Who is Akshay Bhatia? A look at the 21-year-old set to play the Valspar Championship with PGA Tour Special Membership
American professional golfer Akshay Bhatia bagged a runner-up finish at the Puerto Rico Open. This earned him enough Non-Member FedExCup Points to earn Special Temporary Membership of the PGA Tour. He finished at 19 under, two strokes behind champion Nico Echavarria.
The 21-year-old will now attempt to lock down full status, starting at this week's Valspar Championship.
With a current count of 230 FedEx Cup points, Bhatia would fall between Nos. 91 and 92 in the standings. In the tour's new format beginning in 2024, the top 70 players after the 2023 playoffs will earn full-time status.
Akshay Bhatia just secured his temporary membership on the PGA Tour by coming 2nd in Puerto Rico. He’s still only 21. Incredible talent!
https://t.co/RtT3hdk5hO
Akshay Bhatia had a distinguished junior career and was the first high-schooler to play on the US Walker Cup team. So, he decided to bypass a collegiate career and turn pro in 2019 when he was just 17.
It did not start well for him as he missed his first six Tour cuts. Then, the following season, he made four cuts in 11 starts. However, he tied for ninth at the 2020 Safeway Open, which he parlayed into enough non-member points to book his ticket to Korn Ferry Tour Finals.
In August 2021, he placed T 41 at the Korn Ferry Tour Championship, which gave him an exemption into the Final Stage of KFT Q-School. Bhatia tied for 63rd and didn’t earn guaranteed starts, but his priority ranking got him into the 2022 KFT season-opening Bahamas Great Exuma Classic.
Bhatia took advantage of that opportunity, winning the tournament just 12 days before his 20th birthday. He became the third-youngest winner in KFT history, behind Sungjae Im and Jason Day.
However, he again went on to miss 13 cuts in 24 starts and failed to earn his Tour card last year. So, he set out to make 2023 his last year on the KFT.
PRESS RELEASE: Akshay Bhatia accepts PGA TOUR Special Temporary Membership https://t.co/ooZ2GKCglx
In an interview with golfchannel.com, Akshay Bhatia said:
"It means a lot. I mean, worked really hard. It's been a crazy journey, for sure. Last year was really disappointing, I got hurt and didn't get my card through the Korn Ferry Tour. I mean, it's crazy.
"Like, I have so many people to thank, obviously ... It's a crazy day. Didn't even know I shot 7 under. I mean, chipped in three times on the same hole (the par-3 16th) though this week."
The youngster emphasized on how happy he feels about his journey:
"This is a great story and I want to write a book about my life and my journey. It's definitely going to be a really good chapter, for sure."
Akshay Bhatia also discussed the goals he had set for himself.
"My goal this whole year was to finish No. 1 on the Korn Ferry Tour money list, play that way, get my card that way," he said. "But, you know, just a different path. I've been in this position before and it really makes me happy that I've handled it so much better and learned from all the experiences I've had."
Last month at the Honda Classic, he had to take his shirt off twice to hit shots out of the mud during a round. In another interview with golfdigest.com, Bhatia talked about what his excitement was like as he made his way up the 18th hole at Grand Reserve Country Club.
Going shirtless did not help Akshay Bhatia here
https://t.co/K9njbG9bbb
"I dealt with high heart rates on the golf course and the crowds started to get slowly and slowly bigger and I would have never imagined that in Puerto Ric, for myself, having 80, 90, 100 people around watching our group.… I checked my Whoop heart rate after the round, and on my third shot on 18, my heart rate got up to 156 beats per minute, which is pretty nuts."
Dreams turned into reality.
@AkshayBhatia_1 hopes to make the most of his opportunity this week @ValsparChamp. https://t.co/2t7Ot9cgy5
“I had no idea what adversity meant back in 2019, and I fully understand it now,” Bhatia added. “I've dealt with so many ups and downs in this game as a professional—not being able to rent rental cars, not being able to check into hotels. So, dealing with a lot of that outside stuff that I never had to deal with was a big challenge."
Things are looking up for Akshay Bhatia and he is clear about what to do moving forward.
“Just self-belief, learn a lot, play a lot of high-level golf, it makes a big difference. This is my 23rd PGA Tour event and I'm saying that at 21 years old.…I'm very fortunate for all the opportunities that I've had. There’s nothing much more to say other than just keep learning and keep grinding.”