DETROIT — Here's a snapshot look at Round 3 of the Rocket Mortgage Classic at Detroit Golf Club on Saturday.

Round 3 recap

It was a matter of who would blink first, and the truth is, neither really did. Akshay Bhatia, seeking his third PGA Tour win, and Aaron Rai, looking for his first, ended Saturday's third round right where they started it: sharing the lead. Bhatia shot a bogey-free, 4-under 68 (he still hasn't made a bogey this week), while Rai worked around his first bogey of the week to match Bhatia at 68. They were at 17 under, a shot clear of Cameron Young, who still is seeking his first PGA Tour win, and Cam Davis, who is looking for his second after winning the Rocket in a playoff in 2021.

Shot of the day

There was barely any roll in the fairways Saturday because of the wet conditions, which made the par-5s — normally very gettable at DGC — play longer than normal. That left Rai with 281 yards into the 17th hole, and he went with the coolest of shots, the driver off the deck, and smoked it, ended up just short left of the green. That made for a relatively easy pitch from 45 feet, which he left about 9 feet short. No worries, he rolled it in for the birdie, to match Akshay Bhatia, who had just poured in a birdie putt of his own. Sorry. No aces Saturday.

Hole of the day

The par-5 14th always plays among the easiest holes at DGC, and on Saturday, it played as the second-easiest, averaging 0.446 strokes under par, even though the wet conditions made it play longer. There were 34 birdies on the hole (to just 33 pars), as well as two eagles. The eagles, interestingly, didn't even win a skin. They came in the same group, when 42-year-old David Skinns rolled in a long putt (en route to a 67; he was at 12 under), and then 20-year-old amateur Luke Clanton paid off a stiff 5-iron, tapping his in (en route to a 65; he was at 14 under).

Stat of the day

Akshay Bhatia remains without a bogey through three rounds, and is trying to become the first player since J.T. Poston in 2019 to win a 72-hold PGA Tour tournament without making a bogey. Before Poston, the last to do it had been Lee Trevino, back in 1974. Back in 2021 at the Rocket, Joaquin Niemann played 72 holes bogey-free to get himself into a playoff, then made bogey on the first playoff even. Cam Davis held off Troy Merritt on the fifth hole.

Souvenir of the day

Things are getting picked over pretty good in the merch tent, which is conveniently located just inside the main entrance for fans. Everyone loves a slick-looking driver headcover, and this one jumped out to me, with its bold black-and-red color scheme and two red stripes cutting through the pattern diagonally. The Rocket Mortgage Classic logo is on top, with a white backdrop. Cost: $42, which is one of the more reasonably finds I found.

Quotable

"I woke up and I saw the delay already, and I went back to sleep." — Min Woo Lee, not sweating the early morning weather in Detroit, which pushed tee times back till after noon. Lee, ranked No. 36 in the world, shot a third-round 66 and was at 14 under, in the hunt heading into Sunday's final round.

Locals watch

Traverse City's Ryan Brehm (1 over), Flint's Willie Mack III (1 over) and Grosse Pointe Woods' Kyle Martin (4 over) all missed the cut at the 2024 Rocket Mortgage Classic. Most disappointed had to be Brehm, the Michigan State alum who began the tournament with a 4-under 68, but struggled mightily Friday with a 5-over 77. It's just the second time he's missed the cut in Detroit; he's now missed 11-of-16 cuts this season.

AREA 313 update

The AREA 313 Challenge is back, triggering a $313,000 donation from Rocket Mortgage to charity should any player go 3-1-3 on Nos. 14-16 (eagle-ace-birdie) at any point in the tournament. The challenge has yet to be won in, this, the sixth year of the tournament. There have been 11 eagles so far on the 14th, and of those players, five have added the birdie at No. 16: Troy Merritt, David Skinns, Roger Sloan, Cameron Young and Kevin Yu. They've got one more chance at the unthinkable trifecta, which requires the ace at No. 15. It's been aced before during the Rocket.

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