Wikipedia

Akshay Bhatia

Akshay Bhatia (born January 31, 2002)[2] is an American professional golfer. He made his first PGA Tour start in 2019 at the age of 17 after receiving a sponsor exemption into Valspar Championship.[3] He turned pro later that year and made his professional debut at Sanderson Farms Championship that fall.[4]

Akshay Bhatia
Bhatia in 2018
Personal information
Born (2002-01-31) January 31, 2002 (age 22)
Northridge, California, U.S.
Height6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Weight130 lb (59 kg; 9.3 st)
Sporting nationality United States
ResidenceWake Forest, North Carolina, U.S.
Career
Turned professional2019
Current tour(s)PGA Tour
Former tour(s)Korn Ferry Tour
PGA Tour Canada
Professional wins6
Highest ranking25 (June 30, 2024)[1]
(as of November 17, 2024)
Number of wins by tour
PGA Tour2
European Tour1
Korn Ferry Tour1
Other3
Best results in major championships
Masters TournamentT35: 2024
PGA ChampionshipCUT: 2024
U.S. OpenT16: 2024
The Open ChampionshipCUT: 2024
Medal record
Men's Golf
Representing  United States
Youth Olympic Games
Silver medal – second place 2018 Buenos Aires Boys' individual
Silver medal – second place 2018 Buenos Aires Mixed team

A decorated amateur, Bhatia has represented the United States at the Junior Presidents Cup in 2017, Junior Ryder Cup in 2018, and Walker Cup in 2019, becoming the youngest and first ever high schooler to represent the United States in the event.[5] He has also represented the United States at the 2018 Summer Youth Olympics in Buenos Aires, winning two silver medals.[6] Bhatia made the finals of the Drive, Chip & Putt competition at Augusta National in 2014 and became its first ever finalist to reach the Masters Tournament by virtue of his win at the Valero Texas Open in 2024.[7]

Early life

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Bhatia was born in Northridge, California to parents Sonny and Renu. Bhatia's parents are from India and lived in Delhi before moving to the United States. The family moved to Wake Forest, North Carolina in 2011.[8][9] Bhatia has two sisters, Rhea, who played college golf at Queen's University of Charlotte,[10] and Nikitta, who lives in Texas with husband and two daughters.

Amateur career

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He was runner-up at the 2018 U.S. Junior Amateur, losing to Michael Thorbjornsen in the final.[11] He won two silver medals at the 2018 Summer Youth Olympics in the boy's individual and the mixed team with Lucy Li. He played on the Junior Presidents Cup team in 2017 and Junior Ryder Cup in 2018, with both teams winning.[12]

Bhatia made his PGA Tour debut at the 2019 Valspar Championship on a sponsor exemption and missed the cut.[13]

Bhatia made his Web.com Tour debut on April 18, 2019, at the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail Championship,[14] where he made the cut and finished T-42.

Professional career

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Bhatia turned professional in September 2019 after competing in the 2019 Walker Cup, and made his professional debut at the Sanderson Farms Championship.[15]

On August 5, 2020, Bhatia won the ST 11 @ Old South Golf, an event on the Swing Thought Tour, by three strokes.[16] On February 25, 2021, Bhatia won his second Swing Thought Tour event, ST 12 @ Brunswick, in a playoff.[17][18] On May 29, Bhatia won the 2021 Biggs Classic, a GProTour event.[19][20]

In June 2021, Bhatia qualified for the U.S. Open at Torrey Pines. He made the cut and finished tied for 57th in his first major championship appearance.[21]

In January 2022, Bhatia won The Bahamas Great Exuma Classic on the Korn Ferry Tour. This was his first start as a member of the Korn Ferry Tour.[22] Despite the strong start, Bhatia fell short of earning a PGA Tour card, finishing 30th (the top 25 earned PGA Tour cards) during the regular season and not making a cut during the Finals.

Bhatia earned Special Temporary Member status on the PGA Tour after a runner-up finish at the 2023 Puerto Rico Open.[23]

In July 2023, he earned his first PGA Tour and first European Tour victory by winning in a playoff at the Barracuda Championship.[24]

In April 2024, Bhatia won the Valero Texas Open in a playoff over Denny McCarthy.[25]

Amateur wins

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Source:[26]

Professional wins (6)

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PGA Tour wins (2)

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No. Date Tournament Winning score Margin of
victory		 Runner-up
1 Jul 23, 2023 Barracuda Championship1 40 pts (6-8-17-9=40) Playoff   Patrick Rodgers
2 Apr 7, 2024 Valero Texas Open −20 (63-70-68-67=268) Playoff   Denny McCarthy

1Co-sanctioned by the European Tour

PGA Tour playoff record (2–0)

No. Year Tournament Opponent Result
1 2023 Barracuda Championship   Patrick Rodgers Won with par on first extra hole
2 2024 Valero Texas Open   Denny McCarthy Won with birdie on first extra hole

