Any Golfer Who Strips Down TWICE In One Round To Hit A Shot Is A Major Champion In My Book
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You want to talk about doing something for the love of the game, committing to your craft, and going to the ends of the earth to maximize your potential? Meet Akshay Bhatia, who despite the wiriest physique ever listed in professional athletics (6-foot-1, 130 pounds) is out here tearing off his clothes and getting down and dirty to smack his ball around at the Honda Classic.
A solid January on the Korn Ferry Tour featured Bhatia carding two top-10 finishes. With what is essentially golf's version of Triple A ball on its de facto spring break, the 21-year-old is teeing it up with the big boys this week and is leaving absolutely nothing to chance.
Does it matter that Bhatia carded a four-over 74 on Saturday? Not really. His primary objective had to be making the cut, which he did thanks to a stellar 65 in the second round.
PGA National is notoriously one of the toughest venues in pro golf. The stretch of hole Nos. 15 through 17 is known as "The Bear Trap", named for course architect Jack Nicklaus for its brutal difficulty. That precedes a risk-reward par-5 18th where you can reach in two, but have to negotiate a perilous pool of water near the green. Bhatia's second attempt from the outer limits of PGA National came at the start of that Bear Trap at the par-3 15th when he airmailed his tee shot over the green.
For a touch more context: The first water shot Bhatia attempted on Saturday went far better. He found the drink with his tee shot on the par-4 sixth, managed to advance it up the fairway from the hazard, and got it up and down from about 90 yards away for par. He capped it in style with a sidewinding downhill putt from a little outside 10 feet.
Having nearly qualified for the PGA Tour last year only to fall just short, this experience should help Bhatia's bid for a full-time card going forward. Or at least I hope so. In any event, it's a hilarious subplot and a testament to just how weird golf can be.
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