Eagle-birdie finish gives Bhatia first-round lead

Akshay Bhatia made a sensational eagle birdie to lead the opening round of the Rocket Mortgage Classic, but he knows no lead is safe at Detroit Golf Club.

Bhatia eagled the 17th hole from 83 feet and closed with a birdie for an eight-under 64 on Thursday (Friday AEST), giving him a one-stroke lead, but it’s not pretty.

“It’s always nice to end like this,” said the American. “This tournament is always kind of a birdie fest, so birdies and eagles help a lot.”

Tony Finau set the tournament record by winning at 26-under two years ago, and compatriot Rickie Fowler was forced to win in a play-off last year when 24-under wasn’t good enough with 72 holes.

The 22-year-old Bhatia, who won the Texas Open in April for his second PGA Tour title, was 6 under over his last six holes in the first round. He finished fifth last week in Connecticut, where he was in the last group disrupted by climate protesters who stormed the 18th green.

Taylor Montgomery and Michael Kim were one stroke further back.

Montgomery had a six-under 30 on his front nine and added another birdie on the back in a bogey-free round. He was pleasantly surprised by his performance, playing for the first time since withdrawing from the Byron Nelson in early May due to injured shoulders.

“I was more nervous today than I’ve ever been on the golf course, just because I felt so unprepared,” Montgomery said. He added that he had only played four times in two months.

Fowler shot 66 and closed with three straight birdies.

Will Zalatoris, Aaron Rai, Eric Cole and Matti Schmid also reached the age of 66.

Three Australians are taking part in the competition: Aaron Baddeley, Cameron Davis and Min Woo Lee all shot 68 to finish their rounds on four under.

The event features only 10 of the world’s top 50 players, with Bhatia ranked 31st.

Tom Kim, the highest-ranked player at No. 16, lost in a playoff to Scottie Scheffler last week and may have shown signs of fatigue in his ninth straight tournament.

Kim scored a 73 and will need to come back with a strong round to make the cut on a short course with receptive greens suitable for birdies.