Following his one-shot win at the Rocket Mortgage Classic, Cam Davis expressed empathy for Akshay Bhatia, who lost the tournament on the 72nd hole. Davis said he had been in a similar situation in the past and knew how it felt to miss a crucial putt.
On Sunday, June 30th, Cam Davis carded a 2-under 70 to claim his second Rocket Mortgage Classic victory. Contrarily, it was a moment of agony for Bhatia, who had been leading so far but three-putted the final hole to finish as joint runner-up.
Speaking at the winner's press conference, Davis expressed his empathy for Bhatia.
"A lot of empathy," he said. "It worked out in my favor in 2021 as well. I had that exact same putt to win the tournament it feels like that slidy little downhill putt and the greens are a little bumpy but you can't hit it firm like I know what it feels like to see that putt miss when it's to win or get into a playoff."
"But he played so well as well. I was ready for a playoff I was looking forward to a playoff I felt like I didn't even consider that he was going to miss that par let alone missed the first par, I was almost expecting him to roll that one in I you just have to expect it if you're in that situation so a lot of empathy for that," he continued.
Davis added that it was a tough situation to be in for Bhatia, and as a beneficiary of this, it was weird for him. However, he was also relieved as the win had come after a long time for him.
"I'm going to make sure I start enjoying it and really appreciating it," he concluded.
How many spots did Cam Davis move in the OWGR after his Rocket Mortgage Classic win?
Cam Davis broke into the top 50 of the Official World Golf Ranking after claiming the 2024 Rocket Mortgage Classic. In the recent ranking update, he jumped 29 spots to rank 38th, his best ranking so far.
Davis has now won two titles on the PGA Tour. Notably, his first win also came at the Detroit Golf Club three years ago, where he beat Joaquin Niemann and Troy Merritt in a playoff.
With this win, Cam Davis has earned exemptions for the Masters Tournament and the PGA Championship next year. Unfortunately, he has not yet qualified for the Open Championship. For those unfamiliar, the top 50 ranked players by the 21st week of this season qualify for Royal Troon. Davis' win came in the 26th week of the season.