Davis and Lee ready for takeoff at Rocket Mortgage Classic

After a third-round 66, Davis is one shot behind leaders Akshay Bhatia and Aaron Rai, who each shot 68 Saturday to finish 17 under par overall.

The Sydneysider finished the day tied for third with Cameron Young (67) at a wet and windy Detroit Golf Club.

Sam Stevens (66) and Erik van Rooyen (68) were one shot behind, while Lee (66) is in a three-way tie for seventh at 14 under, alongside Joel Dahmen (68) and amateur Luke Clanton (65).

“The biggest factor was the wind,” Lee said.

“We’ve been playing in pretty calm conditions the last two days and today it was like a hurricane.”

The third round started a few hours later than scheduled and trios battled it out on the front nine and back nine holes as heavy rain soaked the course, leaving standing water in the fairways and large puddles in some areas of the rough.

Min Woo Lee will have to shoot low in the final round of the Rocket Mortgage Classic. PHOTO: Getty Images

Wet conditions allowed players to lift, clean and place their golf balls in the fairways, but they had no relief from winds that gusted up to 40 km/h.

With Bhatia and Rai slowing down as the sun began to set and shadows covered the course, Young broke into a three-way tie at the par-5 17th with his third birdie in four holes.

Young shot a 59 last Saturday at the Travelers Championship, the first player to accomplish the feat since Scottie Scheffler did it in the 2020 FedExCup Playoffs.

Davis, who won the Rocket Mortgage Classic in 2021 at 18 under, established a four-way tie atop the leaderboard with a slow eight-footer to close with his fourth birdie in five holes.

Bhatia and Rai birdied 17, turning a four-way tie into two at 17 under. They both pared the final hole.

American Akshay Bhatia is the man to beat at the Rocket Mortgage Classic. PHOTO: Getty Images

Bhatia earned his second PGA Tour victory at the Texas Open in April and is coming off a fifth-place finish at the Travelers Championship, where he was part of the final group that was disrupted by climate protesters who stormed the 18th green.

“Last week I was there for a long time and I couldn’t get it done,” he said.

“But I’m excited for it.”

Rai and Young, who have been runners-up seven times, are each seeking their first PGA Tour victory.