one, and then followed it up with five more birdies on day two.
Should Bhatia go on to win the Rocket Mortgage Classic on Sunday he would vault into the top 10 of the FedEx Cup.
