Akshay Bhatia has a one-word answer to describe his feeling after missing final putt at the Rocket Mortgage Classic
Akshay Bhatia has narrowly missed out on winning the 2024 Rocket Mortgage Classic. He was very close to victory, but an unfortunate shot on the final hole dashed his chances, with Bhatia having to settle for a tie for second place.
He had been in the lead since the first round and had maintained his position going into the final hole of the last round. However, his final shot on the 18th hole on Sunday resulted in a disappointing finish for Bhatia.
Following the event, the 22-year-old addressed the media, sharing his feelings about his finish at the tournament. Bhatia had a one-word answer to describe his final putt at the Rocket Mortgage Classic. He said:
"Sucks, no other way to put it. Just sucks." (0:08-0:14)
He further elaborated on his putt on the 18th hole, saying:
"It's hard; you got so much slope there. So you don't want to run it 5-6 ft by. But just a little bit of nerves honestly. It's just I'm human, and the greens get slower throughout the day here."(1:29-1:47)
Cam Davis won the 2024 Rocket Mortgage Classic after shooting a final round of 70. Meanwhile, Bhatia finished in a four-way tie for second place with Aaron Rai, Davis Thompson, and Min Woo Lee.
"I wouldn't wish"- Cam Davis on Akshay Bhatia missing the final putt at Rocket Mortgage Classic
The winner of the 2024 Rocket Mortgage Classic, Cam Davis, was sympathetic about Akshay Bhatia's unlucky shot on the 18th hole. Bhatia made a bogey on the concluding hole, resulting in him finishing with a score of -17, just one stroke behind the winner.
While talking to the media, Cam Davis spoke about Bhatia's shot and said (via PGA Tour on X):
"I wouldn't wish what happened to Akshay on anyone, but I've done a lot of grinding to kind of get myself out of a hole and just all of a sudden to do that, it's pretty good."
Although Bhatia did not win the Rocket Mortgage Classic, he put forward an impressive performance at the tournament. Akshay Bhatia had a phenomenal start, shooting a bogey-free round.
In the inaugural round, he began with birdies on the second and fourth holes. He maintained his dominance on the back nine, carding four splendid birdies along with an impressive eagle on the par-5 17th hole. He scored 8-under 64 to kickstart the PGA Tour event.
Bhatia shot another bogey-free round on the second day of the tournament. Starting on the tenth hole with a birdie, he made five birdies in total and scored 5-under 67.
In the third round, Akshay Bhatia once again managed to play out a bogey-free round, with four birdies. He scored 4-under 68 and finished at the top of the leaderboard in a tie with Aaron Rai at the end of the third round.
He was close to victory but shot two bogeys in the final round along with two birdies, scoring an even-par 72 and finishing in a tie for second place.