Akshay Bhatia has his sights set on a Masters invite.
Brennan Asplen/Getty Photos
Akshay Bhatia has received on the PGA Tour because the 2023 Masters, however he’s not but in subsequent week’s discipline.
4 of his 5 closest chasers on the Valero Texas Open leaderboard shall be in Augusta for the yr’s first main. That even consists of Ludvig Aberg, who will make his first-ever main look.
However the man who leads the sector by 4 photographs at TPC San Antonio as he seeks his first full-field PGA Tour win.
As soon as a “can’t miss child” who bypassed highschool by turning skilled in 2019 on the ripe outdated age of 17, Bhatia took somewhat bit longer than some might have anticipated to reach. It took him till 2022 to earn his Korn Ferry Tour card. He’s been on the quick observe since, nonetheless. He received his first begin as a KFT member after which he grew to become a particular non permanent member of the PGA Tour final season.
Now it’s taking him longer than he might need anticipated to earn his first Masters invite.
Bhatia was upset final season when his win on the Barracuda Championship, an opposite-field occasion held the identical week because the Open Championship final season, didn’t assure him a spot within the FedEx Cup Playoffs. Whereas it received him full-time standing on the PGA Tour, it additionally didn’t get him into the Masters.
His greatest objectives are to play in majors, he mentioned Saturday night time as he stands one spherical away from qualifying for his second one, and lots of extra after.
“if I win, that’s nice. I imply, it will get me nearer to my purpose,” Bhatia mentioned. “Yeah, it doesn’t imply the world to me. I didn’t develop up enjoying on the PGA Tour essentially to win simply PGA Tour occasions, I grew up enjoying and dreaming of profitable majors. That’s type of my essential focus for the years to return.”
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Solely a win would get Bhatia into the sector at Augusta as a runner-up wouldn’t be sufficient to spice up him into the highest 50 of the Official World Golf Rating. But when he had been to transform his first-ever 54-hole lead on the PGA Tour, the 22-year-old would develop into the primary Drive, Chip and Putt Championship participant to achieve the Masters.
He’d even be the fifth participant within the final six seasons to win the ultimate occasion earlier than Augusta to qualify for the Masters.
How will he keep within the second so as to get the job achieved?
“Race my race.”
That’s what Bhatia is writing on his wrist earlier than he performs proper now.
“I’m simply going at my very own tempo, specializing in myself, holding the blinders proper in entrance of me,” he mentioned. “I have a look at that on a regular basis as a result of you will get caught up in loads of issues out right here and if I’m simply type of doing my very own factor and attempting to not let outdoors stuff hassle me, then I simply can give attention to myself and regardless of the final result is, it’s.”
