Akshay Bhatia secured the biggest victory of his career on the PGA Tour at Bay Hill yesterday. In 2023, at the Barracuda Championship, and in 2024, at the Valero Texas Open, he had already shown he has more than enough talent to be part of the exclusive group of multiple winners on the US circuit. But in Florida, in the run-up to THE PLAYERS, he took another step, proving to himself he is ready for big battles and confirming himself as an unbeatable opponent when the title is decided in a playoff.
His three trophies on the tour have thus come by winning in playoffs. He beat Patrick Rodgers at the Barracuda Championship, Denny McCarthy at the Valero Texas Open and this Sunday, at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, a genuine Signature Event with a million-dollar purse, he beat Daniel Berger, who had dominated the tournament with an iron hand practically from the start. A title he celebrated very emotionally and remembering in particular a special person…
“To win golf tournaments you need a lot of luck. A lot of things have to go your way and that’s simply part of the game. But yes, I did a lot of very good things this week. I felt my niece was looking after me from above. She passed away in December. And when I saw that rainbow on 18 it reminded me of her. So it was really very beautiful, a very special moment for us. And I’m really looking forward to celebrating it,” revealed Akshay at his official press conference before offering more details.
“Her name was Mia. She was diagnosed with a fairly rare disease and fought for a long time. She wasn’t supposed to live more than a year and the nicest thing of all was that she was at our wedding, even though travelling was very hard for her. And, well, on our wedding day she passed away. She didn’t make it. Obviously we tried everything and we had a great support system, but there were many beautiful things that week. She stayed in a house where we got married that was called Heaven on Earth. She loved the sand. She could see everyone. So I told my sister I’ve been thinking about her a lot since she passed, and that this victory was for her. She was five years old,” explained the Californian
Bhatia also remembered the legendary Arnold Palmer, after whom the tournament is named: “I feel very blessed to win his tournament. Everyone knows, when you come to this event, how tough it is, with an ‘field’ of elite players, obviously, and I feel very honoured to win it. I know he was up there watching and probably very proud of how this week ended. And yes, it’s been super fun. The fans were with me the whole time, it was really great. I felt Arnie’s army was with me. So yes, very blessed”.
In fact, his aggressive golf at the key moments recalled that of The King: “I played with bravery. I think that’s something everyone associates with Mr Palmer. And it was very nice. I could feel the energy and the atmosphere. It was incredible. And I feel very fortunate to win this tournament. I know the magnitude it has, the winners that have been here, obviously Tiger holing all those putts… It was really special. And I think the nicest part of the day was simply that the fans, Arnie’s army, were with me. It was really, really great”.
Joe, his caddie, had a lot to do with Akshay securing such a valuable victory, helping him with key advice during his round, especially in the tough moments: “Joe used to tell me: ‘You can play happy, you can play nervous, you can play angry’. And it was a lot of fun, to be honest”. He chose to play happy to get a title that can change his career: “It helps me prove to myself that I can do it. I think last year I went through a spell where I was in the mix and I felt it wasn’t impossible, but it did require a huge amount of learning every day I didn’t play well. So this is another very big step for me. Going from winning an event that wasn’t a full-field… I won the Barracuda Championship, which is now an opposite event, and now winning a Signature is enormous. So I’m excited. I never really thought I could do it under this pressure. I feel that on other occasions I had shied away from it. And today I just gritted my teeth, believed in what I could do and executed very well”.
Bhatia recalled that his three titles on the PGA Tour have come, as we said, in playoffs: “Well, luck, obviously. But I feel that when I go into a playoff I’m less nervous. And I felt I was putting pressure on Daniel, especially hitting the fairway on 18, which was very important for that pin. Once you send it into the rough, you’re already playing defence, trying to leave it in a decent area. Even from where Daniel hit it it was extremely difficult. So I felt I kept putting pressure on him. And then I had that putt to win and it was nice to see it drop”.
The winner of the Arnold Palmer also took the opportunity to talk about his enormous feel with the putter: “I’ve been doing the same thing for a long time. And the curious thing is that this week I felt that Joe and I do this exercise where I throw a lip balm across the green and we do AimPoint stuff to try to guess the percentage of break. And on Tuesday I was really dialled in. But I think I simply had more awareness of what it takes here to hole putts, because last year I suffered a lot. My putter slides on these greens. So I think this week I discovered that, and I discovered many things with my coach about how to attack this course. My speed was very good. I had a few three-putts, but that’s going to happen here”.
To finish, Akshay wanted to explain that ‘Arnie’s army’ that gave him their support: “I just felt everyone was cheering for me. It was really cool. I’d never experienced anything like it. I had felt it with Scottie, when everyone shouts for Scottie. Well, that’s how it felt to me. And Joe used to say: ‘Can you imagine how it was when Tiger used to play here?’. I can’t even imagine it. The fans were incredible. I felt that whenever Daniel didn’t hit a good shot, or pulled out of one, or missed a putt, all the weight fell on my shoulders to win the tournament”
The disappointment and learning of Daniel Berger
Bhatia‘s long press conference contrasted with the three quick questions answered by a disappointed Berger, who had the tournament in his hands and couldn’t win it: “I’m proud of myself. Obviously it didn’t go how I wanted, but at the start of the week, if someone had told me I’d have a chance on 18 to win at Bay Hill, I would have been delighted. So there are many positive things and many things to learn”.
Beyond the understandable blow he suffered at Bay Hill, the golfer from Plantation, Florida, highlights the positive side to keep fighting for a fifth title on the PGA Tour that has eluded him for almost five years: “Yes, I think my game is sharp. There are a few things to polish here and there. But winning is hard. Competing is hard. Even so, I think I did a good job and a shot here or there made the difference”. A spectacular ending for one of the season’s big tournaments on the US circuit… before travelling to THE PLAYERS
