Akshay Bhatia | ||||||||||||||||||
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![]() Bhatia in 2018 | ||||||||||||||||||
Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||
Born | Northridge, California, U.S. | January 31, 2002|||||||||||||||||
Height | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | |||||||||||||||||
Weight | 130 lb (59 kg; 9.3 st) | |||||||||||||||||
Sporting nationality | ![]() | |||||||||||||||||
Residence | Wake Forest, North Carolina, U.S. | |||||||||||||||||
Career | ||||||||||||||||||
Turned professional | 2019 | |||||||||||||||||
Current tour(s) | PGA Tour | |||||||||||||||||
Former tour(s) | Korn Ferry Tour PGA Tour Canada | |||||||||||||||||
Professional wins | 6 | |||||||||||||||||
Highest ranking | 25 (June 30, 2024)[1] (as of August 18, 2024) | |||||||||||||||||
Number of wins by tour | ||||||||||||||||||
PGA Tour | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
European Tour | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
Korn Ferry Tour | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
Other | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
Best results in major championships | ||||||||||||||||||
Masters Tournament | T35: 2024 | |||||||||||||||||
PGA Championship | CUT: 2024 | |||||||||||||||||
U.S. Open | T16: 2024 | |||||||||||||||||
The Open Championship | CUT: 2024 | |||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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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]
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
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
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
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 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
- 2016 AJGA – CJGT Junior at Yorba Linda, IZOD AJGA Championship
- 2017 Davis Love III Junior Open, Junior PGA Championship, AJGA Junior at Ford's Colony
- 2018 Junior Invitational at Sage Valley, Polo Golf Junior Classic, Boy's Junior PGA Championship, Rolex Tournament of Champions
- 2019 Jones Cup Invitational, Dustin Johnson World Junior Championship
Source:[26]
Professional wins (6)
PGA Tour wins (2)
No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory |
Runner-up |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Jul 23, 2023 | Barracuda Championship1 | 40 pts (6-8-17-9=40) | Playoff | ![]() |
2 | Apr 7, 2024 | Valero Texas Open | −20 (63-70-68-67=268) | Playoff | ![]() |
1Co-sanctioned by the European Tour
PGA Tour playoff record (2–0)
No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent | Result |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 2023 | Barracuda Championship | ![]() |
Won with par on first extra hole |
2 | 2024 | Valero Texas Open | ![]() |
Won with birdie on first extra hole |
Korn Ferry Tour wins (1)
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 | ![]() |
Swing Thought Tour wins (2)
- 2020 ST 11 @ Old South Golf
- 2021 ST 12 @ Brunswick
GProTour wins (1)
- 2021 Biggs Classic
Results in major championships
Tournament | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 |
---|---|---|---|---|
Masters Tournament | T35 | |||
PGA Championship | CUT | |||
U.S. Open | T57 | T16 | ||
The Open Championship | CUT |
CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" = tied
U.S. national team appearances
- Junior Presidents Cup: 2017 (winners)
- Junior Ryder Cup: 2018 (winners)
- Walker Cup: 2019 (winners)
Source:[26]
References
- ^ "Week 26 2024 Ending 30 Jun 2024" (pdf). OWGR. Retrieved July 1, 2024.
- ^ "Five things you should know about Akshay Bhatia". PGA Tour. Retrieved March 21, 2019.
- ^ "Akshay Bhatia, 17, full of swagger and set for PGA Tour debut at Valspar". Golfweek. March 20, 2019. Retrieved April 8, 2024.
- ^ "Akshay Bhatia turns pro, signs equipment deal with Callaway". PGA Tour. September 17, 2019. Retrieved April 8, 2024.
- ^ "Hammer, Bhatia, Hagestad named to U.S. Walker Cup team". NBC Sports. July 24, 2019. Retrieved April 8, 2024.
- ^ "Akshay Bhatia turns 21 at The Panama Championship". www.usagolf.org. February 1, 2023. Retrieved April 8, 2024.
- ^ Fields, Bill (April 7, 2024). "Bhatia Becomes First From Drive, Chip and Putt Finals to Reach Masters". Masters.com. Retrieved April 8, 2024.
- ^ Giglio, Joe. "Meet North Carolina Junior Golfer Akshay Bhatia". WALTER Magazine. Retrieved July 1, 2024.
- ^ "Of a promise to mom, and skipping college for clubs: Akshay Bhatia's golfing journey". ThePrint. April 8, 2024. Retrieved July 3, 2024.
- ^ Armstrong, Mark (August 13, 2019). "17-year-old golf phenom from Wake Forest draws strength from his family". WTVD. Retrieved July 1, 2024.
- ^ Lipsky, Scott (July 21, 2018). "Thorbjornsen Wins Dramatic Final in 36 Holes". USGA. Retrieved April 8, 2024.
- ^ "Akshay Bhatia profile". Team USA. Archived from the original on November 30, 2018. Retrieved March 25, 2019.
- ^ "Amateur Bhatia excited to battle pros at Valspar Championship". Golf Channel. Retrieved March 21, 2019.
- ^ Melton, Zephyr (April 17, 2019). "No. 1-ranked junior golfer Akshay Bhatia to make Web.com Tour debut in Alabama". PGA Tour.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "ST 11 @ Old South Golf". Retrieved September 7, 2020.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "ST Competition Results 2021 : ST12 @ Brunswick". Retrieved May 9, 2021.
- ^ Winkler, Adam (May 30, 2021). "Akshay Bhatia wins 2021 Biggs Classic in Hertford, NC". WTKR. Retrieved June 19, 2021.
- ^ "2021 Biggs Classic". GProTour. Retrieved June 19, 2021.
- ^ Rapaport, Daniel (June 8, 2021). "The 9 most intriguing stories from U.S. Open Final Qualifying". Golf Digest. Retrieved June 20, 2021.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Prise, Kevin (March 5, 2023). "Akshay Bhatia earns Special Temporary Membership with runner-up at Puerto Rico Open". PGA Tour.
- ^ "Akshay Bhatia, 21, wins his first PGA Tour title at the Barracuda Championship". Associated Press News. July 23, 2023. Retrieved July 24, 2023.
- ^ "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.
- ^ a b "Akshay Bhatia". World Amateur Golf Ranking. Retrieved March 25, 2019.
External links
- Akshay Bhatia at the PGA Tour official site
- Akshay Bhatia at the Official World Golf Ranking official site