Rocket Classic 2026: Rasmus Hojgaard fires 61 early Saturday to put himself in contention

Another day at the Rocket Classic , and there's another course record — and another new leader.

Rasmus Hojgaard got the putter cooking early in the third round Saturday and jumped to the top of the leaderboard, before the final group even teed off at Detroit Golf Club.

Hojgaard, 25, from Denmark, tied the course record of 61, matched Friday by Peter Malnati and Saturday by Cameron Young. Jake Knapp set the course record with a 61 in 2025, when the course was a par-72. It's now a par-70.

Hojgaard is looking for his first PGA Tour win. He's won five times on the DP World Tour, most recently in 2024.

Hojgaard was at 12 under par after three rounds, two shots ahead of 36-hole leaders Young, Patrick Cantlay and Patrick Fishburn, who had yet to tee off before Hojgaard finished his round. Also teeing off this afternoon is Rasmus' twin brother, Nicolai Hojgaard, who was at 8 under through two rounds.

"I'll have to see where I'm at at the end of the day, but yeah, if I can play somewhat of what I did today, I like my chance tomorrow," Hojgaard said. "I'm not too focused on that.

"Today I stayed present, I didn't get ahead of myself and yeah, that's the game plan for tomorrow."

The third round of Hojgaard featured nine birdies and no bogeys, as he made more than 130 feet worth of putts. He made a 32-foot for birdie at the par-4 16th, then had to scramble for par at though par-4 17th.

His drive on the long 17th, playing as the toughest hole this week, went way left, and he punched to just short of the green, before getting up and down to keep the momentum.

"Got away with that one," he said.

The 61 is Hojgaard's lowest round on the PGA Tour, as he jumped 62 spots on the leaderboard. He made the cut on the number, at 3 under.

He came into the week having missed two consecutive cuts, and he hadn't had a finish better than a tie for 24th since March. He's 125th in playoff points standings, with the top 70 advancing after next week's Wyndham Championship.

Scoring conditions were nearly perfect Saturday morning, but if Thursday and Friday are any indication, they could get tougher in the afternoon when the greens get firmer and bumpier and the wind freshens.

This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Rocket Classic 2026: Rasmus Hojgaard fires 61 early Saturday to put himself in contention

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