Akshay Bhatia walked down a fairway at Detroit Golf Club, looking for his ball after a long, straight tee shot, and found it in an improbable spot — underground, after it fell into a drain.
Bhatia said he and the PGA Tour rules official, who granted a free drop, had never seen anything like it.
“It was kind of one-in-a-million chance that ball goes in that small hole in that drain,” he said.
Bhatia went on to shoot a 5-under 67, good enough for a share of the 36-hole lead with Aaron Rai at 13-under 131 at the Rocket Mortgage Classic on Friday.
Bhatia’s drive on the par-5 17th hole managed to drop into one of five holes in a metal drain cap that was just big enough to accommodate a golf ball. He ended up making par in his second straight bogey-free round.
“It’s going to be pretty viral, I think,” he said.
Rai shot 65 to match Bhatia on a course that consistently yields low scores. The Englishman made seven birdies, including four in a five-hole stretch midway through the round, and capped his day with a 21-foot birdie putt on the 18th.