Akshay Bhatia sweeps himself into the mix

ALBANY (BAHAMAS): Akshay Bhatia stood over his 10-ft par putt with his broomstick putter. It was the 18th hole, and the LA youngster was striving not to fall further behind sizzling Scheffler. Steady hands, and then a gentle wave to the applauding crowd. “I was waiting for a while for it to go in, but thankfully it did,” he said, after walking off the showcase greens with a day’s work of 6-under 66.
With two PGA Tour victories at the Barracuda Championship in 2023 and the Texas Open this season, he is no stranger to that winning feeling. He also doesn’t melt under pressure, having triumphed both times in playoffs.
In 2019, at 17 years of age, Bhatia became the youngest player to compete for the US in the Walker Cup and took the pro plunge right after high school. But for the son of Sunil and Renu -- his parents lived in New Delhi before moving to the US, where he was born -- it was a first-time experience at the Tiger Woodshosted Hero World Challenge.
From the way the wiry, bespectacled left-hander was reacting to the attention in the elite 20-man field event, it looked like he was lovin’ it. Pointing out that it was not too difficult to hit fairways out here at the open Albany GC, Bhatia said he wasn’t doing anything special.
“I made some putts, just played solid,” said the 22-year-old, who as a teen had lifted a trophy in the Bahamas on the second-tier Korn Ferry Tour. With a prototype driver in the bag, Bhatia said he and his equipment brand were searching for a perfect fit.
“I'm a unicorn because not many guys swing a driver like I do. Just trying to find something that we can keep the spin down, but it doesn’t go left. It’s just a hard balance,” the World No. 31 explained the technicalities.
With most of the golfers tweaking their clubs or style before the new season starts at the Sentry on Dec 30, this unofficial Tour event has become a testing ground.
Revealing a new ‘claw’ putting stance on Day 1 with a steady round of 65, defending champion Scottie Scheffler was at it again on Day 2, sinking seven birdies in the opening nine holes to remind everyone how he had won eight events, including Olympic gold, this year.