Cal Golf: Brandon Hagy Within Striking Distance of His 1st Victory on the PGA Tour

The 30-year-old is alone in fifth and just two strokes back at the Rocket Mortgage Classic.

Cal alum Brandon Hagy, in search of his first career victory in his seventh year on the PGA tour, is within two strokes of the lead entering Sunday’s final round of the Rocket Mortgage Classic in Detroit.

Hagy, 30, shot a four-under 68 in Saturday’s third round an sits alone in fifth place.

He is two strokes behind co-leaders Troy Merritt and Joaquim Niemann, both at minus-4 through 54 holes. One stroke back of them and tied for third are Cam Davis and Hank Lebioda.

Merritt, 35 years old and seeking his their career victory, made his first career hole-in-one on the 211-yard, par-3 11th hole. Niemann is a 22-year-old from Chile, who posted his first tour win last season and has earned more than $3 million this year.

Max Homa  / Photo by Raj Mehta, USA Today

Max Homa, once teammates with Hagy in Berkeley, was tied for third place after shooting a seven-under 65 on Friday. But the 30-year-old carded a two-over 74 Saturday and dropped to a tie for 35th place.

Hagy, a 2014 graduate of Cal, has just two top-10 finishes in 91 career starts but one of them was a runner-up performance at the Honda Classic in March when he closed with a 66 on Sunday.

This has been Hagy’s most successful season, with earnings in excess of $1 million. As recently as 2019, he pocketed barely $14,000 in prize money. With a strong finish on Sunday, Hagy will add to his career year.

Homa, an All-American at Cal as a senior in 2013, also is in the midst of his finest season on the tour. He won the Genesis Invitational and entered the week having earned more than $3.2 million.

Poised to perhaps add to his 2021 success, Homa struggled Saturday after two nearly flawless days at the Detroit Golf Club. He had four bogeys and two birdies for a 74 after completing the first 36 holes with just a single bogey.

Cover photo of Brandon Hagy by Raj Mehta, USA Today

Follow Jeff Faraudo of Cal Sports Report on Twitter: @jefffaraudo