Akshay Bhatia shares lead of Rocket Mortgage Classic; Russell missed the cut

DETROIT — Akshay Bhatia walked down the fairway at the Detroit Golf Club, looking for his ball after a long straight shot, only to find it in an unlikely place — underground, after falling into a river.

Bhatia said he and the PGA Tour rules official, who gave the free drop, had never seen anything like it.

“It was a one in a million chance that the ball went into that little hole in that ditch,” he said.

Bhatia went on to shoot a 5-under 67, good enough to share the 36-hole lead with Aaron Rai at 13-under 131 at the Rocket Mortgage Classic on Friday.

Bhatia’s drive on the par-5 17th hole managed to land in one of the five holes in the drainage cap that was big enough to fit a golf ball. He ended up winning his second straight bogey-free round.

“It’s going to be very viral, I think,” he said.

Rai shot a 65 to match Bhatia on the consistently low-scoring course. The Englishman made seven birdies, including four in five holes during the round, and capped his day with a 21-foot birdie putt on the 18th.

Taylor Montgomery (68), Troy Merritt (64), Erik van Rooyen (64) and Cameron Young (66) are two strokes behind the co-leaders.

Eric Cole (68), Cam Davis (66) and Joel Dahmen (64) are among the shooters.

Miles Russell, a 15-year-old freshman from Florida, shot 70 on Friday but missed the cut in his PGA Tour debut at even-par 144.

The 5-foot-7, 120-pound Russell was a fan favorite, drawing huge galleries and getting big cheers. After signing his card and taking questions from reporters, he hugged family members, took pictures and signed autographs.

“It’s been surreal,” said his mother, Keli Russell, holding back tears. “The support from everyone has been amazing.”

Russell, the youngest player to win on the Korn Ferry Tour, will return to the Motor City next month to take on the US Junior Amateur at Oakland Hills, where Tiger Woods’ son, Charlie, will be in the field.

“[Charlie Woods] I was actually at my charity event that I put on, the Florida Sunshine Cup, and I played with him there,” Russell said. “I haven’t played with him in a while and it will be great to see him.”

Neal Shipley, a junior at the Masters and the US Open, has given himself the opportunity to enter his first PGA Tour event as a pro. He was four shots behind with a 68.

“From my experience with the majors, I don’t feel like there’s a big learning curve for me,” he said.

Amateur Luke Clanton (68) was 7 under, flashing the talent he showed last season at Florida State, where he recorded a school record with an average of 69.3.

The 22-year-old Bhatia chose to skip college and became a champion at the age of 17.

“I have been saying for a long time, you know, this is the right decision, but until now I have improved every year and become a champion,” he said.

He earned 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 interrupted by weather protesters storming the 18th green.

Rai, Montgomery and Young are looking for their first PGA Tour victory. Merritt and van Rooyen have won twice each.

Tom Kim, the highest ranked player in the field at No. 16, followed a first round 73 with a 68 and missed the cut by 3 strokes under. After losing to Scottie Scheffler in the playoffs last week in Connecticut, he may have run out of gas in the Motor City for his ninth straight championship.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.