Round 2 of the Rocket Mortgage Classic in Detroit took an unexpected turn when Akshay Bhatia’s ball disappeared into a drain on the 17th hole. While playing the back nine, Bhatia’s drive down the fairway took a surprising detour into the hole of a drain.
The PGA Tour shared a video showing Bhatia and a rules official trying to locate the ball. “Fairly certain that’s a Callaway at the bottom,” Bhatia humorously remarked, referring to his ball brand.
Fortunately, after identifying the ball’s location, Bhatia was able to take a free drop instead of treating it as lost, avoiding the need to replay the previous stroke.
“OK, we don’t have to retrieve it,” the rules official informed Bhatia, who jokingly responded, “Are you sure?”
With the ball placed by the drain, Bhatia continued on the par-5 hole and managed to end it with a par, maintaining his composure despite the unusual incident.
Bhatia’s resilience shone through as he recorded five birdies, shot 67, and maintained his lead. Following his impressive 64 in the first round, Bhatia currently tops the leaderboard with a cumulative score of -13 as the tournament heads into its final two rounds.
If he can hold onto his lead, Bhatia stands a chance to secure his third career PGA Tour victory since turning professional in 2019. The total prize money for the Rocket Mortgage Classic amounts to $9,200,000.