DETROIT (AP) — Akshay Bhatia had a hole-in-one of sorts when his golf ball fell into a hole in a fairway drain at Detroit Golf Club in the second round of the Rocket Mortgage Classic on Friday.
Bhatia's 315-yard drive on the 579-yard, par-5 17th hole ended up underground after it made its way into one of five holes in the drain that were just big enough for a golf ball to fall into.
“Fairly certain that's a Callaway at the bottom,” Bhatia told a PGA Tour rules official.
Bhatia got a free drop and a memorable moment. He ended up making par on the way to a 5-under 67 that put him atop the leaderboard at 13 under among the early finishers.
“That was wild,” Bhatia said. “No, never seen it. Rules official (had) never seen it.
"It was kind of one-in-a-million chance that ball goes in that small hole in that drain. So, it was pretty funny.”
The 22-year-old Bhatia picked up his second PGA Tour victory at the Texas Open in April. He tied for fifth last week at the Travelers Championship in Connecticut, where he was in the final group that was disrupted by climate protesters storming the 18th green.
AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf
Akshay Bhatia waves after hitting his birdie putt on the 18th green during the first round of the Rocket Mortgage Classic golf tournament at Detroit Country Club, Thursday, June 27, 2024, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)
TORONTO (AP) — Aaron Judge hit his major league-leading 31st home run, Gerrit Cole pitched five innings for his first win of the season and the New York Yankees beat the Toronto Blue Jays 8-1 on Sunday to split their four-game series.
Juan Soto was a late addition to New York’s lineup after sitting out Saturday’s loss because of a bruised right hand. The three-time All-Star and 2020 NL batting champion went 1 for 3 with an RBI and two walks.
DJ LeMahieu and Trent Grisham each had two hits and two RBIs for the Yankees. Ben Rice scored twice and drove in a run.
Gleyber Torres went 2 for 5, his third straight multihit game since a two-game benching last week.
New York finished a 2-4 trip that started with two losses in Queens against the Mets.
Cole (1-1) started the first of those interleague defeats, allowing six earned runs in four innings. He bounced back against the Blue Jays, permitting one run and three hits — all singles. The reigning AL Cy Young Award winner struck out one and walked six. He threw a season-high 90 pitches, 61 for strikes, in his third start this year since returning from an elbow injury.
Michael Tonkin got five outs, Tim Hill retired all four batters he faced and Josh Maciejewski finished for New York.
Soto singled off Blue Jays starter Kevin Gausman in the first and scored when Judge sent a 423-foot drive to center. It was Judge’s fifth career homer off Gausman, the most he’s hit off any opposing pitcher.
Gausman (6-7) allowed a season-worst seven earned runs and seven hits in 4 1/3 innings. He walked a season-high five and struck out seven. The right-hander has lost three of his past four starts.
Blue Jays outfielder Kevin Kiermaier took a home run away from Alex Verdugo in the eighth, leaping above the center-field wall to make a spectacular catch.
Verdugo was called out on a two-strike pitch clock violation to end the fourth, stranding two.
ROSTER MOVES
New York selected Maciejewski’s contract from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre and designated RHP Phil Bickford for assignment.
TORONTO TRADE
The Blue Jays acquired RHP Yerry Rodríguez from Texas for minor league RHP Josh Mollerus. Toronto assigned Rodríguez to Triple-A Buffalo.
TRAINER’S ROOM
New York transferred the rehab assignment of RHP JT Brubaker (elbow surgery) from the rookie-level Florida Complex League to Double-A Somerset.
UP NEXT
Yankees: Rookie RHP Luis Gil (9-3, 3.15 ERA) is scheduled to start Tuesday as New York returns home to begin a three-game series against Cincinnati. The Reds had not announced a starter.
Blue Jays: RHP Yariel Rodríguez (0-2, 5.94 ERA) starts Monday afternoon in a Canada Day matinee against Houston RHP Hunter Brown (5-5, 4.37).
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb
New York Yankees' Ben Rice (93) scores on a single from teammate DJ LeMahieu during the second inning of a baseball game against the Toronto Blue Jays in Toronto, Sunday, June 30, 2024. (Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press via AP)
Toronto Blue Jays' Spencer Horwitz, right, scores on a single by teammate Justin Turner during third-inning baseball game action against the New York Yankees in Toronto, Sunday, June 30, 2024. (Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press via AP)
Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Kevin Gausman reacts as New York Yankees' Aaron Judge (99) rounds the bases after hitting a two-run home run during the first inning of a baseball game in Toronto, Sunday, June 30, 2024. (Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press via AP)
Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Kevin Gausman (34) throws during the first inning of a baseball game against the New York Yankees in Toronto, Sunday, June 30, 2024. (Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press via AP)
New York Yankees pitcher Gerrit Cole (45) throws during the first inning of a baseball game against the Toronto Blue Jays in Toronto, Sunday, June 30, 2024. (Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press via AP)
New York Yankees third base DJ LeMahieu, right, and teammate Ben Rice (93) celebrate after scoring on a double by Trent Grisham during fifth-inning baseball game action against the Toronto Blue Jays in Toronto, Sunday, June 30, 2024. (Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press via AP)
Toronto Blue Jays' Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is hit by a pitch during third-inning baseball game action against the New York Yankees in Toronto, Sunday, June 30, 2024. (Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press via AP)
New York Yankees' Aaron Judge is hit by a pitch during fourth-inning baseball game action against the Toronto Blue Jays in Toronto, Sunday, June 30, 2024. (Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press via AP)
New York Yankees pitcher Gerrit Cole throws during second-inning baseball game action against the Toronto Blue Jays in Toronto, Sunday, June 30, 2024. (Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press via AP)
New York Yankees' Aaron Judge celebrates as he rounds the bases after his two-run home run during the first inning of a baseball game against the Toronto Blue Jays in Toronto, Sunday, June 30, 2024. (Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press via AP)
