2024 Rocket Mortgage Classic scores, takeaways: Akshay Bhatia, Aaron Rai share lead after Round 2

Bhatia, the 18-hole leader, was joined by Rai late on Friday as the two top a crowded leaderboard in Detroit

By Patrick McDonald Jun 28, 2024 at 7:01 pm ET• 5 min read

Akshay Bhatia heads into the weekend for the second straight tournament with a great chance to win. After contending last week at the Travelers Championship, the wiry left hander is at again at the 2024 Rocket Mortgage Classic. Backing up his opening 8-under 64 with a 67 on Friday, Bhatia stands at 13 under alongside Englishman Aaron Rai, who utilized two late birdies to join Bhatia at the top.

"For me, I feel like when you know you're playing well, then you feel like you can hit all the golf shots that you need to hit to make a good golf score," Bhatia said. "I think difference in situations, maybe it's a little harder, but out here you can easily make five, six, seven birdies."

After his Round 1 performance that included six birdies and an eagle, Bhatia added five more circles to his scorecard in Round 2 while remaining bogey-free. Bhatia has blistered Detroit Golf Club thanks to his ball striking, and it will need to continue into the weekend given the number of names that lurk and plenty of birdies still to be had.

Not only will he have Rai to contend with but also a pair of Rookies of the Year in Cameron Young and Eric Cole. Young parlayed his scorching weekend in Cromwell, Connecticut, that included a 59 at TPC River Highlands, into more birdie making this week while Cole has rediscovered form that had abandoned him for much of the year.