Akshay Bhatia
American professional golfer (born 2002)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Akshay Bhatia (born January 31, 2002)[2] is an American professional golfer. He made his first PGA Tour start in 2019 at the age of 17 after receiving a sponsor exemption into Valspar Championship.[3] He turned pro later that year and made his professional debut at Sanderson Farms Championship that fall.[4]
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United States| Akshay Bhatia | |
|---|---|
Bhatia in 2018 | |
| Personal information | |
| Born | January 31, 2002 Northridge, California, U.S. |
| Height | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) |
| Weight | 130 lb (59 kg; 9.3 st) |
| Sporting nationality | United States |
| Residence | Wake Forest, North Carolina, U.S. |
| Spouse |
Presleigh Schultz (m. 2025) |
| Career | |
| Turned professional | 2019 |
| Current tour | PGA Tour |
| Former tours | Korn Ferry Tour PGA Tour Canada |
| Professional wins | 7 |
| Highest ranking | 19 (March 8, 2026)[1] (as of April 19, 2026) |
| Number of wins by tour | |
| PGA Tour | 3 |
| European Tour | 1 |
| Korn Ferry Tour | 1 |
| Other | 3 |
| Best results in major championships | |
| Masters Tournament | T35: 2024 |
| PGA Championship | CUT: 2024, 2025 |
| U.S. Open | T16: 2024 |
| The Open Championship | T30: 2025 |
Medal record | |
A decorated amateur, Bhatia has represented the United States at the Junior Presidents Cup in 2017, Junior Ryder Cup in 2018, and Walker Cup in 2019, becoming the youngest and first ever high schooler to represent the United States in the event.[5] He has also represented the United States at the 2018 Summer Youth Olympics in Buenos Aires, winning two silver medals.[6] Bhatia made the finals of the Drive, Chip & Putt competition at Augusta National in 2014 and became its first ever finalist to reach the Masters Tournament by virtue of his win at the Valero Texas Open in 2024.[7]
Early life
Bhatia was born in Northridge, California, to parents Sonny and Renu. Bhatia's parents are from India and lived in Delhi before moving to the United States. The family moved to Wake Forest, North Carolina, in 2011.[8][9] Bhatia has two sisters: Rhea, who played college golf at Queen's University of Charlotte,[10] and Nikitta, who lives in Texas with her husband and two daughters.
Amateur career
He was runner-up at the 2018 U.S. Junior Amateur, losing to Michael Thorbjornsen in the final.[11] He won two silver medals at the 2018 Summer Youth Olympics in the boy's individual and the mixed team with Lucy Li. He played on the Junior Presidents Cup team in 2017 and Junior Ryder Cup in 2018, with both teams winning.[12]
Bhatia made his PGA Tour debut at the 2019 Valspar Championship on a sponsor exemption and missed the cut.[13]
Bhatia made his Web.com Tour debut on April 18, 2019, at the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail Championship,[14] where he made the cut and finished T-42.
Professional career
Bhatia turned professional in September 2019 after competing in the 2019 Walker Cup, and made his professional debut at the Sanderson Farms Championship.[15]
On August 5, 2020, Bhatia won the ST 11 @ Old South Golf, an event on the Swing Thought Tour, by three strokes.[16] On February 25, 2021, Bhatia won his second Swing Thought Tour event, ST 12 @ Brunswick, in a playoff.[17][18] On May 29, Bhatia won the 2021 Biggs Classic, a GProTour event.[19][20]
In June 2021, Bhatia qualified for the U.S. Open at Torrey Pines. He made the cut and finished tied for 57th in his first major championship appearance.[21]
In January 2022, Bhatia won The Bahamas Great Exuma Classic on the Korn Ferry Tour. This was his first start as a member of the Korn Ferry Tour.[22] Despite the strong start, Bhatia fell short of earning a PGA Tour card, finishing 30th (the top 25 earned PGA Tour cards) during the regular season and not making a cut during the Finals.
Bhatia earned Special Temporary Member status on the PGA Tour after a runner-up finish at the 2023 Puerto Rico Open.[23]
In July 2023, he earned his first PGA Tour and first European Tour victory by winning in a playoff at the Barracuda Championship.[24]
In April 2024, Bhatia won the Valero Texas Open in a playoff over Denny McCarthy.[25] Almost two years later, he won the 2026 Arnold Palmer Invitational for his third PGA Tour win, and his first at a Signature Event.[26]
Amateur wins
- 2016 AJGA – CJGT Junior at Yorba Linda, IZOD AJGA Championship
- 2017 Davis Love III Junior Open, Junior PGA Championship, AJGA Junior at Ford's Colony
- 2018 Junior Invitational at Sage Valley, Polo Golf Junior Classic, Junior PGA Championship, Rolex Tournament of Champions
- 2019 Jones Cup Invitational, Dustin Johnson World Junior Championship
Source:[27]
Professional wins (7)
PGA Tour wins (3)
| Legend |
|---|
| Signature events (1) |
| Other PGA Tour (2) |
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory | Runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jul 23, 2023 | Barracuda Championship1 | 40 pts (6-8-17-9=40) | Playoff |  Patrick Rodgers |
| 2 | Apr 7, 2024 | Valero Texas Open | −20 (63-70-68-67=268) | Playoff | Denny McCarthy |
| 3 | Mar 8, 2026 | Arnold Palmer Invitational | −15 (70-66-68-69=273) | Playoff | Daniel Berger |
1Co-sanctioned by the European Tour
PGA Tour playoff record (3–0)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2023 | Barracuda Championship | Patrick Rodgers |
Won with par on first extra hole |
| 2 | 2024 | Valero Texas Open | Denny McCarthy |
Won with birdie on first extra hole |
| 3 | 2026 | Arnold Palmer Invitational | Daniel Berger |
Won with par on first extra hole |
Korn Ferry Tour wins (1)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory | Runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jan 19, 2022 | The Bahamas Great Exuma Classic | −14 (69-72-68-65=274) | 2 strokes | Paul Haley II |
Swing Thought Tour wins (2)
- 2020 ST 11 @ Old South Golf
- 2021 ST 12 @ Brunswick
GProTour wins (1)
- 2021 Biggs Classic
Results in major championships
| Tournament | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | T35 | T42 | CUT | |||
| PGA Championship | CUT | CUT | ||||
| U.S. Open | T57 | T16 | CUT | |||
| The Open Championship | CUT | T30 |
CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" = tied
Summary
| Tournament | Wins | 2nd | 3rd | Top-5 | Top-10 | Top-25 | Events | Cuts made |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 |
| PGA Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| U.S. Open | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 2 |
| The Open Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
| Totals | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 10 | 5 |
- Most consecutive cuts made – 2 (2021 U.S. Open – 2024 Masters)
- Longest streak of top-10s – none
Results in The Players Championship
| Tournament | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Players Championship | CUT | T3 | T13 |
CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place
U.S. national team appearances
- Junior Presidents Cup: 2017 (winners)
- Junior Ryder Cup: 2018 (winners)
- Summer Youth Olympics Mixed team event: 2018
- Walker Cup: 2019 (winners)
Source:[27]