Akshay

Bhatia

The 21-year-old lefty had plenty of critics when he opted to skip college and vault straight to the pro ranks. He played his way into Special Temporary Membership through his early-season results and now becomes a full PGA Tour member with this win. There is just one slight issue. As a co-sanctioned event, the Barracuda Championship does not reward non-member FedExCup Points. He did not get any of the 300 FEC Points that would typically go to the winner of this event. That means Bhatia is now eligible for the Playoffs but currently sits 22 spots outside of the top-70 bubble with just two events remaining. He will look to maintain the momentum at this week’s 3M Open.

The 21-year-old started just two shots off the 54-hole pace set by Tony Finau and opened with two birdies and six pars to remain right in the hunt. He stumbled from there with bogeys on three of the next four holes to play his way out of contention. It wasn’t an ideal finish but certainly a great week with all things considered. Bhatia continues to show an affinity for coastal tracks with six of his top seven PGA TOUR finishes now coming near the coast. With $377K earned this week, Bhatia has now eclipsed $1 million in career earnings on the big stage ($1,247,311). Not too shabby for someone who would still be in college if he had taken the traditional route.

Bhatia accepted Special Temporary Membership ahead of the Valspar and getting unlimited sponsor invites was one of the key perks. He missed the cut at Innisbrook Resort but will attempt to get back on track this week in the Dominican Republic. The result that clinched his STM came at the Puerto Rico Open while both of his top 10s on the KFT this season came in The Bahamas. He also won last year in The Bahamas, quickly proving to be a bit of a coastal course specialist.

The 21-year-old bagged a runner-up finish at the Puerto Rico Open which earned him enough Non-Member FedExCup Points to earn Special Temporary Membership. That will allow him to receive unlimited sponsor invites for the remainder of the season but he’ll still need to earn the proper FedExCup Points to earn full status for next season. He would need to win an event in order to receive Playoff eligilibity this season. Bhatia has three top 20s in 22 career PGA TOUR events and two of those have come in his last four starts.

Bhatia traded 26 birdies with bogeys and a double this week a Grand Reserve Golf Club. That left him three shots clear of the third-place finishers but two shots behind the winner, Nico Echavarria. An emotional Bhatia talked about what this means to him after the round, “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. But, you know, just a different path.” This doesn’t guarantee him any status for 2024 but will allow him unlimited sponsor exemptions for the remainder of the season. That is a big bonus, especially this early, with so many events still remaining on the 2022-23 schedule.

Bhatia was one of the last four players in the final field of 2022, but he seemed on his way to a missed cut after opening with a 73 on the host course. That changed in a hurry, as the former teen phenom was 10 shots better on the easier layout to head into the weekend at 6 under, T-28 and six shots off the lead. Bhatia started with five birdies on his first eight holes, closed with an eagle on the par-5 18th and was one of four players to tie for low round of the day honors with a 63. It’s the second made cut of the fall for Bhatia, who also finished T-17 in Bermuda last month.

Bhatia dismantled the par-70 layout today with eight par-4 birdies to erase a lone blemish while he also birdied one of the par 5s. The 20-year-old got his maiden win on the Korn Ferry circuit last season but failed to find The Top 25 by season’s end. His potential remains through the roof but he’s yet to find his consistency. Others to punch their ticket into the RSM today included Bryson Nimmer (63), Brett Drewitt (65), and Conner Godsey (65).

Making his first start as a card-carrying Korn Ferry Tour member, Bhatia traded 22 birdies with six bogeys and one double bogey. All that scoring was good enough for a two-shot win this week. The 19-year-old showed no nerves in the final round as he posted a clean card, matching the low round of the day alongside A.J. Crouch. Known for skipping college to join the pro ranks early, his decision is looking good at the moment. Bhatia becomes the third-youngest to win on the Korn Ferry Tour behind only Jason Day and Sungjae Im.

The 19-year-old went 4-for-11 on the PGA TOUR last season with three of those starts coming in the fall of 2020. That included a T9 at the 2020-21 Safeway Open which remains his only top 25 on the big stage. That helped earn him a spot in the Korn Ferry Tour Finals but he settled for just one cut made in three attempts on the KFT with a T41 at the KFT Championship being the lone bright spot. What’s promising is that he circled more birdies than the field in four of his last five starts. Gamers should keep their eye out for a potential breakout in 2022 but starts will also be tough to come by, relying on Monday Qs and sponsor invites.