Akshay Bhatia had a great performance at this week’s Valero Texas Open. After playing well in the first three rounds, he entered Sunday’s final round with a four-stroke lead over Denny McCarthy.
Of course, it’s not just a victory for Bhatia.
There are currently 88 players competing in next week’s Masters. If Bhatia wins, he will reach 89 points.
Before teeing off on Sunday, he exuded some real gusto and supreme confidence about himself.
Akshay Bhatia trying to do that by writing “WTW” for “Wire-to-Wire” on his arm before the final round is pretty dope. pic.twitter.com/Af2WCQorox
— Alex Myers (@AlexMyers3) April 7, 2024
Mr. Bhatia was seen writing ‘WTW’ on his left wrist, representing an electric wire and wire. Indeed, if he were to pull off a victory, that’s exactly what he would accomplish.
Bhatia opened the tournament with a 9-under 63 and hasn’t looked back yet.
The 22-year-old stallion is off to a great start in his career.
Last year, his first year on tour, Batia took second and fourth place at the Puerto Rico Open and Mexico Open, respectively. He ended up with an emotional playoff victory in the Barracuda Championship.
However, because it was a co-sanctioned event, he could not qualify for the 2024 Masters.
When I played at the Texas Open this week, I knew this was my last chance to play at Augusta National.
Bhatia put on a clinic and dominated the field for much of the tournament. With six holes left on Sunday’s back nine, he holds a five-shot lead over McCarthy.
It looks like we’ll be adding another rookie to the Masters.
Kendall Capps is the senior editor of SB Nation’s Playing Through.For more golf coverage, follow us @_PlayingThrough On all major social media platforms.
