If you look at the field for the Masters Tournament, you’ll notice that Akshay Bhatia is one of the very few top names not on the list (among those who play on the PGA Tour). Well, all indications are that Bhatia is determined to sneak into Augusta National, even if it is as the last guest at the party.
Akshay Bhatia has dominated the 2024 Valero Texas Open, the event that awards the last ticket to the Masters Tournament to the champion unless otherwise exempt. So much so that after 36 holes, Bhatia leads the tournament by five strokes over the players tied for second.
This is not insignificant considering that it is the largest 36-hole lead at the Valero Texas Open since Dave Marr led by 6 shots in 1958, and it is also the largest lead after two rounds in the current PGA Tour season (Patrick Cantlay, The Genesis Invitational). In other words, Akshay Bhatia is in record mode.
If you doubt it, check out the first round scorecard. Akshay Bhatia shot a 9-under 63 to tie his career-low score record (he has done it three times before, most recently in the third round of the 2023 Mexico Open at Vidanta).
On top of that, Akshay Bhatia’s first-round accuracy was uncanny. He made nine birdies without a bogey and reached nearly 90% of the greens in regulation.
The second round was also solid, with four birdies and two bogeys. That gives him a five-shot buffer to stay atop the leaderboard for another 36 holes and punch his ticket to his Augusta National debut.
Akshay Bhatia: A star to be born
The most interesting thing about Akshay Bhatia is that he is only 22 years old. His professional career began in 2019, after a spectacular amateur career that did not include a stint in US collegiate golf.
Bhatia has faced several challenges in his young career that have delayed his access to PGA Tour stardom. For example, he began his first season on the Korn Ferry Tour by winning his first tournament, but was unable to earn his way to the next level due to injuries that caused him to miss 13 cuts and withdraw from two tournaments.
His talent did not stop coming to the fore and the kid finished runner-up in the PGA Tour’s 2023 Puerto Rico Open, which earned him the right to play on the PGA Tour, albeit with a Special Temporary Membership. As is well known, this status restricts access to the best events, but Bhatia faced it in the best possible way, winning his first tournament at this level a few months later (2023 Barracuda Championship).
A new step forward, however, means a new challenge. His victory at the 2023 Barracuda Championship gave him his PGA Tour card for the 2025 season, but not an invitation to the Masters because it was an “opposing event”. For the same reason, he didn’t advance much in the FedEx Cup standings and was eventually left out of the 2023 playoffs.
But the kid has proven he’s made of star stuff. He is once again facing adversity in the best possible way, looking for a “regular event” win and is 36 holes away from doing it.
Stay tuned!!!