DETROIT — There's something about this area that seems to suit Troy Merritt, and his cousin, too.

Merritt is back up near the top of the leaderboard at the Rocket Mortgage Classic after firing an 8-under 64 in Friday's second round. He was two shots back of leaders Akshay Bhatia and Aaron Rai at the halfway point. Merritt has four top-17 finishes at the Rocket, including a tie for second in 2021, when he lost to eventual champion Cam Davis in the tournament's first playoff, which went five holes.

Less than three miles away from Detroit Golf Club, Merritt's cousin (by marriage), Kate Achter, has found her groove here, as the third-year head women's basketball coach at Detroit Mercy. She took over a program that was in absolute shambles, and this past year posted a winning record.

After Friday's round, The Detroit News asked Merritt who had the tougher job in sports: Himself or Achter. No contest.

"She has to deal with the whole team, with a lot of different game styles and personalities and the whole coaching staff and deal with administration and fans. And I've just got to deal with my idiot caddie. It's pretty easy," Merritt said with a smile. "She's done a fantastic job. Very proud of her.

"There was, what, five total wins the (three) years before she got here, and then five wins (in her first year) and then 17 last year? We follow her closely. It's a lot of fun."

So here's how the relationship works. Kate's dad is Roger Achter, whose brother is Tim Achter, whose daughter is Courtney, who married Merritt.

Achter got a leaderboard update after practice at Calihan Hall on Friday.

"I just got off the floor," she said. "I freaking love to hear that."

Achter and her family plan to be out at DGC on Sunday, as Merritt goes for another good finish, and perhaps a win, at the Rocket. Besides the playoff, he tied for eighth here in 2020, 14th in 2022 and 17th last year.

Merritt, 38, has only missed the cut here once in the previous five Rockets, the first year in 2019.

His 64 on Friday tied Bhatia for the low round of the tournament.

"I'm very comfortable on this golf course," Merritt said. "I mean, it's not a long course, which is nice out here. I can hit driver everywhere if I want, or you can dial it back and hit 3 woods or long irons off the tee. But it's just a place that you have to go make birdies. So you hit the driver down there, whether you're in the fairway or the rough, you can give yourself a lot of birdie looks out here with wedges.

"It's just one of those places that, even if I don't feel like I have it coming in, I know I can find it when I get in here."

Merritt made bogey on his opening hole Friday, the 10th, but got it right back with birdie at the 11th, then made eagle at the par-5 14th, where he hit a 3 wood to 21 feet and made the putt coming down the slope.

In a 10-hole stretch starting with that eagle, Merritt was 10 under, including two runs of three consecutive birdies. A bogey at the par-4 sixth stunted some momentum, but he got it right back with birdie at the par-5 seventh.

And, so, here he is, back in the hunt in Detroit again, looking for a third PGA Tour win, and first since 2018.

He's had his struggles lately, with just one top 10 and eight missed cuts this season. But as his cousin knows, fortunes can turn around here in Detroit, and quickly.

"She got me some more Detroit Mercy swag," said Merritt, an Idaho native, who met his wife when they were both at Boise State. She was a gymnast. "So we'll be rocking the Titans gear out in Idaho. We're the only ones. Gotta try to get two more followers."

Ship it

Same game, just for money.

Neal Shipley, who was low amateur at the Masters and U.S. Open before turning pro a week ago, is going to cash a paycheck in his PGA Tour debut as a professional. Despite new NIL rules, amateurs don't get paid at pro tournaments.

Shipley, 23, an Ohio State alum, fired a 4-under 68 on Friday and was at 9 under through his two rounds, after a 5-under 67 on Thursday. He was four strokes off the lead.

"With my experience with the majors, I don't feel like there's a big learning curve for me," said Shipley, who joined such luminaries as Jack Nicklaus and Phil Mickelson who finished as low amateur at the Masters and U.S. Open in the same season. "Pretty fortunate to have had two great experiences at Augusta and then at Pinehurst, kind of been in the mix at both at certain times throughout the week, so I feel really comfortable.

"I had a great week last week as a professional, as well."

In his pro debut, Shipley tied for ninth at a PGA Tour Americas event, earning more than $6,000. He's going to earn significantly more than that this week in Detroit.

"Just getting settled in and playing really good golf," said Shipley, "and good golf travels, no matter if you're an amateur or a professional."

Cam's back

It's been a minute since Cam Davis had big crowds around him, but that was the case in the first two rounds here as the 2021 Rocket champion played alongside stars Rickie Fowler and Will Zalatoris.

Fowler and Zalatoris shot 6-under 66s on Thursday, to Davis' 4-under 68.

But Davis got the best of them in Friday's round, firing a 66 to get to 10 under, just three strokes off the lead. He's found his game at a spot where he won his lone PGA Tour event. He hasn't finished better than 38th since he was T12 at the Masters in April.

"It was a lot of fun," said Davis, who bogeyed his first hole Friday then made seven birdies coming in. "I can't say I've had a lot of people watching my first and second rounds lately, so it was nice to be in that environment.

"It felt like a weekend for me being in contention."

Zalatoris shot 1-under 71, done in by double-bogey at the par-5 14th, and was at 7 under, while Fowler, looking to be the first repeat winner at the Rocket, stumbled to a par-72 and was at 6 under.

Chips & divots

— Perhaps call it the Greg Kampe effect. Oakland's men's basketball coach has had a pretty good year (eh, Kentucky?), and maybe some of that rubbed off on his partners from Wednesday's pro-am at Detroit Golf Club. His front-nine partner, Joel Dahmen, shot a second-round 68 and was at 10 under, three shots off the lead, while Kampe's back-nine partner, Jake Knapp, shot a 65 and was at 9 under.

— Nick Bienz, the Indianapolis golf pro who went viral when he downed three beers at Monday's qualifier, then went out and survived an eight-hole playoff, missed the cut in his PGA Tour debut at 6 over. He still made a profit on the weekend, thanks to a sponsorship from his employer, Golf Galaxy, and dozens of donations through Venmo.

— Merritt (11 under) and Chris Kirk (7 under) are tied with the most top-25 finishes at the Rocket, with four apiece. Merritt caught fire again Friday, with a second-round 64 that still included two bogeys. That's not something you see every day. "Maybe at home," he quipped.

— Two amateurs made the cut, including Luke Clanton, 20, who plays at Florida State and was at 7 under through his second round, following a Friday 68. Ben James, 21, a Connecticut resident who plays golf at Virginia, made it right on the number, at 4 under, after posting consecutive 70s.

— Tee times are being moved up for the third round Saturday, to 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., in anticipation of bad weather. There will be threesomes, off both tees, and the course won't open until 10 a.m. If the course has to be evacuated because of weather, ticketed fans will be allowed re-entry.

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