DETROIT — Akshay Bhatia and Aaron Rai each shot a 4-under 68 on Saturday to finish at 17-under after three rounds and share the lead for the second straight day at the Rocket Mortgage Classic.
Cam Davis (66) and Cameron Young (67) were one stroke back at a rainy, windy day at Detroit Golf Club, and Sam Stevens (66) and Eric Van Rooyen (68) were another stroke back.
Amateurs Luke Clanton (65), Ming Woo Lee (66) and Joel Dahmen (68) were all three strokes off the lead going into Sunday's final round.
The third round started several hours later than scheduled and featured three-way play on both the front and back nine after more than an inch of rain flooded the course, leaving puddles on the fairways and larger pools in parts of the rough.
The muddy conditions allowed players to pick up, wipe and place golf balls on the fairways, but they couldn't escape wind gusts of up to 25 mph.
Lai had a one-stroke lead after a tie-breaking birdie on the par-3 11th hole, but missed a 12-foot putt on the par-3 15th hole for his first bogey of the tournament and re-tied the round.
Bhatia, the only player without a bogey on the day, made a 7-foot putt for par on the same hole.
As the sun began to set and the course was cast in shadow, Bhatia and Lai slowed down, but Young made his third birdie in four holes on the par-5 17th to move into a tie for third place.
Young shot 59 at the Travelers Championship last Saturday, becoming the first player to accomplish the feat since Scottie Scheffler in the 2020 FedEx Cup Playoffs.
Davis, who won the Rocket Mortgage Classic in 2021 with a score of 18 under par, made his fourth birdie in five holes and finished with a slow-rolling 8-foot putt to move into a four-way tie atop the leaderboard.
Bhatia and Rai both made birdies on the 17th to cut a four-way tie to two at 17 under par, with both earning par on the final hole.
Will Zalatoris, who entered the tournament ranked 44th in the world, withdrew due to injury after playing eight holes Saturday in 3-over par.