Korn Ferry Tour wins (1)

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No. Date Tournament Winning score Margin of
victory		 Runner-up
1 Jan 19, 2022 The Bahamas Great Exuma Classic −14 (69-72-68-65=274) 2 strokes   Paul Haley II

Swing Thought Tour wins (2)

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  • 2020 ST 11 @ Old South Golf
  • 2021 ST 12 @ Brunswick

GProTour wins (1)

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  • 2021 Biggs Classic

Results in major championships

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Tournament 2021 2022 2023 2024
Masters Tournament T35
PGA Championship CUT
U.S. Open T57 T16
The Open Championship CUT
  Did not play

CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" = tied

U.S. national team appearances

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Source:[26]

References

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  1. ^ "Week 26 2024 Ending 30 Jun 2024" (pdf). OWGR. Retrieved July 1, 2024.
  2. ^ "Five things you should know about Akshay Bhatia". PGA Tour. Retrieved March 21, 2019.
  3. ^ "Akshay Bhatia, 17, full of swagger and set for PGA Tour debut at Valspar". Golfweek. March 20, 2019. Retrieved April 8, 2024.
  4. ^ "Akshay Bhatia turns pro, signs equipment deal with Callaway". PGA Tour. September 17, 2019. Retrieved April 8, 2024.
  5. ^ "Hammer, Bhatia, Hagestad named to U.S. Walker Cup team". NBC Sports. July 24, 2019. Retrieved April 8, 2024.
  6. ^ "Akshay Bhatia turns 21 at The Panama Championship". www.usagolf.org. February 1, 2023. Retrieved April 8, 2024.
  7. ^ Fields, Bill (April 7, 2024). "Bhatia Becomes First From Drive, Chip and Putt Finals to Reach Masters". Masters.com. Retrieved April 8, 2024.
  8. ^ Giglio, Joe. "Meet North Carolina Junior Golfer Akshay Bhatia". WALTER Magazine. Retrieved July 1, 2024.
  9. ^ "Of a promise to mom, and skipping college for clubs: Akshay Bhatia's golfing journey". ThePrint. April 8, 2024. Retrieved July 3, 2024.
  10. ^ Armstrong, Mark (August 13, 2019). "17-year-old golf phenom from Wake Forest draws strength from his family". WTVD. Retrieved July 1, 2024.
  11. ^ Lipsky, Scott (July 21, 2018). "Thorbjornsen Wins Dramatic Final in 36 Holes". USGA. Retrieved April 8, 2024.
  12. ^ "Akshay Bhatia profile". Team USA. Archived from the original on November 30, 2018. Retrieved March 25, 2019.
  13. ^ "Amateur Bhatia excited to battle pros at Valspar Championship". Golf Channel. Retrieved March 21, 2019.
  14. ^ Melton, Zephyr (April 17, 2019). "No. 1-ranked junior golfer Akshay Bhatia to make Web.com Tour debut in Alabama". PGA Tour.
  15. ^ Beall, Joel (September 17, 2019). "As Akshay Bhatia makes his PGA Tour debut, how 10 other high school prodigies fared when turning pro". Golf Digest.
  16. ^ "ST 11 @ Old South Golf". Retrieved September 7, 2020.
  17. ^ Davis, Derrick (February 25, 2021). "Young Blood : 19-year-old Bhatia continues ascent in SwingThought Tour at Brunswick Country Club". The Brunswick News. Retrieved May 9, 2021.
  18. ^ "ST Competition Results 2021 : ST12 @ Brunswick". Retrieved May 9, 2021.
  19. ^ Winkler, Adam (May 30, 2021). "Akshay Bhatia wins 2021 Biggs Classic in Hertford, NC". WTKR. Retrieved June 19, 2021.
  20. ^ "2021 Biggs Classic". GProTour. Retrieved June 19, 2021.
  21. ^ Rapaport, Daniel (June 8, 2021). "The 9 most intriguing stories from U.S. Open Final Qualifying". Golf Digest. Retrieved June 20, 2021.
  22. ^ Powers, Christopher (January 19, 2022). "19-year-old Akshay Bhatia claims his first Korn Ferry Tour win at season opener in the Bahamas". Golf Digest. Retrieved January 21, 2022.
  23. ^ Prise, Kevin (March 5, 2023). "Akshay Bhatia earns Special Temporary Membership with runner-up at Puerto Rico Open". PGA Tour.
  24. ^ "Akshay Bhatia, 21, wins his first PGA Tour title at the Barracuda Championship". Associated Press News. July 23, 2023. Retrieved July 24, 2023.
  25. ^ "Bhatia loses 6-shot lead and wins Texas Open in a playoff. The next stop is the Masters". Associated Press News. April 7, 2024. Retrieved April 7, 2024.
  26. ^ a b "Akshay Bhatia". World Amateur Golf Ranking. Retrieved March 25, 2019.
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