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Key Points

Akshay Bhatia made a strong push in Round 3 with four consecutive birdies, finishing at 8-under. South Africa's Aldrich Potgieter leads the Rocket Classic after a stellar 7-under 65. Collin Morikawa remains in contention, four shots behind the leader. The final round promises intense competition as players vie for FedEx Cup playoff spots.

Key Points: Akshay Bhatia's Four Straight Birdies Boost Rocket Classic Standing

  • Akshay Bhatia surged with four straight birdies late in Round 3
  • Aldrich Potgieter leads by two after a 7-under 65
  • Collin Morikawa trails by four shots seeking first win since 2023
  • Top 70 in FedEx Cup standings will advance to playoffs
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Rocket Classic: Bhatia fires four straight birdies in late stages of Round 3

Bhatia fires four consecutive birdies in Round 3, climbing to 8-under at the Rocket Classic while Potgieter leads.

"Bhatia birdied four in a row and closed with a par on the 18th for a 70. – Release"

Detroit, June 30

Akshay Bhatia, who made the cut on the line, produced four birdies in a row in the late stages of his third round as he shot 2-under 70 and moved to 8-under for three days at the Rocket Classic.

Bhatia, who has had rounds of 68-70-70 is now lying Tied 55th, a release said.

Bhatia is currently 40th on the FedEx Cup standings and the top 70 will qualify for the first of the three events in the Play-offs, following which the Top-50 will move to the second and then finally the Top 30 play the Tour Championship, which had a purse of USD 25 million in 2024. Bhatia was 26th in 2024 and Sahith Theegala was third.

Bhatia bogeyed the seventh and the 11th and was two-over till he came to 14th tee. Then he birdied four in a row and closed with a par on the 18th for a 70.

South Africa's Aldrich Potgieter goes into the final round of the Rocket Classic with a two-shot lead, hoping to hold off a pack of players, including Collin Morikawa, for his first victory on the circuit, the release said.

Potgieter had five straight birdies in a 7-under 65 to surge into the lead Saturday.

The 20-year-old TOUR rookie is two ahead of Max Greyserman (66), Jake Knapp (66), Mark Hubbard (67), Andrew Putnam (67) and Chris Kirk (69), were two shots back. Three more players were another stroke behind.

Collin Morikawa, the highest-ranked player in the field at No. 5 in the world, shot a 68 and is four shots back.

Two years ago in Detroit, Morikawa was outlasted by Rickie Fowler in a playoff. Morikawa, a two-time major champion, has not won on the TOUR since October 2023 at the Zozo Championship in Japan.

Potgieter lost a playoff to Brian Campbell at the Mexico Open at VidantaWorld in February.

- ANI

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Reader Comments

S
Sarah B
Interesting to see Potgieter's performance - five straight birdies is no joke! But I'm rooting for Morikawa to make a comeback tomorrow. His experience might give him the edge.
A
Ananya R
Bhatia's consistency is impressive - 68-70-70 shows he's playing steady golf. If he can avoid those bogeys, he might surprise everyone in the final round. Fingers crossed!
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Michael C
The FedEx Cup race is getting intense! Bhatia at 40th needs to maintain his position. The $25 million purse is massive - no wonder everyone's fighting so hard.
P
Priya S
While Bhatia's performance is good, I wish he was higher up the leaderboard. Our Indian golfers need to work on finishing strong in tournaments. Still proud though!
K
Karthik V
That 14th hole must have been Bhatia's turning point! Golf is such a mental game - one good stretch can change everything. Hope he gets more TV coverage tomorrow.

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