‘It sucks’: Akshay Bhatia survives 97-yard drive, but three-putts last to miss RMC playoff

Tied for the lead in the final round of the Rocket Mortgage Classic, Akshay Bhatia pulled his tee shot on the par-4 13th dead right, into a tree.

His ball dropped into the rough, 97 yards from where he initially struck it.

The left-hander played his second shot 267 yards up the fairway, leaving him 44 yards to the flag. From there, he got up and down for par to remain a co-leader.

Bhatia, a two-time winner on Tour, was still tied at the top entering the par-4 18th. He hit the green in two and had 32 feet for the win. Bhatia, however, left that effort 4 feet short and then missed the par save that would have forced a playoff with Cam Davis.

It was the 22-year-old’s first three-putt and his first miss inside 6 feet all week. The final-round, even-par 72 left him in a four-way tie for second.

“It sucks, no other way to put it. I mean, just sucks,” Bhatia said.

“I made a great par on 13, hit that tree off the tee and managed to make par. That was a big momentum thing for me. Hit a lot of good shots down the stretch, so yeah, I mean, I know how to close a golf tournament, I’ve done it before, just today wasn’t my day.”